In this special episode of the Velo Podcast presented by Pivot, Chris Cocalis, Founder of Pivot Cycles, joins Mike Levy to discuss a new project from the Arizona, based brand. Most people know Pivot for forward thinking mountain bikes, but now the brand is getting into road bikes with the Pravia, a bike Pivot is calling ‘a race bike built for humans.’ Intrigued? Us too. This is actually a return to road bikes for Pivot. The brand partnered with BH years ago on road bike product development and design from 2007 to 2012. Fast forward to today and Pivot has decided the time is right to get into this category under its own name. “I just thought we could have a cutting edge product that was better,” said Cocalis. For this project, he tapped into the innovative spirit at Pivot, like when they pushed into 29-inch wheels early, or developed a fat bike. “Pivot is our brand, and wherever we decide to take it we can compete in those categories,” he said. Although there was some consideration for making a super lightweight, specialist bike, Cocalis really wanted to get back to having one good road bike to ride everything. So the Pivot team set forth to create the Pravia, a performance road bike with elements that more riders will find more comfortable. They have lovingly dubbed it “a race bike for humans.” Cocalis was deeply involved in the bike development process for the Pravia. He walks us through the carbon layup development process. It took two years to get all the different sizes correct, and the 56 size around took at least six rounds of development to get the weight and ride quality where they wanted them. But it’s actually the smallest sizes that are the hardest to develop. Cocalis also talks to us about how Pivot’s Hollow Core Carbon Molding process for creating carbon frames differs from other brands. He calls it the most precise way to make a carbon frame. Levy and Cocalis also get into the nitty gritty details that set this bike apart Cocalis talked us through his decision to include downtube storage, a move that isn’t always perceived as being for performance bikes. It was also a massive development process to get a downtube storage door that “doesn’t squeak, doesn’t creak, doesn’t leak,” and that’s before trying to hit stiffness and weight targets. It’s part of the reason they needed six rounds of layup development on the size 56 frame alone. Cocalis then discusses the decision to go all-in on electronic shifting. As he puts it, the Pravia is a high-end bike built for a rider that’s not interested in mechanical shifting. And making it electronic only means not sacrificing ride quality, performance, or weight to build in cable guides and stops. “It is definitely a performance minded decision,” Cocalis said. Then there’s the small details that make the bike more livable, like a seatpost wedge that actually works — an apparently high bar to clear in this day and age. Settle in for a great episode of the Velo Podcast Learn more about the Pravia : https://www.pivotcycles.com/en-us/bikes/pravia Time stamps 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:30 - Why Is Pivot Making a Road Bike Now? 00:11:09 - Competing in Both Road & Mountain 00:14:28 - Tangent: The Fat Bike Project 00:16:50 - Fat-Tire Road Bikes & Tire Clearance 00:21:16 - Into the Details: Designing the Frame 00:29:13 - Frame Iterations & Sizing for Smaller Riders 00:32:36 - Ride Feel, Vibration & Compliance Testing 00:38:01 - How Carbon Frames Are Actually Made 00:44:51 - Balancing Stiffness, Compliance & Fit 00:48:00 - Chris’s Road History & the LeMond Days 00:53:17 - Solving the Squeak-Free Door & Internal Routing 00:56:03 - Price, Materials & the Three Build Levels 01:01:18 - Who This Bike Is For 01:06:01 - What’s Next?
