Review: Pivot Trailcat SL Delivers Fun & Versatility

As one of the premier manufacturers on the market, Pivot Cycles doesn’t mess around when it comes to engineering, quality and performance. Their quality-control and dedication to delivering the best bikes on the market shows in every detail. For 2025, Pivot launched the all-new Trailcat SL and LT models — two bikes using the same front and rear triangles, but they differ in travel and geometry for their intended purposes. I’ve had the shorter-travel Trailcat SL Pro XT/XTR build since just after Sea Otter Classic and have enjoyed pushing it hard through my local test tracks and beyond.

2025 Pivot Trailcat SL Features (Pro XT/XTR Build):

• Carbon frameset built around 120mm DW-Link suspension
• Fox Factory Float Shock
• Fox Factory 34 29″, GRIPX2 – 140mm fork
• Primarily Shimano XT groupset with XTR rear derailleur
• Fox Transfer Factory Series dropper (185-210mm)
• DT Swiss XM 1700 Wheelset (Super Boost Rear)
• RaceFace Aeffect R crankset
• Phoenix Team Low Rise Carbon bars (780mm)
• Pressfit BB92 bottom bracket
• Adjustable Hi/Lo flip chip (Hi steepens angles by 0.3° and lifts the BB by 6mm)
• Maxxis Minion DHRII (F) and Dissector (R) tires
• Lifetime warranty
• Weight: 30.7 lbs (Large, actual)
• MSRP: $7799 (Pro XT/XTR Build)

Balanced and ready

After building up the Trailcat SL in my front room, I casually pedaled through the kitchen and back around to the front room — all at slow speeds, with the family watching. Right off the bat, the Trailcat SL impressed me with its balanced platform and handling. Even at the slowest speeds, I could maneuver the bike without worry and track stand forever. Heading outside, those same traits came out throughout my testing miles.

I set up the shock and fork as best I could and dialed in the cockpit for an initial test ride. After that initial ride, I made a few tweaks and reached out to Pivot for some guidance on how best to set up the suspension. Keep in mind that this spec includes tons of variables in compression and rebound tuning, so the recipe I received back from their team was as follows for my 180 lb. weight (rider+gear).

Fox Factory Float Shock

• Pressure: 195psi (15psi over body weight)
• Rebound: 7 clicks from open
• Compression: position 2

Fox Factory 34 Fork

• Pressure: 80-83psi (start with 80psi and confirm sag)
• Rebound (clicks from open): LSR: 8 and HSR: 2
• Compression (clicks from open): LSC (black): 2 and HSC (blue): 3

I’m not going to lie, it’s a lot to configure, but Pivot is the type of company that loves giving riders the utmost in personalization and that resonates with a lot of riders. While I love to tinker with settings, I wanted to roll with the suggested settings throughout my review. They felt good overall and allowed me to get a baseline of performance on my local trails. Further, I was able to test the Trailcat SL extensively in both Hi and Lo modes and with some faster-rolling tires (WTB’s new Peacekeeper 2.4’s).

Hot laps galore

Lucky for me, I’ve got plentiful singletrack all around me. One of my primary trail systems is accessed via a 1-mile gravel approach. While pushing along as fast as possible, it’s easy to feel the added weight compared to the Salsa Spearfish C DLX that’s been on test at the same time. But, the slow-rolling, high-grip Maxxis tires are also noticeable. Once I hit singletrack, most of those complaints disappear in favor of enjoying the Trailcat SL on curvy ribbons of dirt.

One thing I immediately noticed was how planted the Trailcat SL feels. This is one of the main characteristics of the DW-Link suspension. With it comes excellent traction, minimal pedal/brake feedback and natural anti-squat properties. In short, it’s one of the most advanced designs on the market and Pivot has been using it since they were founded in 2007 by Chris Cocalis. It’s fair to say that Pivot remains the expert in DW-Link suspension designs and I’ve come to expect nothing but the best from Pivot’s iterations on the platform.

That planted feel comes into play when standing and pedaling up short, steep pitches as the suspension remains active, but sits at the top of the travel instead of compressing with each pedal stroke. No, the Trailcat SL isn’t an XC racer, but it’s awesome that it responds like a rocket on occasional standing efforts.

My primary test loop begins with three successive rock obstacles. It takes speed to roll up and over these rock stacks and the suspension makes it easy — especially at speed. From there, diving into bermed corners and tables are a complete gas on this bike. Leaning into each corner, the suspension absorbs trail chatter and the bike tracks with precision. While the Trailcat SL feels balanced at low speeds, speed is your friend. And, with that speed comes the need to angulate. The more angulation, the more the entire platform (frame+suspension) shines. Aggressive riders will receive extra rewards on this bike.

While the suspension has performed admirably, I haven’t quite achieved the perfect balance between efficiency and bottomless comfort. When landing from rock drops, the progressive suspension feels awesome. And, rolling through most terrain is smooth. But, where it still needs more tinkering is pedaling fast through baby head rock gardens and washboard descents where it’s still a little harsh, in my opinion.

Flowy and fast descents are always a blast on the Trailcat SL where it has a tendency to get me into (and out of) a little more trouble than I should get into. Opting for the rock drops and table jumps reveals a bike that’s easy to manual and comfortable in the air and on landings (smooth or otherwise). At 120/140mm travel, this is plenty of bike for my tastes and, admittedly, at the upper end of my preferences. I’d definitely call it a lively descender as it can whip in/out of corners with panache.

I can climb on the Trailcat SL, but it’s more of a monster truck than rocket. With the proper momentum, I can confidently climb up anything — even the steepest pitches. While seated, it’s a sit-and-spin affair and I’ve made use of the firm suspension setting on the longest climbs. If I’m able to maintain the proper speed, climbing is a delight. But, since trails aren’t always the same pitch, I do notice the almost 31 lb. bike weight bogging me down as I’m pushing to maintain my climbing speed. This bike is no flyweight and my body reminds me every time I’m making my way up long climbs like “Insert Saddle Into Colon.” (I didn’t name the segment, but it’s appropriate.) In addition, the meaty DH tires aren’t doing me any favors. So, what did I do about it? I swapped tires and proceeded to test in Hi mode.

Trailcat SL in Hi/Lo modes

When a bike in this category has a flip chip, you can guarantee I’m going to test the Hi mode at some point. It was only a matter of time before I did. Thanks to an ingenious design, it’s easy to change from the stock Lo setting to the Hi setting. A 5mm Allen wrench is all you need to carefully unthread the flip chip and move it into the Hi position. Take note of the tighten direction printed on the bolt to make sure you’re doing it right. I found it easiest to do while the bike was loaded on my Yakima Dr Tray.

Changing the flip chip to Hi mode steepens the head and seat tubes by 0.3 degrees while raising the bottom bracket by 6mm. This all translates into a different bike feel and makes it a little more downcountry than trail bike. If this was my bike, I would stay in Hi mode all the time as I appreciated the tad sharper handling and more adept climbing prowess. Notably, while climbing in Hi mode, I left the shock wide open all the time, but when I was in Lo mode, I would switch the shock into firm mode on lengthy climbs or gravel/paved approaches. I like riding my bike without thinking about locking things out and Hi mode allows me to do that while not sacrificing much on descents. Without question, this bike is a better descender in Lo mode, but I’m 50 yrs old and I get enough thrills in Hi mode to put a smile on my face.

As one final test, I took the Trailcat SL on a head-to-head test in each mode — with the WTB Peacekeeper 2.4 tires. The results weren’t shocking: I climbed faster in Hi mode and descended faster in Lo mode. If you view my Strava logs and segments, there wasn’t a huge difference in segment times, but it felt faster on the uphill and downhill in their respective modes. As expected, I would consistently forget to switch the shock into open mode after a long climb.

Thoughts on the components and spec

While I’m almost exclusively riding electronic drivetrains these days on road, mountain and gravel, it’s always refreshing to get on a solid mechanical groupset. Pivot has spec’d this with primarily XT with an XTR derailleur (a common tactic). Shifting has been responsive and smooth and the gearing is perfect for both speed and climbing. I did have to think about shifting a little more than you do with SRAM GX Eagle Transmission, which can be shifted whenever.

Shimano’s XT brakes are often heralded for their consistency. I had no issues with their performance other than a constant squeal with hard braking. Perhaps it’s time for a good rotor cleaning to see if that helps.

In-frame storage is awesome and perfect for long rides where you’ll want to be extra-prepared. Uniquely, the hatch can be installed in either direction to move the bottle cage mounts up or down the downtube.

The venerable DT Swiss XM 1700 wheelset has been outstanding — with good spin-up and lateral stiffness. They have take a beating and don’t look at all abused. Tubeless seating is a breeze as well when I swapped tires. Fox Transfer droppers are great and I didn’t have any issues with it here. The cockpit bits are also admirable and provide a commanding position to push the Trailcat SL through any terrain. I did swap out the saddle to test the new WTB Rocket saddle. As noted above, I did swap out the stock tires for a set of WTB Peacekeeper 2.4’s (High Grip up front and Fast Rolling out back) for about half the test miles. That change alone made a huge difference in rolling speed on XC terrain and gravel/road approaches.

Fit: I’m 5’11,” 175 lbs and am riding the size large, using the aforementioned suspension settings. I ran with  23 psi front and 25 psi in the rear tire.

Buy Now: Visit CompetitiveCyclist.com