Pivot Cycles have added a brand new carbon fiber 29er to their lineup, the Mach 429 Trail. Designed to be an even more versatile bike than their popular, XC oriented, Mach 429, the Trail version gets a slacker head angle, more travel, and Boost spacing front and rear. In addition to slightly increasing rear end stiffness, the 12x148 and 15x110 spacing allows riders to run 27.5+ wheels without any issues. Even for riders not interested in experimenting with plus-sized wheels, that extra clearance ensures the meaty 29" tires fit with room to spare as well.
The bike's 116mm of rear suspension travel is still handled by a dw-link design, with two short links connecting the swingwarm to the front triangle, but the upper link has been redesigned, and the seatstay pivots are now located in a more forward position. There's also a new front derailleur mount that's less noticeable when riders opt for 1x setups, as well as being compatible with Shimano's new Side Swing derailleur technology, which has the housing exiting the derailleur horizontally, rather than vertically. A 120 or 130mm fork is recommended to complement the rear suspension - going the 130mm route puts the head angle at a relatively slack 67.5°.
The frame itself is incredibly clean looking, with plenty of room for a water bottle inside the front triangle, rubberized leather downtube and chainstay protection, and stealth dropper post routing. Interestingly, none of the build kits include a dropper post - don't forget to leave room in the budget for that must-have accessory.
Pricing for the complete bike starts at $3999 for the Shimano SLX equipped version, and goes as high as $7699 for riders that want to go all-in with an XTR drivetrain, Kashima coated FOX suspension, and DT Swiss carbon wheels. For riders interested in putting together their own build kit, the 5.9 pound frame and shock are available for $2499 USD. The Mach 429 Trail is expected to start shipping to dealers this week.
Am I the only one who doesn't think susp decal colors need to match frame color? Kinda like how a totally matched kit just reeks of effort.
Cool to see more shorter travel aggressive trail bikes hitting the market, after riding a Process111, I'm sold on the concept. Now, if you all would please buy this new Pivot and sell me your 111 at a value, I'd be very much appreciative.
YMMV
Nice Pivot bike, granted, the Evil looks way meaner!
That said, I'd definitely give this bike a second look. Previous iterations of the Mach429 were twitchier than I'd like.
Bike looks great though. I imagine people will be asking "only 116mm?", but I guess it is the 429 Trail, not 429 All Mountain.
43.53cm (XL) reach is 17.1 inches, which sounds about right.
And of course as with all Pivot bikes, I fall right in between L and XL for sizing.
carbon rims are so stiff now, you might not even need wider than 135 on 29", and if you do what's wrong with the DH sizing...
Anyway, XL is way to short and the seat angle is silly.
Totally right though, I don't ride my bike, I just polish it...
www.pinkbike.com/photo/12399058
I wouldn't want to compare two wildly different bikes in this regard, since other numbers can change this a lot, but I'd guess the Following would tend to lift the front wheel more than the 429, not less, provided your numbers are correct.
Of course, where does the geo go on the two bikes when sagged? very different suspension designs, could end up with very different numbers with a rider on them, even more so when you account for the fact that each bike probably rides best sagged differently.
Just go ride bikes til ya find one ya like, then buy it & ride the hell out of it, I'm tellin ya.
Haha. No one pushes fads like Pinkbike. Don't have a 27.5er with a Pike, CCDB, Dropper post and X01/XX1? You need to get with the program! It's amazing that this site is even willing to review bikes from a company who's top offerings come with a Fox suspension.
On a serious note, I bet ALOT of buyers will NOT add a 1-2lb seat post to their brand new 4.5" travel XC/Trail bike.
i think even if this was a carbon 29er hardtail i would still rock a dropper post unless i was racing it every weekend and intending to win haha.
who doesnt want the best decending experience possible?
www.konaworld.com/process_167.cfm
Do you really think that with all those new standards I am gonna give you my money?! First calm down and make up your mind. This one looks very good, but I'll pass.,you pull your shit together first!
Regards
Average mountain biker