According to Pivot, this new Firebird isn’t just an update, it’s A New Breed of Bird that has been leveled up. Based on our time aboard the last generation, which we reviewed here, it seems this next level has most definitely been achieved. Coming equipped as a full-29er but compatible with MX configuration, there’s a lot to Dissect with the new Firebird so let’s get into it.
FROM THE GROUND UP
SUSPENSION | Still packing 165mm of travel out back with 170mm up front, the feel of the suspension, and the adjustability of the suspension’s feel is one of the two largest performance improvements we noticed right away. What makes the new suspension feel notably better? For starters, the new Firebird frame has a longer lower link combined with a more rearward axle path to give the bike a bit smoother feel. Next up and likely equally important, if not more, is the brand new and custom tuned 2026 Fox Factory Float X2 rear shock.
We learned at the media camp that Pivot Cycles spent more time with the Fox team perfecting this shock tune than they have on any other bike. The tuning and feel of the new shock on the bike show the collaborative effort was worth the squeeze as my normal time-intensive journey to adjust and tune the X2 shock was almost completely eliminated.
To further compliment the new linkages and shock, Pivot updated the frame’s dw-link suspension kinematics to achieve the desired balance of downhill performance without sacrificing too much on the climbs. It is still a Pivot after all.
SUSPENSION ADJUSTABILITY | Beyond the shock’s impressive tuning features, Pivot has given the new Firebird a suspension progression Flip Chip. Whether you’re interested running a coil shock or just want to give yourself a certain type of feel on the trail, a quick change of the chip gives you a notably different feel.
When looking at 0 to 100% of travel, the chip will deliver 31.8% (Progressive) or 26.9% (Linear) progressivity. When looking at 30% (Sag) – 90% travel, the chip changes progression from 15.6% (Prog.) to 12.3% (Lin.).
FRAME ADJUSTABILITY AND FEATURES | The new Firebird is packed full of consumer-ready features that make it both a highly adaptable bike or one that can be custom-tuned and left alone. Starting at the beefy head tube, Pivot goes with a 56mm ID headset. The gives customers the ability to use a variety of ZS56-compatible Reach or Angle adjustable headsets. So, whether you’d like to go up or down 5mm or modify those head tube angle numbers even further, the choice is yours.
Just behind the head tube sits a new dual cable port that allows you to have a clean frame or run cables easily for wireless or cable-actuated systems. The cable routing makes its way to some new integrated cable clips on the inside of Pivot’s new Toolshed in-frame storage compartment. The cables on our bikes remained dead-quiet, even after a week of mega-shuttle days and daily washes due to some muddy conditions.
Pivot’s Toolshed storage system is one of the best we’ve used yet and applaud the ease of use. And if you’d rather store Twinkies or burritos in your Toolshed, Pivot’s Dock Tool system is still on-board and very handy.
Speaking of epic shuttle days, Pivot gives the new Firebird full downtube protection, which we definitely put to the test. There are tons of loose rocks flying around Finale Ligure.
Moving rearward on the frame Pivot has given the Firebird both a High and Low Flip Chip along with substantially different Short and Long chainstay length chip. We’ll touch on those below in the geo section.
GEOMETRY AND ADJUSTABILITY | Overall, we’d say the Pivot Firebird is conservatively aggressive, what we mean by that is, it’s aggressive with many of its contemporaries but lacks any very radical (or polarizing) numbers, which means it should be good for most riders in most scenarios.
At 5’11 I opted to ride a size large and am very happy with the dimensions. Many of the geometry numbers sit close to the last generation but are still different enough to give some notable differences while aboard the bike. Especially the overall wheelbase and chainstay length (when in the long position).
The chainstay lengths are adjustably thanks to Pivot’s patented Swinger Dropout System. This system is really neat and fully compatible with UDH and SRAM T-Type drivetrains. By moving the dropouts riders have the ability to change the stay length by a whopping 8mm. This change not only requires the use of a slightly longer chain to maintain SRAM’s tight T-Type tolerances but also gives some drastically different feels on the trail. More on that down below, or in the video.
I quickly made the change to running the bike in the long position and didn’t look back.
Not new for the Firebird is Pivot’s High and Low adjustment at the top of the seat stay. A quick twist of a 6mm hex and riders can lift the low BB off the ground and also steepen the head tube angle by ½ degree. Pivot recommends running the bike in the High position for MX wheel configurations.
THE WOLF’S FIRST IMPRESSIONS
These Dissected Features are made with the support of the brands, Pivot in this case, flew us out to Finale Ligure and Evolve Bike Shop (a Pivot Dealer) who helped with our housing and shuttling services for a week of amazing riding. For those reasons combined with the fact that we only rode the bike for a few days on foreign trails, we’ll refrain from calling this an official review. That said, we easily put in more than 30,000 feet of descending and a whole lotta miles on this bike over the week in Finale. The trails ridden in this non-stop buffet of biking ranged from lower-gradient sweepers to some truly heinous rock gardens and high speed chunder that would make a DH bike giddy.
From the get-go I felt comfortable on the bike. I didn’t have everything dialed, but I could tell the bike was going to suit me and had “good bones.” It was just a matter of getting settled in post-jet lag and getting my tuning right. Much to my surprise, the new 2026 Fox Factory Float X2 shock was running incredibly well within three runs. For reference, after those three runs I felt like I was at 90-95% of my optimal ride tuning, whereas it would sometimes take me a week of back and forth tuning to end up there on the last shock. While this isn’t a shock review, I wanted to spend time talking about it because I believe the new shock combined with the effort made by Pivot to work with Fox on this bike has paid dividends, especially for a rider like me who enjoys a light and lively feel from a burly, air shock that won’t fade on big descents and large hits.
My early runs were fun, techy, fast and full of surprises. I was pleased with how quickly the bike changed directions, how light it felt as I needed to pick it up and place it out of harm’s way or slide the back end around as corners kept on surprising me.
As speeds picked up a bit and the terrain got chunkier, I found myself feeling an imbalance from front to back and kept thinking about how the long setting would feel. While we ate a delicious lunch, the Evolve Finale Bike Shop Mechanics offered to make any bike adjustments we requested. I took them up on it since the bike was in the stand anyways. My SRAM Maven brakes were feeling pretty terrible and needed another bleed and piston massage, so I asked for a swap into the long position. They installed a longer chain (2 links) and within a few minutes the bike was ready to ride again.
Immediately I knew this was the setting for me. I liked some of the playful and handy parts about the shorter stays, I liked how it climbed and let me get up and over obstacles quickly, but there’s no denying that at this point in my testing, I’d sacrifice some of those aspects for the stability and handling gains of the long position. Granted, shuttling Finale Ligure is as far from reality as living in Squamish is for 99% of mountain bikers, so we’ll see if this holds true once I’m back home. What was equally exciting though, was just how different the bike feels in the two positions. Eight millimeters is a significant change in geometry and the confidence, footprint and cornering prowess the bike has in the long position gave me confidence to ride these blind trails that I was really happy about. Luckily I didn’t run out of talent either because the bike certainly got up to and maintained speed quite well, especially while chasing Pivot Factory racer Morgane Charre.
All that to say, after just a week riding this bike in a variety of conditions in one of the best places to shred an enduro bike on the planet, the new Pivot Firebird is more like a fire-breathing dragon for riders who want a bike that can be pedaled but still descend damn-near a DH bike.
Stay tuned as we’ve already got our long-term review bike built up and will begin pedaling it around the PNW for our final thoughts later this year.
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