By The Takeaway: A high-performance gravel bike that’s ready for racing Dirty Kanza, and doing just about anything else.
- Fits 700 x 45mm or 650b x 47mm tires.
- Mounts to accept fenders and a top tube bag.
- IsoFlex sleeve in the seat tube provides a smooth ride and dropper post compatibility.
Price: $6,699
Weight: 18 lb. (size medium)
One sign of a great gravel bike: It is so good at so many things other than gravel. It can be an excellent road bike, a fine ’cross bike, and even a decent mountain bike in addition to its primary purpose.
I didn’t do extensive gravel riding on the new Pivot Vault, but I did a lot of pretty much everything else. And I was both thrilled and impressed at all times: This is a great gravel bike.
A key to all that versatile goodness is the Vault’s Iso Flex sleeve in the seat tube. Made of a combination of rubber and nylon, this sleeve sits between the frame and seatpost and offers a more compliant ride to the seated rider than a traditional seat tube/seatpost configuration.
And it seems to work. On technical singletrack, I found the new Vault impressively smooth, which not only enhanced comfort, it also let me stay in the saddle more. But even when I stood up and took IsoFlex out of the picture the Vault is still an impressively complaint bike.
The Vault’s excellent stability and predictable handling that let me fly through loose, rough, and rutted roads and trails. But this isn’t some languid cruiser: even on pavement this is a bright and quick bike that can comfortably and efficiently chew up the miles.
Pros
- Iso-Flex seatpost adds comfort
- Fits 45mm tires (on 700c wheels)
- Short 420mm chainstays
Cons
- Seatpost length limits dropper-post options
I love great gravel bikes because they make things simple for me: one bike that I can use for road and gravel riding, ’cross racing, and even a bit of mountain biking. Unfortunately, Pivot’s excellent new Vault makes picking my favorite gravel bike than much harder. And I think that’s just the coolest problem ever.
What’s New
The Vault you see here is a ground up redesign of Pivot's multi-purpose drop-bar bike. It is lighter, with new geometry, more tire clearance, new features, and new comfort-enhancing features. Frame-only weight drops significantly to a claimed 998 grams, down from 1,299 grams for the outgoing version.
The new Vault fits up to 700 x 45mm or 650b x 47mm tires; the outgoing Vault’s frame fit a 700 x 38mm tire maximum. The improved tire clearance is partially due to the dropped chainstay design, a trick also employed by Open. In addition to tire clearance, the Vault also has enough clearance for non-drive power meter modules like Stages and Shimano.
The frame remains compatible with 2x drivetrains, but now features a removable front derailleur mount for a cleaner look and an one less mud-catch point when running 1x drivetrains.
Other new features include hidden fender mounts, mounting point for a top tube bag. A hatch under the downtube near the bottom bracket provides access to allow easier routing of housing and hoses, and also serves as an access port for a Shimano Di2 drivetrain battery
Maximum BB
The wide BB386 Evo standard helps the Vault’s stiffness and tire clearance.
Covered Up
The front derailleur mount can be removed for a cleaner looking bike.
Fuel Box
The Vault has provisions for a top tube bag.
Speed Bending
The IsoFlex sleeve in the seat tube provides a smoother ride.
Fatties Fit
The new Vault fits tires up to 47mm wide
Iso Flex Seat Tube Smooths the Ride
The new Vault features a ride-smoothing technology Pivot calls Iso Flex. This is not to be confused with Trek’s Iso Speed technology, even though both Isos offer similar benefits.
Pivot’s Iso Flex is a sleeve that slides into the Vault’s seat tube; the seatpost in turn fits into the Iso Flex sleeve. The sleeve is made of two materials—rubber on the outside with a fiber-reinforced nylon inner sleeve. It provides tuned flex and also puts space between the frame and the seatpost so they are not in direct contact.
Pivot’s president Chris Cocalis told Bicycling the development of the Iso Flex sleeve involved extensive testing multiple durometers under a wide range of rider weights. According to the testers, the winning durometer offered a noticeably smoother ride without feeling like it sapped a rider's power when they were pushing hard, said Cocalis. But he didn’t offer specific claims or data on the system’s performance.
The Iso Flex sleeve comes in two diameters—one to fit 27.2mm seatposts, the other to fit 30.9 seatposts. Using a 27.2mm post offers the smoothest ride, and is likely the lightest option. The 30.9mm sleeve is offered for riders who want to equip the Vault with a dropper post. Unlike a rigid post with tuned flex, dropper posts don’t have much give. The IsoFlex insert should add back a bit of comfort to riders who run droppers.
The Vault and Dropper Posts
The Vault has provisions for a dropper post with an internally routed remote, and Cocalis said he gave the new Vault a shorter seat tube and more sloped top tube with dropper posts in mind.
But even though the seat tube is shorter, it’s still on the long side for compatibility with the current crop of dropper posts, which were designed for trail and enduro mountain bikes. Most of the popular dropper posts are sold in travels of 100mm and up, but longer droppers require more exposed seatpost.
I tested a medium Vault, which has a 548mm-long seat tube (center to top of collar). At my saddle height (725mm), I have 130mm of exposed post (seat collar to saddle rails) to work with. As an example, Fox’s 100mm-travel (the shortest it offers) Transfer dropper requires a minimum of 160mm of exposed post.
Gravel riding doesn't need an enduro-travel dropper post, but there aren’t many droppers with less than 100mm of travel. That may change, however. Cocalis hinted that there is a new crop of shorter-travel dropper posts on the horizon.
For now, if you're interested in running a dropper on your gravel bike, KS's 65mm-travel LEV Ci Carbon is a good—though pricey—option. Drop-bar remotes are another area that needs addressing, but for the moment WolfTooth's Drop Bar Remote is one of the best options.
The Vault's Geometry
While the old Vault came in four sizes, the new Vault comes in five, which allowed Pivot’s team to make more even jump in frame sizes.
“The previous bike only came in fours sizes and there were some gaps,” said Cocalis. “The top tube on what we consider a medium (or a 56cm bike) was a little short on the old bike and adding a size into the mix allowed us to have better steps in top tube lengths.”
On the new bike those top tube lengths are a bit on the long side compared to some of its competition. “A little more front center with a shorter stem is helpful when going fast down a dirt descent,” said Cocalis.
Pivot Vault Build Options
The Vault comes in your choice of two complete builds: Shimano Ultegra mechanical 2x11 with DT-Swiss aluminum wheels ($5,199), or SRAM Force eTap AXS 1x12 with Reynolds carbon wheels ($6,699).
Both builds use Pivot carbon 27.2 seatposts and a Pivot aluminum stem, an Easton EC70 AX carbon handlebar, Maxxis Rambler 700x40mm tubeless ready tires, tubeless compatible rims, and a WTB saddle.
If you want to play product manager, Vault frameset sells for $2,699.
Sizes: XS to XL
Style: Gravel/all-road
Material: Carbon
Drivetrain: SRAM Force eTap AXS 1x
Chainring: 36t
Cassette: 10-33
Handlebar: Easton EC70 AX
Stem: Pivot aluminum
Saddle: WTB Volt
Wheels: Reynolds
Tires: Maxxis Rambler 40mm
Wheel Size: 700c
Tire clearance: 700c x 45mm or 650b x 47mm
Ride Impressions and Evaluation
Confession time: I didn't grind much gravel on the new Vault. Instead I primarily rode it—with no changes to the stock build—on some of my favorite mountain bike singletrack, and on some of my favorite road loops.
This is actually my preferred way to test a gravel bike. The mountain bike trails give good insight into a gravel bike’s handling and how well it absorbs bumps, while the road loops tell me how efficient and quick the bike feels.
And after both kinds of riding, I can tell you this is one great bike for gravel, and more.
The Iso Flex gives enough to both blunt sharper impacts, and let the rider stay in the saddle turning the cranks over more bumps than many gravel bikes. It’s not like having rear suspension—Iso Flex only works when the rider is seated and has less movement—but it’s a light and simple way to add some new give where it’s needed most.
On the same sections of singletrack that, on other gravel bikes, I had been either bounced out of the saddle or winced at the sharpness of the impact, the Vault was much more muted, comfortable, and found more traction because it, and I, were bouncing less.
But even when I was standing and took Iso Flex out of the picture, the Vault is still an admirably smooth riding bike that left me feeling fresher after a few hours of singletrack than some mountain bike hardtails.
The Vault's off road handling was extremely impressive. The minimal knobbies of the Maxxis Rambler tires were no match for wet Pennsylvania dirt, roots, and rocks. But the Vault is very stable and provides great feedback, which kept the puckering to a minimum and gave me the confidence to drive this bike through some challenging terrain. Trust me, it has the kind of precise and predictable handling you'll appreciate at a mile 198 of a hot and hard 200-mile gravel race.
The best gravel bikes I’ve ridden hardly feel like gravel bikes on the road. They feel like good—though slightly heavy—road bikes. But at just 18 pounds, the Vault isn’t really heavy for a road bike. And though the knobby tires, wide bars, and upright position do sap some speed, the Vault still feels reactive and quick. It’s sprinter-stiff at the bottom bracket, with precise steering and a very smooth ride. Because of its primary mission as a gravel bike, its handling is more gracefully flowing than aggressively sharp on the road, which isn’t a bad thing at all.
So yeah, the Vault has serious skills. As a do-everything drop bar bike, it’s real competition for the Open UP and Santa Cruz Stigmata—two other exceptional gravel bikes. The Vault is a kick-ass gravel racing bikes that is among my favorite drop-bar bikes, of any time, for the way it performs so well at so many things.
A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling, Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race.
