Pivot

Mach 429 Trail Carbon 27.5+ Race XT/SLX 1x Mountain - 2018

Seeing the industry moving to the slacker and longer side of the trail spectrum, Pivot's Mach 429 Trail Carbon 27.5+ Race XT/SLX 1x Complete Mountain Bike is a refreshing departure from the pack with its spirited handling and brisk acceleration usually reserved for racy cross-country machines, but without sacrificing its ability to retain composure on steep, rock-strewn trails. Upon designing the Mach 429 Trail, the engineers at Pivot sought to produce a versatile trail bike with incredible pedaling efficiency and small-bump compliance, yet one that's never afraid of conquering technical lines with its 4.5 inches of DW-Link suspension.

You're probably thinking the Mach 429 Trail is outgunned in the trail category with "only" 4.5 inches of DW-Link travel, as opposed to the competition sitting somewhere in the arena of 5.0 to 5.5 inches of travel. However, the Mach 429 Trail's DW-Link suspension takes influence from Pivot's gravity-oriented Phoenix DH Carbon and Mach 6 Carbon, in particular the lay-out of the clevis. This lead to an entirely revised upper linkage that provides the nearly bottomless feel of these longer DW-Link platforms, but in a more compact, lightweight package that's ideal for a 4.5-inch trail bike. Ultimately, these suspension updates equate to unbelievable confidence and control on technical descents where you'd normally opt for an enduro bike with six inches of travel, but without sacrificing its incredible pedaling efficiency.

Pivot's hollow-core internal molding process ensures a uniform, controlled wall thickness and material distribution of the carbon frame. Since this process virtually eliminates inconsistencies and resin pooling, the Mach 429 Trail reaps the benefits from increased structural integrity, low overall weight, and impressive stiffness. After the molding process, the frame emerges with a 67.5-degree head tube angle and relatively stubby chainstays, meaning it's slack enough to devour rock gardens and steep descents, yet it's still relatively quick to change direction and feels quite flickable around tight corners.

This particular Mach 429 Trail rolls on 27.5+ wheels, courtesy of the frame's Boost axle spacing, which clears the wider 2.8-inch rubber provided on this build. These beefy 27.5+ wheels give you the ability to drastically lower tire pressure, subsequently increasing the bike's ability to find traction over loose soil, as well as smoothing out successive bumps and washboard terrain. Maxxis 2.8-inch tires complement the 27.5+ platform with their Rekon 3C Maxx Terra gripping aggressively in front, paired with a Ikon TR/EXO out back for fast-rolling efficiency.