Look at the Fox 38 on the Firebird vs the Spartan. Firebird's fork was bottomed out most of the time on video; Spartan's fork spent most of it's time in the mid-stroke. Bad suspension setup a reason some didn't like the Firebird?

Awesome to see some lesser known brands like Banshee. That raw metal frame looks so sick!

Did an awesome job thanks for showing. Would have loved to see a Capra and Enduro in the mix.

we need more review of these .. Love it 👍🏻

great comparison and nice video!

The review of the firebird was all over the place.

why do you show most of the angles and dimensions at the wrong place? HTA is not between fork and downtube, reach is not the top-tube length and so on Next to that: very informative (as always)

Great review, nice job. Some interesting bikes in the mix. Evil Wreckoning/Insurgent, Nukeproof Giga/Mega compete in this group for me too... lots of good bikes to compare.

Good test !!! I like all !! 😁

😂 I saw you guys on the way back from Utah with all the bikes in the back of a pickup truck lolllll

Thanks for shredding with us!

I've got the Gnarvana with a Fox 38 up front and the PUSH elven six, with I-9 wheels. The bike is amazing!! For it's travel it actually climbs pretty good, better than you'd expect and of course on the down hill's and chunk, it's amazing. Colorado trails ALWAYS have climbs involved, it can do both.

Good luck trying to buy any of these bikes in the near future. Great video!!

Nice review! This ski resort is five minutes from my house and in my backyard. Stoked you guys did this here.

Waiting for my spire, can't wait!

A lot of stacking going on at the Firebird Fork 👀

Someone must’ve mentioned this already. Medium Firebirds come with 780mm bars. Not 760mm! Spec mistake which could’ve easily been fixed by Pivot if you guys checked. Phoenix Team Low Rise Carbon - 760mm (XS), 780mm (SM-LG), 800mm (XL) Other than that. Awesome video🤘🏼

Guerrilla has great name :D but even I didn't watch whole video I would take that Transition Spire in a second, its a monster.

The medium has a wheelbase of 1230 which sounds really long and the reach and stack is a lot longer than last year's SM. The small has good numbers but the top tube is really short even for a small.

I don't feel like it was fair to change out the damper on the Spartan. The product managers should be aware of the ride characteristics they want to achieve with the bike and spec it accordingly. In this case the XT 12s has a Performance Elite, so that would have been a more appropriate choice. If this wasn't available then the cost of changing the damper has to also be included in the listed price of the bike, so as not to mislead customers. Otherwise, a good review all-round. Thanks guys!

You’ve got to set the firebird up right, I’ve had mine long enough to set it up properly, I have the sag much softer than I thought I needed which helped me feel more in the bike and helped the bike settle in rougher sections and I have 35, 780mm bars and stem and I don’t experience any of the issue you pointed out

Excellent reviews as always

The 38 on the Pivot appeared to run super far into its travel. Maybe that might help to explain…

Thanks for the quality reviews! I found the animation for reach confusing. I think it should be horizontal measurement from bb to top tube, not saddle to top tube

Maybe I'm missing something but the illustration of head tube angle wasn't how I pictured it? I thought that the centre/apex of the angle was located at the centre of the hub, and measures the fork leg against the horizontal (floor) plane? atleast that's how I pictured it in my head but happy to be wrong...

It seems like the testers might have had some set up issues with the Firebird? In one clip it looked like the fork was bouncing all over the place. I would also guess that rider weights might have been pretty different between testers. Did you swap spring weights on the coil between riders? Could be one explanation for the varying feedback.

The new Firebird is a more planted and less poppy bike, especially with the coil so some feedback in that review make sense but yes a revisited review with a 780 bar and more air in that fork would def make in an apple to apple comparison :)

wonder who made the geometry overlap🤣

Gonna have to go with the Good Game

If I were to review my bike after only a week of riding it, I’d hate it. For me, bike set up takes time to dial in fit, suspension l, etc… after a month, I got it dialed and the bike is amazing.

Orbea 👍✌️🤗

Can you test the Cube Stereo 170 (Stereo ONE77 PRO) please??

Team pivot 👍 up 🔥

I went for the transition but the Mullet version the Patrol. And converted it to 170-170 for 80$ such a sweet playful ride.

I'd like to know how they compare some of the older bikes like the SB150.

Damn, I feel bad for Pivot. The suspension on the Firebird seemed to bet very soft in some clips, which is probably what led to some not liking it. From other tests I've watched/read, they said it was an absolute downhill monster.

About the Firebird, a wider bar would not put you in a stronger position. Try doing pushups at 750 mm vs 800 mm. Also wider bars would put your weight further forward. But watching the vid, it looks like the fork is riding low, compressed.

Wow!

GD stuff, request - do same test with same bikes comparing low end build vs high end build of the same bike

phenomenal fucking video

What length fork were you running on the Banshee? Thanks

Please review the Canfield lithium

Now the next question, how does this bunch compare to some of the other top bikes like the Specialized Enduro, Rocky Mountain Altitude and SB150?

Awesome review. Good to know that the new Rallon can handle the rough and fast stuff. Which bike do you get into a manual the easiest?

firebird seems to be a serious enduro race bike, ews enduro riders have very different needs than the average rider, this may be why they describe it as being hard to keep on line, in the hands of the best; twitchy enough to quickly find new lines on tracks that are fresh to the eye. hence its feeling of disobedient to those who are inexperienced to this kind of riding. food for thought

Hi guys!! I really need your advice!!! Pls! hahaha, what would you choose between a Rallon M-Team 2023 full price or a Pivot Firebird 2022 half price???!!!! I haven't ridden any of them and I'm buying blind here.....any help would be much appreciated!!! Txs!!

There was no mention of how the Spire climbed. Did I miss it?

Pivot ❤

No Evil Wreckoning or Insurgent V3? I'm disappointed.

I’m trying to decide between the Nukeproof Giga and the Devinci Spartan. Any recommendations?

I was almost set to put a order on the new Bronson MX, but you guys have me thinking with the Rallon MX? How do they compare if it were my only MTB? I do have gravel bike that I take on greens. So one MTB from blues to bike park.

1257mm in Transition Spyre... That's almost the same as XL downcuntry bike - Transition Spur, or NS Bikes Synonym TR for the record, having 120mm travel. Some insanely long and slack stuff there from Transition

Yo did you guys have a weight on thr spire?

Is it just me, but are those graphics you do for the reach and head tube angle on each bike wrong? Like the reach is measuring from the seat, instead of vertically above the crank. And the head tube angle is measuring the angle of the fork to the down tube instead of to horizontal?

You guys are displaying head tube angles incorrectly. It's the angle of the head tube from the horizontal.

770 would be the narrowest anyone would run on your team? 👀

oh look the heavy bike has good ride characteristics

What are Waxxis tires? 3:54

Pivot is the b e s t !

omg, just all picked up rallon...

Damn, 157 mm wheelbase.

Please test the yt capra

What , no Giant Reign ?

Cotic RocketMax

I like how you told folks to just "grab a bike". Maybe duct tape the brand next time and call em "Bike #1, Bike#2" and make it a "blind" test

They displayed all the reach and head angle dimensions wrong. That bother anyone else?

Thank you everyone for your comments and feedback on our latest Test Session! We want to address a few key items in one space so that everyone knows their voice was heard. Graphics - Again, thank you very much for the feedback here. The geometry numbers on screen are correct. We very much understand now that our layout was a bit confusing and not the best representation for the angles and measurements. We will get those dialed in on the next round. Pivot Firebird - Yes, our testers had different feedback on this bike and some struggled more than others. There were some universal points of strengths and weaknesses. This was not the only bike of contention but does seem to be one that people are focused on. 1 - Our setup was based on FOX recommendations. In consulting with the Pivot setup guide, our testers ran about 5-7psi more than recommended. This would make for a stiffer fork, not softer, per viewers comments. All of these numbers are reported on the site review. www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/Bikes,3/Pivot/Firebird-Pro-XT-XTR-Coil-with-Alloy-Wheels,34675#product-reviews/4069/expand 2 - We reached out to Pivot and are working with them to get wider bars (like what customers get) and a shorter stem to reassess the Firebird's trail manners. This revisit will take place on the same trails as the initial test. 3 - There is a lot of focus on the negative. We still stand by saying this is a very fast bike and will motor in the terrain that most riders encounter most of the time. We criticized every bike in some aspect. That is part of a comparison review, to compare and contrast how different brands stack up. Every brand here deserves props for submitting a bike to this type of test.

The head angle graphic 🤷‍♂️

Is it just me or does it seem like, the heavier the bike the better rear suspension performs?;) Physics tell me that it should be that way.

I thought the Firebird would be the most versatile of all, but you proved me wrong! So, Orbea?

The angle/measurements info-graphic overlays in the video are really off/misleading (headtube angle isn't measured from the down tube, and reach isn't effective top tube length).

how much did the transition weigh in ??

So many to choose and it feels like every year there is more… I get to the point that you just have to choose one and enjoy it… simply cus you can’t test any bike yourself and stats are just stats

Finally someone throws a bit of criticism on firebird. Got actually quite the same feelings when trying the new fb. I own the old one and it feels much better

5:30 - it feels so much bigger than it is 😫

Didn't know Gerard Butler rides MTB!

The head angle graphic doesn’t make sense

No trek slash?

😎

$9000, I will go get 2 of them.

For what I see in the video you have a firebird with a bad set up. Why it have a 760 mm bar when only the xs comes with that length, that make sense for the people that use that sice. Also in the video it looks that the fork was bottomed out a lot more than other fox 38 in the same video, also it connects very well with the problem that the bike present in the video. I don´t believe that Vital MTB make that in a bad way, maybe is somthing wrong on the fork in the internals. But is also true that it is very likly to be to soft and that could explain why the riders fiele that they cant mantain it in the line and why it fell like a XC.

How tall are the testers?

Someone needs to educate whomever does the graphics overlay in the editing on how bike geometry is measured. Not everyone watching will know the correct way that these dimensions should be measured.

No Norco Range?

Mostly 6k bikes and then a 9k bike. I wish you had the option to request their lower end bike that would be closer in price to the other ones. Overall great video.

25:02 - guys, I don’t think tertiary means what you think it does… 😂 Just use words you would normally use in conversation, then this kind of thing doesn’t happen 👍🏻

If the fork is bottoming out that much... the set up is not right. There is no way in fkn heaven. If the fork is asking for more air just put more air and set it up right. It´s not that difficult

Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction 2:27 - Guerrilla Gravity Gnarvana, Rally Like Barelli Build 8:25 - Transition Spire, Carbon GX 13:14 - Pivot Firebird Pro XT/XTR Coil 19:17 - Devinci Spartan HP GX 12S 24:22 - Orbea Rallon LTD - Mixed wheel 29:01 - Banshee Titan - Mixed wheel 34:06 - What bike would you take home? Get our full review, live on our site now - www.vitalmtb.com/features/Vit...

The Pivot was set up liken ENDURO bike, not like an ALL MOUNTAIN trail bike. Enduro is a racing format, where the top riders tend to ride stiffer for speed and to take the big sends at said speed. The Pivot is set up to race, not slam out party laps. It's not for me, but that's its pedigree and I feel like the nuance between Enduro and All Mountain is always lost.

I think you are confusing people with the lines when you are showing geo…? Reach number but line showing top tube, head-angle lines are really strange? Not everyone understands the numbers.

Love the reviews, but some weird "insights" "I expected this bike to be a slug"...despite knowing that the design updates were the result from direct feedback from their EWS racers...not sure that's a logical conclusion

I love the hilariously incorrect angle animations when they go over the specs. Great vid though

So much more excited to see these bikes than the Pinkbike enduro test

Not a single session. Hoping to see 6 different sessions being test next time

Hard to put much faith in a review that doesn't understand how head tube angles are measured - 4:31 and several other times

Hey Orbea? Stumpy called.............

Some seriously contradictory reviews... Pivot Firebird: "feels like an XC bike" / "typical long-travel 29er"

the transition is a geometron from wish

this for me, doesnt seem like a valid test, cuz at least with the fire bird, the fork and shock looked way too soft, and the firebirds review on this channel is way different to everything else i've heard. to address vitals response to the feedback they got alof of, numbers dont matter when it comes to suspension, different linkages will need different pressured, so maybe actualley have 250-30 sag in the fork so please don't just go off the recomended psi. one more thing i would like to address, is they only did a couple laps, if you did more laps on each ike or spent like a week or 2 on each bike, then maybe you might actualley get used to hte bike and not just go off first impressions, cuz it wouldbe stupid to judge the bike off just a couple laps

Meanwhile most enduro racers ride with 760mm handlebars or narrower 🤔