When the big hits are calling and the fire roads loom far ahead we hop on our Pivot Mach 5. 5 Carbon Race XT M1700 Mountain Bike. This fully capable trail and enduro hybrid puts the fun of riding at the foray, keeping us pinned on the descents and content on the climbs. It's the bike we choose when we're out on the weekends and have an absolutely epic route loaded up and ready to go. Pivot has introduced this bike with the slacker, shorter, and steeper treatment so we can get the most out of every ride on any type of terrain. This rig is capable when it comes to park and shuttle days and equally when we're looking to hurt our legs a bit. Riding on the Mach 5. 5 has us discovering new routes and rediscovering new features on our old loops. When it comes to 27. 5in wheeled bikes we expect something with a little zip, and the Mach 5. 5 doesn't disappoint. It's got shortened chainstays and a steeper seat tube angle, promoting us to get into techy trail or grind out fire road climbs. The slack head tube angle shines when it comes to the descents or getting the front wheel to roll over some technical trail cruxes. The 65 head-tube angle is slack for a trail bike and more appropriately seen on modern enduro bikes. This slack and steep treatment gives us a fully capable bike on the trail and one that we're reaching for any day of the week. Kit on the Mach 5. 5 is provided by Shimano, delivering smooth and reliable performance to this basher of a bike. The drivetrain is a mix of XT and SLX components that offer up smooth and reliable shifting performance while we get the miles in. We're bringing this beast of a bike to a stop with Shimano SLX brakes and ice-tech pads, soaking up heat to ensure predictable braking performance. Fox takes up the suspension duties on the Mach 5. 5 with the 140mm of rear travel being handled by a Fox Performance DPS and the 160m of front travel having the Fox Performance 36 outfitted with a GRIP damper. GRIP allows for a nearly endless amo...