KISKA’s High Pivot Bike Is a Wake-Up Call for Gravity Design

Unveiled at EUROBIKE 2024, this concept doesn't follow trends. It sets one.

There are bikes that chase the market. Then there are bikes that challenge it. KISKA’s new High Pivot concept belongs firmly in the second camp.

Revealed at EUROBIKE 2024, this long-travel freeride prototype is not about mass production or glossy sales decks. It’s about possibility. What if gravity bikes didn’t have to look like yesterday’s ideas? What if performance engineering and design ambition could exist in the same frame?

KISKA answered those questions with a machine that’s bold, functional, and brutally honest.

Built for the Freeracer

The High Pivot isn’t just a beautiful object. It’s a tool for a very specific kind of rider. Not the weekend warrior, not the downhill purist. This bike speaks to the freeracer someone who rides with flow but thinks like a racer.

It uses a high-pivot suspension layout, where the rear axle moves backwards as it compresses. That one move changes everything. It lets the wheel track the terrain more naturally, improves stability on rough descents, and keeps the rider in control when speed and chaos collide. An idler pulley manages the drivetrain, reducing pedal kickback and keeping things smooth under load.

But it’s not just about suspension geometry. Every angle, every surface, every material choice has a purpose. Nothing here is for show.

Designed by People Who Actually Ride

Inside KISKA, this wasn’t a side project. Their own team of riders, engineers, and industrial designers worked it through from first sketch to full-scale prototype. They didn’t just CAD it and send it off. They built it. They printed parts in-house, tested geometry, tweaked frame behaviour, and refined the visual language until it felt right.

One of the standout details is the semi-integrated rear shock. Tucked into the downtube, it cleans up the silhouette while shifting mass closer to the centre. It’s a smart move that balances aesthetics with control.

And it looks fast standing still. This is a bike that doesn’t need graphics to say what it’s for.

Not for Sale, but Very Real

This isn’t a commercial product. It’s a 1:1 concept model. Hand-assembled, show-ready, and real enough to sit on. KISKA didn’t just build a vision they made it physical. Something designers could touch, riders could study, and brands could learn from.

This is what concept design should do. Not just impress, but influence.

A Statement, Not Just a Bike

Freeride is evolving. It’s more expressive, more aggressive, and more technical than ever. But the gear hasn’t always kept up. Too often, bikes fall into the same design clichés, stuck in what used to work.

KISKA’s High Pivot breaks that cycle. It doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but it asks the right questions. What should a modern freeride bike look like? How should it ride? And most importantly, what kind of thinking does it represent?

This is more than a prototype. It’s a sign of life in a conservative segment. It’s design with teeth.

Project: High Pivot Concept Bike

Designed by: KISKA

Revealed at: EUROBIKE 2024

Focus: Freeride geometry, high-pivot layout, real-world prototype

Team: KISKA Design + Engineering