Pivot’s latest update to its 429 blurs the line between downcountry and trail bike.
The Arizonian mountain bike brand has never been shy of daring geometry trends or trying new rear suspension kinematics. With the market for increasingly capable 120mm trail bikes showing no sign of saturation, Pivot has reacted with an update of its 429.
Where Pivot’s design team has evolved the 429, is its geometry. The 2021 model is both longer and slacker, bringing it on-trend with the specifications of the best trail bikes.
All five sizes of the 429 now have a 66.5-degree head angle, slackened from 67.3-degrees. The cockpit is roomier too, with a size large 429 now at 475m of reach, up by 15mm. Pivot also provides a flip-chip that can take the bike’s head angle down to 66-degrees, for those riders who desire to push the 120mm of rear suspension to the limit, descending steep and technical terrain.
Two fork options
Pivot recognizes that with these geometry improvements, its customers might be incentivized to push the 429 into very challenging terrain. The standard fork option is a Fox 34 130mm, but there is also an ‘Enduro’ build being offered, with a Fox 36 140mm.
Only a few years ago, the notion of a 120mm rear-suspension carbon-fiber trail bike with a Fox 36 upfront, was unimaginable as a factory build kit. But as the mountain bike industry has embraced progressive geometry, this has now become a reality.
Pivot’s new 429 sits in an interesting categorization. With its wider than standard rear axle, which increases lateral stiffness and allows for a stronger wheel build, the 429 can be pushed harder than most 120mm rear-suspension bikes, through the corners.
The updated 429 is being marketed at between $5,599 and $12,499, with a selection of build kits.
