Pivot LES Fat fat bike review
The LES Fat weighs 27.5 pounds with 26×4” tires (click to enlarge).
Editor’s Note: This article is part of the Mtbr Ultimate Guide to winter mountain biking, fat bikes, gear, apparel, lights and trainers. We are taking a deep dive into all manner of cold weather mountain bike gear, with round-ups and reviews of fat bikes, tires, wheels, apparel, trainers and more. To see all the articles, head over to our Winter Guide Hub Page.
Lowdown: Pivot LES Fat
Depending on what part of the country you live in, buying a fat bike to ride away winter doldrums can be a wise purchase. But for some folks, fat bikes serve too narrow a niche of usefulness to justify the financial outlay — especially when that bike may only collect dust in the summertime.
Enter the carbon fiber Pivot LES Fat, quite possibly the most versatile fat bike (or even hardtail) on the market today. Thanks to its ability to run virtually any wheel size and tire width, the LES Fat can accommodate 26” fat bike tires up to 5” wide, and 27.5+ and 29+ wheels. And thanks to its innovative Swinger dropout system, the LES Fat can also be run as a singlespeed.
Indeed, if there were ever a fat bike that appeals to the person having a hard time justifying the expense, the impressively versatile Pivot LES Fat might be that bike. It can be used for touring, trail riding, and even mellow cross-country racing.
| Frame: Internally molded carbon fiber | Bars: Race Face RIDE Riser 740mm |
| Cranks: e*thirteen 30t | Stem and Seatpost: Pivot Phoenix Alloy |
| Sizes: S, M, L | Wheels: Sun/Ringle Mulefut 80mm w/Salsa Hubs |
| Headtube angle: 69 degrees | Tires: Maxxis Mammoth 26×4” |
| Wheelbase: 42.99” (S), 44.04 (M), 44.93 (L) | Axle spacing: 150x15mm front, 197x12mm rear |
| Chainstay length: 437mm | Weight: 27.5 pounds (size large) |
| Drivetrain: SRAM X01/GX1 1×11 10-42 | Price: $4,699 as tested ($2,599 frame/fork) |
| Brakes: SRAM Guide R |
Rating:  4.5 Chilis-out-of-5 |
| Fork: Tapered carbon fiber w/ composite steering tube |
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Review: Pivot LES Fat
Tempe, Arizona-based Pivot is riding high these days, making some of the most capable and versatile bikes in the industry. The Pivot LES Fat is the latest example. Like every carbon fiber Pivot, the true beauty of the LES Fat is in the design details. Highlight include a beautifully executed cable port system with removable ports for easy full-length internal cable routing including dropper post, a full carbon fiber tapered fork with 150mm wide dropout, a rubber chainstay guard with carbon fiber weave finish to silence chain slap, an adjustable Swinger dropout system that can change the bike’s wheelbase to accommodate a variety of wheel size options, the capability to run three water bottle cages, and even provisions to run front and rear racks for multi-day adventures. Indeed, the LES Fat is designed to be as capable as it is light, responsive, and quick.
Continue to page 2 for more of our Pivot LES Fat fat bike review »
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