Team Lex / Pivot Racing DH Team

Apr 13, 2010
by Tyler Maine  
Source: Team Lex / Pivot Racing

We’re proud to announce the start of a new World Cup race team “Team Lex/Pivot Racing”, featuring three top level riders; Kyle Strait (USA), Will Rischbieth (AUS) and Mitch Delfs (AUS). All three riders are unique in their own way with strong racing backgrounds and a big future ahead of them. For the 2010 season they’ll be attending all 6 rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, the Sea Otter Classic, Kokanee Crankworx and other selected events. More details inside,
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Kyle Strait-
“I’m really looking forward to racing for this new team with sponsors and team mates I really respect. Having the support to race around the world in World Cup events plus other key events here in the US, which is very important to me. I want to be able to build on the top 15 results I got last year, and I know with Pivot and our other co-sponsors, I have a great chance to do that.”

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Mitch Delfs-
“Team Lex/Pivot Racing is the new team on the scene, and with our very strong list of sponsors backing us in 2010, I’m sure myself and my team mates, Will and Kyle, can secure prominent results in the most exciting season to date. Having “Buzz” working on our Pivot racing machines with his expertise, they’ll be sure to see us all the way down the hill and onto the podium.”

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Will Rischbieth-
"I am so happy to be given this opportunity to be riding for Pivot Cycles! Pivot are super enthusiastic and confident about the development of their whole range of bikes. The downhill bike will be no exception. I am stoked to have Mitch and Kyle as team mates. Both riders are talented and I will learn a lot from both of them. Having a meticulous mechanic like, Simon 'Buzza' this year will be just one of many new things to look forward to. Our bikes will also be decked out with the best gear on the circuit. There will be no excuse not to perform well at races. I’m excited!”


LifeStyle Excessive is excited to be a part of this racing program and follow us during all of our races and events throughout the 2010 season. Ben Pankhurst of LifeStyle Excessive has been following some of our riders for the last few seasons and fully appreciates the effort and motivation that takes these athletes to compete and succeed.

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LEX 'Lifestyle Excessive’ is a new youth brand who have created their own clothing line and produced some amazing photography work. LEX is owned by an advertising agency, Charles Cannon, based in Switzerland.

Pivot Cycles will be the team’s frame sponsor and they have big plans for the team with the development of their new downhill bike. We are very excited to be working with such a progressive company that is passionate about making bikes that the general public will love. The riders are very confident about the bikes already, and they know that Pivot Cycles will work very hard to make them feel their best when in the start gate of every race.

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Chris Cocalis (Pivot Cycles)-
“We are truly excited at the opportunity to be the frame sponsor for Team Lex/Pivot Racing. This is an amazing opportunity for Pivot to showcase our latest designs on the world’s most challenging race courses while providing the tools that Kyle, Mitch and Will require to take their racing to the next level.

World Cup Downhill Racing is a great place to showcase the innovative dw-link technology and Pivot’s design and manufacturing expertise. The team will truly have a technological advantage with a very light bike that soaks up massive hits, is fully active and pedals like nothing else on the World Cup circuit”

Tyler Maine (Pinkbike.com)-
"We are excited to work with Mathieu and his team this season as they bring their new DH team into the spotlight. Kyle and Mitch are both young and their skill sets continues to grow. Will is full of talent and will feed off his team mates and you can expect to see the whole team on podiums this year."

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The new bikes will be equipped with all the material that Kyle, Mitch and Will demanded for by name, and we really appreciate their support. The team’s co-sponsors signed to outfit our bikes and riders will be SRAM, RockShox, Avid, Truvativ, Mavic, Crank Brothers, SDG, FUNN, e*thirteen, Sensus RaceLite, and ODI. The Riders will be wearing Troy Lee Designs clothing and Pinkbike.com will be following them all season as they participate in events around the world.

We are very happy to be starting off the season with such good help, The racers are very anxious and confident to get out there and enjoy their work.

-Mathieu Dupelle (Team Manager)

Posted In:
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Author Info:
brule avatar

Member since Mar 27, 2001
3,581 articles

63 Comments
  • 9 0
 Wow I cant believe Kyle isn't riding for specialized now.
  • 4 0
 I like this:

"The team will truly have a technological advantage with a very light bike that soaks up massive hits, is fully active and pedals like nothing else on the World Cup circuit”

....not too sure about that statement AT ALL.
Shocked that Strait moved on from S, wish him all the best.
Would love to be inside his head when he is railing this Pivot thing and he's thinking DAMN...I miss my Demo!
  • 1 0
 i could not agree with you more. like i said above. im no specialized fan, but i would take one over a pivot any day. when we first started selling pivot at my shop i thought it was going to be hot seller. this may have been true if shit on them didnt keep breaking. they sent us new links to replace the broken ones. and guess what. even some of those links broke to. i have lost my faith in pivot
  • 1 0
 Please note that they are using the Aluminium rocker and not the carbon version.
  • 1 0
 i am aware of that and i have held both of them in my hand in broken pieces
  • 4 0
 The number of people who have commented on the Firebird as a bad WC bike is shocking. Do none of you actually read?

Firebird = Sea Otter, New as yet unreleased DH bike = World Cups

'Oh, I've looked at a couple of pics and now I know the full story'

Open your f**king eyes, people.
  • 1 0
 'questionable'... Kyle, Mitch, and Will are incredibly strong riders = I wonder how many frames they are going to bring to the races. I don't want to be a complete hater, Pivot may come out with a proper dh ride, but if I was good enough to race WC's a custom Firebird would not be my pick.
  • 1 0
 Vic's reply from above:
"The DH bike doesn't exist yet according to my buddy that works there, but I do assume they are going to get one out before the season starts. I used to rep for them and told them a year ago they needed to bring a DW link bike to market since the demise of IH. I guess they are finally getting it. I raced my Firebird at a couple of races and it was fine on some stuff but following friends who are the same speed as me they would pull away in the rough stuff. I will be the first one in line to get a Pivot DH bike because I love my Firebird for what it is, a sweet long travel XC/ All mountain bike."
  • 1 0
 It says in the 7th paragraph "Pivot Cycles will be the team’s frame sponsor and they have big plans for the team with the development of their new downhill bike." no mention of racing the firebird, like some had eluded to w/o reading the whole story.
  • 1 0
 Yep...should be a new version of the Sunday...looks very similar..plus it is David Weagle's creation as well...

I'm a proud IH Sunday Factory owner....love them!!!...second one I've had.

Just a question to the Pivot guys: In your webpage the Firebird frame is described as an under 180mm travel bike....is this DH rig a modification for those racers? And...are you envisioning to release a DH Racing bike to the market any time soon?

Thanks!

Alejandro
  • 2 2
 That bike sucks, i can say this without reading anything, it's a glory that had sex with a sunday, and a tinny little minion came out...6.5 inches? with that rear triangle? it will snap like a toothpick, damned copy freaks.
  • 3 0
 They asked for Truvativ by name?????
  • 1 0
 Is there anyone else who cant read their team name without thinking of this?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7b_la-L1x0&feature=related
  • 2 1
 They better be riding some snazzy new DH rig's, because that firebird looks poo's!
  • 5 5
 So...Strait goes to a company with a Sunday take-off and Hill goes to Spec....wierd. It is what it is and I like that Pivot much better than any Sunday so far!
  • 8 0
 Yeah, except the Firebird was designed to be an all mountain bike. 67.2 degree HTA and 6 and a half inches of travel? Good luck at those World Cups, boys. I guess we'll see if the bike really makes that much of a difference.
  • 3 0
 those firebird are crap. we used to sell em at my shop. every one we sold came back with broken links and shit. the direct mount front derailleur and integrated bottom bracket SUCKS. im no specialized fan but its a way better bike
  • 3 0
 Yeah but i'd be willing to bet that if you took a protractor to that bike it would be a very far from standard frame with the slacker headtube etc custom made for the team. Looks proper dope though.
  • 3 0
 Hey Matt too bad the Firebird doesn't have an integrated BB, and yes there were some issue with links breaking but they took care of everyone and fixed the problem they were having. I imagine they will be debuting a DH bike soon because the Firebird is not a DH bike and was never intended to be.
  • 1 1
 I hate to say it looks exactly like a standard firebird- with a coil when it was designed around an aircan. Why on earth would they need a custom headtube? 40mm of extra travel equates to about 1.5 degrees slacker, or 65.7. A giant glory uses 65.5 claimed.

Custom redesigning and cutting new hydroformed tubes is outrageously expensive. most likely it will see many linkage mods while pivot designs a full dh race rig.
  • 1 0
 Vic. yeah i was wrong about the BB's. i forgot it was just on their XC bikes. and i am more than aware that the firebird is not a DH bike and was never intended to be. and if you read the article you would have noticed that they ARE working on a downhill bike
  • 1 0
 The DH bike doesn't exist yet according to my buddy that works there, but I do assume they are going to get one out before the season starts. I used to rep for them and told them a year ago they needed to bring a DW link bike to market since the demise of IH. I guess they are finally getting it. I raced my Firebird at a couple of races and it was fine on some stuff but following friends who are the same speed as me they would pull away in the rough stuff. I will be the first one in line to get a Pivot DH bike because I love my Firebird for what it is, a sweet long travel XC/ All mountain bike.
  • 2 1
 r trail king, what are you talking about, they don't need to reform the hydroformed tubes, they just gotta cut the tubes at a different angle before welding the headtube on, its not rocket science.
  • 1 0
 it quite clearly states that the firebird is kyle straits bike for sea otter. come on guys. READ
  • 2 0
 This is the bike he'll be racing at the Sea Otter. Prototype DH bikes with proper angles etc. will be appearing soon.
  • 2 0
 Oh, duh. This would be a PRIME Sea Otter bike. Thanks for the info, Mr. Maine.
  • 1 0
 thanks for the info brule, people were getting the wrong idea! and yes this bike is perfect for the sea otter dh!!!
  • 1 3
 enjoy schmalding on a 6.5 bike and 8x6.5 sounds incredibly unballanced and hard to get a proper suspension setup with, Hopefully pivot can come up with a dedicated dh frame before the season starts or this team will get terrible results
  • 4 0
 No Schladming this year.
  • 1 0
 WHAT!!!! It was my favorite course
  • 1 0
 its only 6.5 in of travel, all mountain worthy, but un balanced on the downhill course
  • 1 0
 that really looks just like a Firebird with 8", I believe though in a stronger frame design...i mean for racing DH...
  • 1 0
 yeahhh will thats rad, and god dam buzz haha
  • 1 0
 that as to be the sea otter dh bike...kyle strait is fat.
  • 3 1
 AWESOME
  • 5 1
 u're right about the iron horse ,...if you look close you can see the link that iron horse uses/....
  • 3 1
 Didnt ironhorse go broke because of the linkage issue?
  • 2 0
 No. Their "lease" on the DW-link design was hope and it went to Turner.
  • 1 0
 looks likes a mix between the demo and an iron horse
  • 3 0
 Ibis uses the DW-link too. It's not exclusive.
  • 1 0
 best bike iv ever ridden. its in the nomad/reign x category, but can be used for some way more intence riding. thank god where a dealer.
  • 2 0
 any one else notice a 3rd of their sponsors are one company Razz
  • 1 0
 Ibis, Pivot, and Turner all bought the patent to use the DW link. This firebird is such a nice ride!!!
  • 1 0
 correct me if im wrong... but does it not say dw link on the rear triangle... why is there any debate lol
  • 1 0
 if im wrong im wrong, but to me it looks like it says dw link... not 100% though
  • 1 0
 It says DW Link on the stay. Next question.
  • 1 0
 thats what i thought... im suprised no one saw that before i did and there was any questin about it...
  • 1 0
 wow... strait off of specialized.. kinda strange. =S
  • 1 0
 That ride looks pretty sick. Also, sick team.
  • 1 0
 cant wait till see how this team go`s
  • 1 0
 Thats a good looking uniform and bike!
  • 1 0
 Cool this is an interesting team.
  • 2 0
 The new Sunday.
  • 1 0
 Another Aussie on the scene
  • 1 2
 the guy who started pivot is one of the guys who has the patten on the wd linkage. pivote bikes are so sick they sell them at the bike shop i work at
  • 1 0
 personally, i like it better than the iron horse. good work.
  • 1 0
 nice. the bike looks good and they have a strong team this year.
  • 1 0
 the rear triangle specifically the drop outs look extremely weak
  • 1 1
 looks like a sunday with a bendy to tube Razz
  • 1 0
 Yesssiiiir
  • 1 0
 thats not FSR spec
  • 1 3
 That bike looks like a bendy IH Sunday Razz







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