Pivot

Mach 429 Trail Carbon 27.5+ Pro XT/XTR 1x Mountain - 2018

Seeking to produce a ride that defies the limits of cross-country and enduro sleds of the past, Pivot's 2018 Mach 429 Trail Carbon 27.5+ Pro XT/XTR 1x Complete Mountain Bike takes to the mountain with an unusual sense of confidence from rolling singletrack hot laps, to banked berms and chunky rock gardens. The Mach 429 Trail earns a gold-star for versatility with its all-mountain capable geometry and XC-ready pedaling platform, allowing us to push boundaries and ride harder, from the starting lines on XC race day to all-mountain berm roosting. Its decked out with Shimano's XT amd XTR components to offer you crispy shifting, reliable brake modulation, and a buttery-smooth pedal stroke, plus a dialed-in FOX suspension kit that pairs with DW link to load you with all-mountain gobbling squish.

The 429 Trail's all-over capability and versatility owes some credit to the queues it took from the Mach 6 and Phoenix, chasing the feel for endless depth out of just 116mm of travel that feels much closer to proper five-inch train machine than a four-inch cross-country bike. You may spot elements of the Phonex's DH directed clevis and enduro lower-linkage in the 429 trail, but the upper linkage is completely new and translates those gravity-craving designs into a traction-focused style of a trail bike. By bringing the 429SL's small-bump compliance and race-ready trail contact into the party along with the Mach 6's rock-gobbling capabilities, the 429 Trail blurs the lines between XC race rocket and hard-hitting all-mountain aggression.

The frame itself begins life with Pivot's hollow-core internal molding process for uniform, controlled wall thicknesses and material distribution. This process virtually eliminates inconsistencies and resin pooling, increasing structural integrity while targeting areas for weight loss. The frame rises from the mold with a 67.5-degree head tube and relatively stubby chainstays, making it slack enough to challenge lines across rock gardens but nimble enough to pick its way through enduro-grade terrain—all while sticking climbs and blasting berms in the manner that made us fall in love with its immediate predecessor, the 429SL.

The wide PF92 bottom bracket anchors the unbelievably stiff Boost 148/110 axles, accommodating wider pivot placement for longer life in the suspension's bearings and a stiffer rear triangle. We suspect that the PF92/Boost 148 collaboration is also responsible for the room to slam the rear wheel up and shorten the chainstays, making for even more power-transferring efficiency and the nimbleness described above. The externally routed cables make for easy maintenance, which we like, and also lower the bar for entry by reducing the manufacturing cost, which we like even more.