If it is too close to or lower than the wheel’s axle, the bike’s axle path will be vertical or forwards.

The bike’s main pivot (or ‘instant centre’ on virtual pivot-point, twin-link, four-bar or six-bar suspension designs) must be placed much higher than the bike’s rear wheel axle in order for the axle path to be rearward the higher the pivot, the more rearward the axle moves. The pink line represents a low-pivot rear wheel axle’s trajectory, the blue represents a mid-pivot rear wheel axle trajectory and the orange that of a high-pivot design. What is a high-pivot mountain bike?Ī comparison of exaggerated axle paths found on high-, mid- and low-pivot suspension designs. If you’re in the market for a new trail, all-mountain, enduro or downhill mountain bike, high pivot is now a viable consideration. We’re at a point in time when almost all other aspects of mountain bike design are finely tuned, so brands are looking for the next talking point or ‘marginal gain’. However, don’t overlook the desire of brands to continually develop and iterate. Manufacturers now don’t have to take the front derailleur into consideration with the pivot design and layout.

The resurgence can be attributed partly to the adoption of 1x drivetrains, which started with the introduction of SRAM XX1 in 2012. In truth, high-pivot never went away, but while the system was, and still is, used primarily on downhill bikes, a number of brands are starting to introduce high-pivot designs on their shorter-travel all-mountain and enduro bikes, including the Norco Range, Cannondale Jekyll and GT Force.

The Forbidden Druid is an example of a high-pivot trail mountain bike.

Hp sprocket test