Pivot

Vault Pro Ultegra Gravel Bike

Long a stalwart in Pivot's lineup and billed as its all-around, ride anything drop bar bike, the Vault Pro Ultegra Complete Bike is all-new with some exciting new frame details and features that further aid its multipurpose demeanor. With an eye towards compliance, more clearance everywhere, and new mounts that boost its versatility, the Vault is the machine to own if you enjoy riding gravel, racing cross, throwing down on the weekly road ride, or simply want a bike for adventure riding. This version completely modernizes the Vault with all of the current standards and receives refined frame numbers and carbon layup for a nimble, comfortable ride with that efficient power transfer we've come to expect from Pivots.

First up is the bike's geometry. Pivot has carefully refined it for cross, gravel, or road and it pretty much excels on any surface. Thanks to its new dropped chainstay design, the stays sit at a decidedly stubby 420mm, whacking some 5mm off of the already impressive 425mm length found on the previous versions of the Vault. This not only helps keep the frame nimble and the wheelbase tight, but it also makes for more efficient power transfer. You'd be excused for thinking the shorter stays limit tire clearance, in fact, clearance is increased everywhere from the massive 700x47mm or road plus 650x2.0in tires to the more welcoming crank and chainring clearance, right down to the non-driveside crank clearing crankarm based power meters.

The stays complement the returning BB386EVO bottom bracket shell that reduces watts lost to waggle and flex while sprinting out of hairpins or hammering up climbs that amount to 5-digit elevation days. Also returning is the tapered head tube, oversized steerer tube, and 12mm thru-axles front and rear that also contribute to overall stiffness while keeping the Vault tracking like it's on rails on smooth canyon roads and flowing hardpack alike. The bottom bracket also drops half a centimeter across all sizes providing more point-and-shoot stability for confidence powering through sand pits and down steep, washboard riddled descents.

Pivot also refined the carbon layup and tuned the tube shapes to impart more comfort and compliance while still relying on its tried-and-true hollow core internal molding. It involves laying-up and compacting the carbon around an internal form, ensuring that the frame doesn't carry any additional material in the form of resin pools or wall thickness inconsistencies. The process makes for greater structural integrity, which our practical side appreciates, and a lighter, stiffer frame, which satisfies our less practical hunger for podium places. The lay-ups are also tuned specifically for each size, allowing Pivot to imbue each size with the same level of eager responsiveness without undue weight gains. Requiring a larger frame no longer comes with the penalty of a noodly, poorly tracking ride.

There are of course some new frame details we'd be remiss for not mentioning and one is its patented Iso-Flex Technology that fits 27.2 or 30.9mm seatposts. Iso-Flex is essentially a shim that sits in the seat tube and isolates the post from the frame for next level comfort without compromising frame stiffness. Now you can remain seated and dish out all of the watts without getting bucked over rough patches. Furthermore, the frame is compatible with dropper posts if you're looking to take your monster cross to the next level. Other notable features include its 1 and 2x drivetrain compatibility with removable front derailleur braze on and integrated cover, trap door on the bottom side of the downtube for easy cable routing and Di2 battery storage, top tube bag mounts, and hidden fender mounts for staying clean during all season riding.

This particular Vault is built up with a kit that's just as adventurous as its frameset and will be an excellent ally over almost any terrain. Its mechanical Ultegra group shifts reliably and its hydraulic disc brakes easily scrub speed no matter what the weather conditions are like. A Pivot Phoenix Team stem grabs a flared, gravel-ready Easton EC70 AX bar while its nearly bombproof DT Swiss CR 1600 SPLINE wheelset keep spinning nice and true mile after mile.