When Pivot released the Switchblade trail bike in 2016, one small detail caused more of a stir than the bike itself – it had 157 mm rear axle spacing, which Pivot called Super Boost Plus. At the time of its launch, Super Boost Plus compatible components such as cranks, hubs and chainrings were limited. Fast forward to 2020, and these components are readily available. Is the 157 mm standard here to stay?
Super Boost Plus (or SB+ for short), is a “standard” of rear axle spacing for trail and enduro bikes. Introduced by Pivot Cycles in 2016, SB+ builds on the increased rear wheel and frame strength brought about by the change to Boost 148 mm spacing. Super Boost Plus goes one step further, widening the rear dropouts to 157 mm. This number wasn’t pulled out of thin air, however, and instead borrowed from the world of downhill bikes which have been using 157 mm rear axle spacing as their standard for some time now but without the extra-wide flange spacing. As a result of the wider rear dropouts, the chain line standard is also increased to 56 mm. Originally only used by Pivot, Super Boost Plus spacing has now been incorporated by a number of brands such as Evil, Knolly (who call it TRAIL157) and Devinci.
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