Pivot

Mach 429SL Carbon X01 Complete Mountain Bike - 2015

How do you improve on a legendary ride? Well, you take an extraordinarily versatile frame such as the 429 Carbon, lighten it, and dress it in a superb build kit like the one found on this Pivot Mach 429SL X01 Complete Mountain Bike. On the race course or in technical terrain, this bike rips.

The Pivot Mach 429SL Carbon drops a half-pound from its predecessor, the Mach 429 Carbon. To a man/woman, the original 429 Carbon was lauded by our crew for its combination of climbing ability and descending prowess, and for its eagerness to be driven hard. On the trail, it was the stiffest bike we could find in the short-travel 29er crowd. The few dissenting opinions regarding that bike came from Lycra-wearing types compelled to cut grams at all costs, who cited the 429 Carbon’s weight as a limiting factor. Now there’s little left to argue about. With the 429SL, weight weenies no longer have an excuse to pass the incomparable 429 by.

Pivot achieved a half-pound lighter weight for the 429SL via its use of proprietary hollow-core, internal-mandrel technology, the same process that was employed for the 429 Carbon. Pivot scrutinized its 429 layup, refining both the structure and the composite materials used. As a result of those efforts, the podium-hungry Mach 429SL Carbon is one of the lightest full-suspension bikes Pivot has ever made (5.3lb, min). But if you think Chris Cocalis and co. would sacrifice ride quality for a number on the scale, think again. To Pivot, stiffness comes first. Expectedly, the 429SL tracks over rough terrain with unwavering accuracy. Hard corners, off-camber landings—if you feel some flex from the Mach 429SL, it’s almost guaranteed to be coming from the wheels and tires, and that gives you ample control to ride at the edge of sanity.

Suspension duties for the Mach 429SL are handled by the proven DW-link design, which yields 100mm of smooth travel while counteracting speed-robbing pedaling forces. This translates to race-worthy acceleration and consistent contact with the trail. Stand up and stomp on the pedals and you’ll be amazed at the grip you get on loose dirt. Because Pivot worked closely with FOX on the FLOAT CTD Kashima shock tune, your suspension and shock will combine to provide travel that’s responsive, predictable, and uses every available millimeter. As with prior iterations of the Mach 429, you’ll feel like you’re riding a bike with more travel.

The Pivot Mach 429SL Carbon is one of the first production frames to come equipped for electronic shifting (the other is Pivot’s Mach 4 Carbon). There’s a battery port ingeniously tucked into the frame, accessible via a securely covered hole in the downtube. To keep everything tidy and quiet, the Mach 429SL Carbon comes with full-length internal cable routing, including internal routing for a dropper post. This frame can be paired with a 100mm fork for pure XC speed, but here it’s presented with a FOX 32 Factory CTD 120mm fork for increased confidence on rough trails. The longer fork will slacken the ride a bit, but with DW-link suspension in back, the Mach 429SL rides high in its travel, so you won’t experience any front-end wandering on climbs.