First ride: 2021 Pivot Trail 429

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The new Trail 429 has more stability than before, while still providing enough space to place a water bottle in the front triangle. There are five sizes, XS to XL, with the XS riders up to 4 ’11 “and the XL serving riders up to 6’7.

All models are carbon and there are different building kits available at the Race, Team or Pro level. Each level has the option of a Shimano or SRAM set. Prices range from $ 5,599 USD for the Race XT building to $ 12,499 for the Team XX1 AXS Fox Live Valve building with Reynolds / Industry Nine wheels.

Frame details

The Trail 429 contains many updates seen elsewhere in the Pivot range, and it sheds a good amount of weight from the previous Trail 429, and the scale is 5.9 pounds, almost 3/4 lb lighter than before, on ‘ a size medium. All frames are Fox Live Valve ready, there are internal cable routes throughout and everyone gets a full size water bottle. There are also two bolts at the bottom of the top tube that can hold a tool, such as Pivot’s own, or other accessories. There is an integrated frame protection on the chains and lower tube.

The 157+ Super Boost spacing stays in place, in line with the other more aggressive bikes from Pivot. Riders can mount a 29 x 2.6 “or 27.5 x 2.8” tire with room to spare. Pivot holds this space and claims that it enables them to build a better and stiffer frame with more clearance of the rear tire, along with increased wheel stiffness. The BB is the PF92 that Pivot did pioneering work on, and although there are drawbacks, it seems to us to be completely reliable.

For the derailleur hanger, the Trail 429 uses SRAM’s UDH, a welcome addition to all frames at this time. There is Live Valve compatibility on all frames, and although there is a Di2 battery port, there is no gap between the front triangle and the swing arm for Di2 routing. Riders can run the wire externally, but not with the same integration as other rotating frames.

All frames use a unique size-specific arrangement and tube diameters that match the frame size. Pivot does this to keep the riding characteristics on bikes similar so that a tall rider has the same experience and frame feel as a shorter rider would do. If we look at the tube, the large one has a similar diameter as the Switchblade, while the medium and smaller frames clearly shed a bit from the previous version of the Trail 429.

Last but not least, it is mentioned and some applause that Pivot has done away with the Pivloc handlebar and grip system and designed a new grip that does not require your fine carbon steering. The new “Phoenix Factory Lock-On Grip” is designed by Pivot. It is left and right specifically and has a tapered core to fit snugly on the bar. The ergonomic grip taps from 30mm to 32mm and has a soft rubber connection designed to dampen vibration.

Suspension

The Trail 429’s rocker llink has been reversed, but the amount of travel remains the same at 120mm. The shock is a metric traction style, 165 mm long with a 45 mm stroke. The suspension is made more progressive and the shock sits higher in its travel to keep the stair level funny, and to prevent the lower BB height from causing too many stair attacks.

While the Switchblade can be driven with a flush shock, the Trail 429 cannot; even though the shock has a separate bottom control, according to Pivot, it does not provide enough progress for the frame.

The bike is available with a DPS or DPX2 shock, depending on the build. The more aggressive ‘Enduro’ building uses the DPX2 along with a 140mm Fox 36 fork as opposed to the standard building which has a 130mm Float 34.

Geometry
Geometry is undergoing the standard steeper, slower treatment and more range, though keep in mind that we’m still talking about a 120mm bike here. For a size medium, in the lower range, the Trail 429 now has a 66 degree HTA (1.3 slacker), 75 degrees STA (1 steeper), 455mm reach (15mm longer) and 432mm chains (2mm longer). The addition of the 140 mm fork in the Enduro package will reduce the head angle by about 0.5 degrees.

The bike can carry 27.5 “wheels with the addition of a lower coupling head that changes the numbers slightly. Riders can also choose to turn the bike in a” low “environment which makes everything rise even more through the flip to use chip The chip can be turned by simply loosening and turning the bolts, which means that there are no parts to lose the way.

Row impressions
I only had the new Trail 429 for a few days at the time, but I spent quite a bit of time on the previous Trail 429 and still have a Switchblade in the fleet, which helps make comparisons.

The biggest takeaway is the Trail 429’s increased efficiency from the previous model. The older bike was effective in the big scheme, but I found it to be a bit overbuilt, especially when placed against the latest crop of shorter travel cycling. The new bike is light, agile and fast. The reduced charge is noticeable and the suspension rides higher in its travel and with much more life.

The bike is easy to navigate on and over messy stretches of trail while holding a line, and it stays planted when it comes to the departure, the suspension stays smooth and supple during its journey. At larger compressions, I struggled to find the bottom of the ride, which is not always the case on shorter touring bikes that offer a good amount of traction at the top. The increased flexibility coupled with more progress makes the new bike much more intuitive and easy to ride.

I will continue cycling in the coming months and hopefully record more miles as spring arrives and thaws the trails. My first impressions of the Trail 429, or as I started to call it, the ‘mini-Switchblade’ is positive and I look forward to seeing if the trend continues as soon as I can test it properly. For many riders, the new Trail 429 will be a more versatile version of the Switchblade, which is friendlier on the uphills and easier to move in a short environment.