ROB’S PIVOT FIREBIRD £4,200 (frame with Fox Float X2 Factory shock)
Big travel, big wheels and big fun are the name of the game this year for our chief tester
It was a bit of a slow process sourcing parts for the Firebird, but when it finally came together I was chuffed to bits. Of course, seeing it built up and ready to ride left me desperate to throw a leg over it – something that’s easier said than done when halfway through reviewing eight bikes for next issue’s Bike of the Year test.
My chance finally came on a shoot in South Wales. While setting up the Firebird, I noticed that the Fox Float X2 shock had cavitated and sounded wheezier than an asthmatic kid trying to run the 100m (I’m speaking from personal experience here!). Not ideal, but at least I could get an idea of how the bike felt.
Dropping into some fast, rutted turns, I could instantly feel the bike’s potential. As soon as you ease off the anchors, this thing just goes. That’s partly down to the big 29in wheels front and back, and the masses of
