First ride review of the 2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Team XTR featuring the FAZUA Ride 60 motor – Lightweight dancer or bull in a china shop?

Pivot are surfing the light eMTB wave with the introduction of the new 2023 Shuttle SL Team XTR. Despite its weight, the progressive trail eMTB promises to offer plenty of assistance thanks to the FAZUA Ride 60 motor. We put it to the test to find out if it can dance along on the trail or if it’s more like a bull in a china shop.

Light eMTBs are a hot trend, and Pivot don’t want to miss out on the party, pulling out all the stops in the development of the 2023 Shuttle SL Team XTR. At the time of its introduction, the American brand were among the first to develop a light eMTB around the new FAZUA Ride 60 motor. In doing so, they put a natural ride feel amongst their top priorities. Pivot tried to coordinate the suspension, weight and motor to work in harmony, and thereby make the Shuttle SL feel playful and natural, yet powerful. It promises to fill the gap between analogue mountain bikes and full power eMTBs. Has the US brand bitten off more than they can chew? We found out!

With 150 mm travel up front and 132 mm out back, the 2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Team XTR is aimed squarely at trail eMTB riders. As you’d expect, Pivot rely on their tried and trusted DW linkage design to control the 132 mm travel at the rear. Paired with clean lines and slender tube shapes, the bike has got that classic, unmistakable Pivot look. If you want to call one of the new light eMTBs from Arizona your own, you’ll have to fork out between € 8,999 and € 12,599.

The FAZUA Ride 60 motor in the 2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Team XTR

The FAZUA Ride 60 motor in the 2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Team XTR is relatively new to the market that’s yet to feature in many light eMTBs. The lightweight motor has a torque output of 60 Nm and is powered by a permanently integrated 430 Wh battery. Since you can’t remove the battery, you’ll have to plug the bike into a power outlet in your garage if possible or else take it into your apartment to recharge. The motor gets controlled via the FAZUA Ring Control remote on the handlebar and the FAZUA LED HUB display in the top tube with an built-in USB-C charging port. They’re neatly integrated with the bike and very inconspicuous. The handlebar remote is super intuitive to use, though there’s room for improvement in terms of the finishing quality, lacking somewhat in terms of the haptic experience. Integrated into the down tube, you’ll find a rubber flap for the charging port, though somewhat cramped by the down tube protector. Since the charging port flap and the down tube protector almost overlap, and the tab on the flap is rather small, opening the flap can be a bit fiddly.

After our first test of the FAZUA motor revealed a few teething issues, the latest software update, version 1.5, has resolved most of these niggles. The motor now turns on reliably and switches off without problems, it starts charging the moment you plug it in and it doesn’t hum excessively on the trail. In summary, it does what you’d expect from a premium motor. Unfortunately, the issue with the delayed response hasn’t been entirely resolved just yet, but more on that later.

The 2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Team XTR in detail

Thanks to the compact and near seamless integration of the FAZUA Ride 60 motor, Pivot have been able to retain their signature design language on the 2023 Shuttle SL Team XTR. The top tube and seat stays flow into each other along a straight line, giving the bike a modern and clean look. It’s strongly reminiscent of some of Pivot’s analogue models, like the Shadowcat that was reviewed by our sister magazine ENDURO, though the down tube of the Shuttle SL is slightly thicker. As is typical for Pivot, the finishing quality is top notch, featuring beautiful and functional details. For example, the slightly wavy chainstay protector covers the entire length of the chainstay. There are small gaps between the protector and the chainstay, which helps dampen impacts from the chain and reliably keep the bike running quietly.

The internally routed cables are fed into the frame via ports behind the head tube, popping back out just before the bottom bracket and then disappearing in the chainstays. Thanks to the clamps at the inlet and outlet ports, the cables are held securely in place. The cable of the FAZUA Ring Control remote is routed along the handlebar with the help of plastic clips and then disappears into the frame along with the remaining cables. Unfortunately, the plastic clips don’t stay put due to the taper of the handlebar, making them slide to one side and then falling off. We would have expected a better solution here, more in line with the high-quality impression that the bike makes otherwise.

The down tube of the 2023 Shuttle SL Team XTR is covered with a generously-sized plastic protector. It fends off flying debris and the occasional impact, potentially saving the beautiful carbon frame. Along with the bottle cage mounts inside the front triangle, there’s an additional tool mount under the top tube, allowing you to attach a spare tube, tools, or whatever other essentials you might need on a ride.

The components of the 2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Team XTR on test

For the purposes of this review, Pivot sent us the Team XTR build of the Shuttle SL. It’s the most gravity-oriented model of the range, equipped with a host of high-end components, weighing in at 18.42 kg in size XL, and available for € 11,999.

As the model name suggests, Pivot rely on the complete Shimano XTR groupset for this build. They don’t try cutting corners where you’re less likely to notice either, like with the trigger or cassette, getting you exactly what you pay for: XTR throughout! The shifting of the drivetrain is as crisp and precise as you’d expect, even when shifting under load. A pair of four-piston XTR callipers take care of stopping duties and provide that snappy and defined braking point they’re known for. The 200 mm rotor up front is paired with a smaller 180 mm model on the rear. Unfortunately, that limits the amount of fun heavier riders can have on the descents, which is why we recommend upgrading to a 200 mm rotor on the back, too.

The suspension and the dropper post feature the golden Kashima coating of the FOX Factory series. The FOX 36 Factory fork relies on the GRIP2 damper, giving you a separately adjustable high- and low-speed compression setting as well as an adjustable rebound damping. Even the most die-hard suspension setup nerds will get their money’s worth here. On the other end, the FOX Factory FLOAT X shock only allows you to adjust the low-speed compression and the rebound, which is sufficient for most riders and make the setup a whole lot easier. You also get a compression lockout lever for the climbs. To facilitate the suspension setup, Pivot include a small sag indicator on the shock. It’s attached to the shock with a cable tie and indicates the 30% sag mark with the help of a red line. A small feature but a big help. The FOX Transfer Factory series dropper post comes in different lengths depending on the frame size: you get a 150 mm version in the size S frame, sizes M and L get a 175 mm model, and the XL frame comes equipped with a 200 mm dropper. However, the dropper post can’t be inserted all the way into the frame, which limits your freedom of movement if the genetic lottery happened to give you short legs.

The wheels are a combination of the outrageously expensive Reynolds Blacklabel carbon rims and Industry Nine Hydra hubs. They’re very light, but you’ve got to be brave to pair these with MAXXIS DISSECTOR tires featuring the flimsy EXO casing. The lightweight and therefore thin EXO casing isn’t just dangerous for the rims, it can also lead to unnecessary frustration with punctures on the trail. While the MaxxTerra rubber compound provides a good compromise between grip and service life on the rear, we’d prefer having more grip on the front.

Other models and prices of the 2023 Pivot Shuttle SL

If the Team XTR build of the Shuttle SL on test doesn’t fit your budget or you’re just not happy with the specced components, you’ve got three alternative models to choose from.

The Shuttle SL Ride SLX/XT represents the entry level of the range and is priced at € 8,999. It features a solid mix of Shimano SLX and XT components for the drivetrain and brakes, paired with the more affordable FOX Performance series suspension.

With the Pivot Shuttle SL Pro X01, the SRAM fans amongst us don’t have to go away empty handed either, if you’re willing to fork out € 10,499. As you might have guessed, it comes with a SRAM X01 drivetrain. That’s it for the SRAM components, however. The XT brakes are supplied by Shimano, and FOX take care of the suspension with their Factory series.

If you’ve got a weight saving fetish, the € 12,599 Shuttle SL Team WC might just make you drool. To make the bike as slight as possible, the front travel gets reduced to 140 mm, which is provided by a FOX Factory 34 FIT4 fork, combined with a FOX Factory DPS shock. As with the other Team model, you get a full Shimano XTR groupset for the brake and drivetrain components. Pivot don’t bother making a halt with the tires either, resorting to a set of even lighter and flimsier MAXXIS Rekon models with the EXO casing. By doing so, Pivot shift the bike’s use case from trail riding more to marathon and XC use. If you ask us, they’ve overdone it with the weight savings here…

The geometry of the 2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Team XTR

Pivot offer the 2023 Shuttle SL Team XTR in four sizes from S to XL. The geometry is progressive without going to the extremes. The reach starts at a very compact 435 mm in size S, stretching all the way to 500 mm in XL. Pivot make very irregular jumps between the sizes: there’s a whopping 30 mm difference in reach between the S and M frame, whereas the size L grows by just 13 mm from size M. At 65°, the head angle isn’t overly aggressive. The chainstays are on the shorter end of the spectrum and are frame size dependent, measuring 432 mm in sizes S and M, 434 mm in L, and 438 mm in size XL. On paper, the seat tube is relatively short. Unfortunately, however, you don’t get the advantages that a short seat tube can offer due to the limited dropper post insertion depth. There’s a flip chip in the seat stay pivot, giving you a choice between a low setting, which is the setting that the bike comes shipped in, and a high setting. By selecting the high setting, the seat tube and head tube angles steepen by half a degree, and the bottom bracket gets lifted.

Size	S	M	L	XL
Top tube	368 mm	394 mm	432 mm	470 mm
Seat tube	568 mm	632 mm	646 mm	660 mm
Head tube	95 mm	112 mm	117 mm	130 mm
Head angle	65°	65°	65°	65°
Seat angle	76°	76°	76°	76.8°
Chainstay	432 mm	432 mm	434 mm	438 mm
BB Drop	27 mm	27 mm	27 mm	27 mm
Wheelbase	1186 mm	1223 mm	1240 mm	1272 mm
Reach	435 mm	465 mm	478 mm	500 mm
Stack	610 mm	626 mm	630 mm	642 mm

The new 2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Team XTR on the trail – How does the super light eMTB fare?

If you climb aboard the 2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Team XTR, you’ll find yourself in a somewhat aggressive riding position. It feels long when riding uphill and on flat terrain, and this stretched out posture is likely to get uncomfortable on extended tours. However, combined with the super efficient rear end, the riding position makes it a willing climber. You can save yourself the effort of reaching for the climb switch on the shock as there’s no need to stiffen up the rear suspension.

The FAZUA Ride 60 is powerful for a light eMTB motor and offers plenty of assistance. By pressing up and holding the Ring Control remote, you get a short boost to help you conquer the steeper or more technical sections of a climb. In that case, the FAZUA motor upregulates its maximum output from 350 to 450 Watt for 12 seconds, which is enough to take the sting out of meanest climbs or let you pass slower eMTBs. However, you’ll want to make sure that you keep pedalling and pay close attention to the timing of your pedal strokes to make effective use of the motor’s power on technical terrain. As we first noticed when reviewing the Haibike LYKE CF SE, the motor engages and disengages with a noticeable delay to your pedalling input. Unfortunately, the latest software release, version 1.5, hasn’t been able to resolve this issue.

On the trail, the 2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Team XTR positions you centrally on the bike. It strikes a good balance and doesn’t feel too long at the front or rear. The rear suspension responds sensitively, willingly conforming to the terrain, and thereby generating a good amount of traction and comfort at the rear. In general, the suspension feels plush and planted, giving you the impression of having more travel than the numbers suggest, though also making the bike feel heavy. In other words, changing direction or catching air requires a lot of rider input despite the eMTBs low weight. As such, it feels somewhat sluggish and isn’t the most lively of bikes. The carbon frame together with the wealth of carbon components result in a very stiff feel on the descents, allowing you to hit your chosen lines with precision.

Our conclusion on the 2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Team XTR

With the 2023 Shuttle SL Team XTR, Pivot have made a successful debut in the light eMTB market. The FAZUA Ride 60 system has been integrated into the bike almost seamlessly and it harmonises well with the bike’s light eMTB concept, barring its minor shortfalls, such as the delayed response on technical climbs. The bike delivers on the trail with its plush and comfortable handling, though it requires a lot of input from the rider to bring it to life.

For more information, visit pivotcycles.com

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Words: Felix Rauch Photos: Peter Walker