"High-pivot suspension designs are the trend in mountain biking right now, and for good reason. A high-pivot with an idler pulley is a great way to achieve a more rearward axle path at the back wheel, making square-edge and abrupt impacts feel less significant, while still maintaining anti-squat on climbs and anti-rise during braking. It's a bit of a magical formula, and it's no surprise that we are seeing it implemented on a ton of bikes in all kinds of travel ranges."
"The high-pivot, idler-equipped suspension design is having a moment in the industry, but Aper Bikes is taking things even higher with the KOMpace and their patented RisingPivot design. On most high-pivot bikes, the rear wheel is limited in its rearward travel along the axle path, typically around 25mm. With the RisingPivot design, Aper can achieve an axle path with 45mm of rearward growth, thanks to an interesting, although not entirely new concept."
High-pivot suspension designs enable a rearward axle path that reduces the effect of square-edge and abrupt impacts while keeping anti-squat on climbs and anti-rise during braking. An idler pulley helps realize that rearward axle travel and allows designers to tune kinematics across different travel ranges. Manufacturers now apply high-pivot concepts from 125mm trail bikes to 205mm enduro/DH machines, demonstrating broad adoption. Aper Bikes' KOMpace employs a patented RisingPivot to extend rearward axle growth to roughly 45mm versus the typical ~25mm limit. The RisingPivot echoes earlier concepts like those used by Yeti but shifts the pivot rearward for different outcomes. The trend accelerated after 2024 and became prominent in 2025.
Read at BikeMag
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