Sizes Available: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14m
Sizes Tested: 7, 9m
Naish Says:
Two-time King of the Air Champion, the Pivot, is unrivaled in terms of performance and versatility. It is famous for its jumping ability, incredible wave riding performance, amazing response and tight, pivoting turns. Backed by Naish’s legendary construction, the Pivot uses only the best materials available. The Pivot has a wide wind range and incredible power generation for fast riding and huge boosts. For S25 there is a new adjustment system for the bridle to give the Pivot even more range. It was inspired by the KOTA riders who want to ride the biggest kite possible in super strong winds. It is also beneficial for strapless wave riders who don’t need the super strong pull. Naish’s flagship kite, the Pivot continues to lead the charge in innovation and performance.
Visit for more info: www.naishkites.com/product/pivot-freeride-wave/
TKB Says:
You know that feeling you get when you connect with an old friend and everything clicks into place and you start right where you left off””that’s our experience with this year’s Pivot, except with an extra dose of adrenalin and blistering big air sends. The Pivot is back with top of the line construction and perfectly balanced performance for freeride, surf and big air disciplines. This year the Pivot got an additional front bridle setting and can be purchased in both regular colorways or a limited-edition Season 25 black canopy with Naish’s pirate logo. Yes, Naish is one of the companies with OG roots that has been around long enough to have a cult following.
The Pivot continues with its 3-strut medium to high aspect canopy with a sweptback leading edge that terminates in pointy wingtips. The Pivot features the Surelock push-button inflation valve which keeps the pump hose attached to the valve while inflating and allows for deflation with the push of a button (just remember to push the button to close the valve (button sticking up) prior to inflating. The Pivot combines excellent construction features into its lightweight airframe including Naish’s Quad-Tex ripstop that feels exceptionally crisp, a medium diameter leading edge and a bit of Dacron on the wingtips with double ripstop in a scallop design along the trailing edge. This year the single slider front bridle gives you a V-bridle on the wingtip side of the bridle where you can choose between the stock setting or an additional setting that gives the kite more forward drive and depower. The front bridle attachment point ends in a knot and the wingtip attachment point ends in a loop. The wingtips offer three attachment points to adjust bar pressure, with the stock setting located in the middle, which we found offers the best balance between kite feedback, bar feel and turning response.
The Pivot is celebrated because it covers so much ground while feeling incredibly comfortable, meeting the needs of both the casual kiter and the boundary-pushing fiend. The bar pressure comes in light to medium which is really easy on your upper body, but it gives you enough feedback and impulse to know exactly where the kite is and how it is performing at all times. The Pivot delivers smooth progressive power through the course of the bar’s throw so you can always have that confidence that you’re applying the right amount of tension. The kite has enough grunt that it feels boosty and lifty with power on tap if you’re looking for it, but equally important is the availability of quick on demand depower in tough situations, that gives the rider a sense that the power delivery is really precise. The turning feels pivotal with a crisp turning response that allows you to confidently put the Pivot exactly where you want it. This year’s additional front bridle setting is designed to help the Pivot with some additional depower built into its angle of attack. This new setting helps the kite move a little farther forward in the window and is said to help riders better complete their turn on big kiteloops. We noticed that the small change made the kite slightly quicker to depower, but all other steering inputs remained.
The Pivot straddles the line between freeride and performance freeride with its super comfortable power control for cruising, but when you’re ready to boost big airs the kite’s agility and its power on big sends gives you a ton of instantaneous throttle which builds impressive lift that takes you to the top of the window really fast. It’s tight steering and pivotal turning arc gives you the confidence in the air to make the adjustments needed for nice and slow landing. Even in the most hectic moments, you can throw in a loop or downloop to stick the landing and ride away. This year’s Pivot continues to shine in the freeride, foil and big air freestyle disciplines with the additional dimension of bridle tuning that the more technical riders out there will appreciate.
Our Pivot came with Naish’s Torque ATB 50 (Above the Bar power adjustment) control bar which features very clear color coding with blue on the right and red on the left. This bar comes in either the 50 or 55 version, each featuring dual adjustable lengths (50:40/45cm or 55:45-51cm) with single centerline safety depower, a low V, a spectra sheeting/throw line, a replaceable insert, no sliding stopper, and an above the bar clam cleat power adjustment with an easily adjustable length throw for riders with different arm lengths and preferences. The quick release utilizes a below the bar swivel which keeps the rigging above the bar refreshingly simple and doubles as a quick release guard. The quick release handle cocks in an upward position when released, yet it is worth noting that reassembly requires that the rider put the end of the loop back into the mechanism, raise the release the handle and then drop it back into place””its clean, functional and easy to use with two hands for reset. The Torque’s center lines end in loops and the outside lines end in knots with clear line and pigtail color coding (center lines are grey, left is red, right is blue). The ATB 50 comes stock with 24m non-extension lines; the bar’s molded foam floats are integrated into the bar ends and are flexible enough to fold down quickly and easily for a painless wrap job. Retractable bungees have an easy to grab tab and a solid clip to ensure your lines stay on the bar between sessions while the Torque’s adjustable bar ends make it easy to adjust the effective length of the bar and also allow you to tune the outside lines in the event of line stretch. Rounding out the design, the chicken finger is a rigid material that ensures against foul hooks and can be easily rotated out of position for unhooked riding for the more aggressive freestyle riders out there. The grip has a nice rubbery feel with a solid texture and an ergonomic shape that accommodates both riders with wide and narrow grip stances (smaller bar diameter in the center for narrow grip stance riders). Overall, the Torque has the unique distinction of packing a ton of useful features into a light to medium weight and well-designed package.
Visit for more info on the bar: www.naishkites.com/product/torque-atb-50-control-system/
