Pivot

Trail 429 Team XX1 AXS Enduro Carbon Wheel Mountain Bike

Blurring the lines between, trail, cross country, and enduro, the Trail XX1 429 AXS Enduro Carbon Wheel Mountain Bike keeps on surprising us with its adaptability. Modeled after its world-cup winning and cross-country driven Mach 4 SL, the frame redesign drops 300g off a size large frame. We don’t want to get caught in a trap of "climbs like a goat, descends like a demon" cliches, but with the new 429 it's hard to describe the feeling in a simpler way.

Geometry is covered with the new 429, and the longer, slacker, and steeper treatment we see on bikes nowadays hits home with Pivot’s new ride. Already over a degree slacker than its predecessor, the enduro version is slacked-out another half-degree with a flip-chip and longer travel fork. The seat-tube is also a half a degree steeper than the previous model, and for us out here in the mountains or down in the desert, we couldn’t be more thankful. The steep seat angle allows us to pedal hard up steep gradients without getting out of the saddle, and the DW link works overtime to make sure every watt is transferred onto the dirt.

New to the 429 is a vertical DW link, and with the "Live Valve Ready" frame this bike is dedicated to the ascents as much as the descents. Even with 120mm travel rear and over-forked 140mm front suspension set-up, this bike is efficient. We’re half tempted to throw some XC-specific tires on here and snag some up and downhill KOMS on our local cross-country loops. But true to the enduro name, as tempting as a down-country phenom bike would be, the 429 begs to smash down descents.

The new frame lay-up is no slouch on the downhills, and the over-forked Enduro build gives us 10mm extra fork travel for hard-charging through the chunder. Pivot’s new frame technology brings enduro and trail riders a ‘hollow-carbon’ layup, which Pivot says makes every frame unique to a rider’s size. For instance, a size small frame is no longer just a carbon copy of a size extra-large, as the tubes use less wall material to make sure that all frames uniquely factor in rider size. This proprietary tech means our smaller friends don’t complain about a stiff and harsh ride, and our larger friends don’t complain about too much frame flex or the bike feeling ‘noodly’.

*Due to unprecedented demand in the global supply chain and the bike industry over the last 18 months, material weight and exact components are subject to change. We are working diligently to keep tech specs updated, and any adjustments will be minor. If you have any questions, reach out to a Gearhead by chatting online or calling 1-888-276-7130.