Pivot Cycles Trail 429 Race X01

The Trail 429 might well be the perfect category defying trail bike. Progressive geometry and super capable suspension give hard charging riders the tools they need to thrive in jumpy and steep terrain. 120mm of travel has never felt this plush or this composed. This very same super-refined dw-link suspension also delivers whip-crack pedal response and acceleration, aided and abetted by the strongest, lightest carbon fiber chassis Pivot has ever developed. The sharp-end of the stick XC capability of this bike is eye-opening, on par with dedicated flyweight race bikes. This is a bike that you can shred with confidence everywhere from 24-hour race courses to untamed high alpine singletrack.

This latest iteration of the Trail 429 is a distillation of Pivot's constant quest for peak performance; they've broadened its capabilities without sacrificing its legendary sharpness. In order to achieve this, Pivot slackened the head angle just enough, increased the reach, and introduced a flip-chip to allow fine tuning of the geometry toward either the rowdy or racy ends of the spectrum. These changes all enhance stability at speed while retaining excellent pedal hammering ergonomics. Through continued evolution of their proprietary Hollow Core carbon frame construction, they carved more than 300 grams from the chassis, achieving an XC-race frame weight with incredible all-mountain strength and stiffness.

In order to wring every drop of potential out of 120mm, Pivot has reworked the already stellar dw-link suspension. A metric, trunnion mount shock and a more progressive linkage enables improved pedaling efficiency and more capability in big hits. The design provides a more bottomless feel and allows for a greater range of tunability. The Trail 429 combines rocketship pedaling performance with a plushness that genuinely feels like more travel than the numbers indicate. Is it possible for a bike to be both razor sharp and butter smooth? Yes. The Trail 429 is proof.