New Pivot LES SL – 300g lighter than before

If you thought that all XC racing was going full suspension, you’d be wrong. Or, Pivot thinks so anyway. The LES SL is the latest addition to the brand’s hardtail lineup achieves one of the lightest production hardtail frames in the world at just over 800 grams for a medium, shaving 300g off its predecessor.

“Our LES SL really shows our commitment to innovation. There is no place to hide with a hardtail – the simplest machines are often the most elegant and most challenging to design. Taking this bike to the next level required an extra measure of commitment from our team. They really nailed not only the weight, but also the performance, and the ride quality is absolutely amazing.”

Pivot CEO and bike designer, Chris Cocalis.

That weight calculation doesn’t include any hardware, so it’s light, but it’s still about 25g heavier than a Specialized Epic. It’s still pretty damned light though, we’re talking about a difference of around a packet of Haribo. At this end of the scale you might want to start weighing your gains after a decent haircut.

Pivot LES SL Key Features

• Tyre clearance for the latest generation of 2.4” wide trail XC race tyres
• Spec’d with 28-30mm inner width carbon wheels on team builds
• Frame designed extremely svelte and athletic, featuring 3 bottle mounts
• Two additional mounts for the Pivot tool doc system
• Dropper compatible frame with a 27.2mm seatpost
• Pivot Cable Port System for easy, and secure cable routing
• Universal Derailleur Hanger integration
• A complete LES SL XTR Team build (medium) weighs approximately 20lbs

High-level tube and carbon lay-up optimisation is at the heart of Pivot’s new LES, to not only trim every
last gram of frame weight, but also to gain improvements in speed, ride feel and performance relative to the previous generation. This bike delivers all your power to the ground while offering enough vertical compliance and liveness to keep you feeling fresh late in the race. The modern, progressive geometry of the LES SL utilises longer reaches and a steeper seat angle, maximising pedaling efficiency, handling, and capability. The LES truly bring a new level of aggression to the XC category.

Pivot Cycles

The LES SL will be available in black or blue, with a range of Race, Pro and Team builds starting at $4,999 for the Race XT build, and topping out at $9,799 Team XX1 AXS build. And no, none of the builds come with dropper posts, at any price.

The following builds will be available in the UK by special order via a Pivot dealer only:

For more information head to the Pivot Cycles website.

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

More posts from Hannah