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Hannah Otto’s New Pivot Vault Shimano GRX 1x Mechanical

Hannah Otto is an ex-triathlete who discovered her love for riding dirt more than swimming and running. If she isn’t taking on some crazy adventure on the trails, she is coaching her athletes and inspiring the world’s youth. She is no stranger to podiums, including the top step at the Leadville 100 MTB Race in 2022. Hannah is a bit of a bike geek, too, so when we had the chance to show off her new build, we took it. The new Pivot Vault features a frame weight of 995g, tire clearance up to 50c, an integrated Tool Shed™ compartment in the down tube, and the ISO Flex system around any 27.2mm seat post. (more on that below) The two noticeable differences are the abilities for Hannah to choose wider tires (which she did), and she has gone from Shimano Dura-Ace 2×12 speed Di2 to Shimano GRX 1x Mechanical. Let’s dive in.

TIRES

Tire choice on dirt is almost as important as how many carbs you need for race day. Now, even though Kenda sponsors Hannah, and so not all the options in the world are available to her, she still has plenty of them. With that said, she is on the new Kenda Prototype 700x45c (We need to get our hands on some.)

COCKPIT AND CABLES

Because she is riding mechanical 12-speed, she will have some extra stuff up front. But look at that clean cockpit! Even the sticker agrees with me.

DRIVETRAIN

While we are still waiting on Shimano to get with it on their 12-speed 1x Di2 (or lack thereof), we see plenty of pros and consumers proudly running mechanical. Hannah’s drivetrain specs include a 170mm GRX crank with a 48 Wolftooth chainring, 4iii Power Meter, GRX Rear Derailleur (RD-RX822-SGS), and a Deore XT Hyperglide+ 10-51 rear cassette. Pedals of choice will be Shimano Dura-Ace. Note that we are seeing most gravel pros switch to the SPD-SL and or road platform instead of the SPD and/or off-road.

CLEAN AND AERO

Besides the little derailleur cable saying hello, the bike looks mean AF from the front. The GRX hoods are mounted on an Easton 90 SLX bar: 40mm and Easton EC90 AX Carbon Stem: 90mm -7 with an integrated computer mount called the ICM system for the Coros Dura she is running. There is still plenty of space for more tire width. She is also running a Smanie Apex Carbon saddle.

WHEELS AND HUBS

The DT Swiss GRC 1100 DICUT features a 30 mm high carbon hooked rim and a 180 DICUT hub with ceramic bearings and a claimed weight of 1298 g. She is also running 160mm rotors front and back.

Screenshot

ISO FLEX

What is it? Think of your seat post as being surrounded by a pivotal (see my pun) insert that allows for the flex.

#6 is the inserted fiber-reinforced nylon sleeve, which allows #2 (the clamp) to hold the vertical position while allowing “Flex” aka damping. I don’t know how really awesome this works. I think I need to see it in person, in my opinion.


QUESTIONS I HAVE

Knowing this new frame geometry is more relaxed, I wonder if Hannah will consider adding a front suspension fork for next year’s Leadville MTB Race. Will the girls follow the guys? She for sure has the bike-handling skills to do it. Also, is the ISO FLEX really that great, or is it marketing fluff? We plan on following up on these two things for sure.

Big thanks to photo pro Forrest Dalmer for the sweet pics.

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