Pivot Trail 429: Long Term Review Of The Pivot Trail 429 - A Good Choice?

[@TheSpeedstrD]

I whole heartily agree about it being a rocket up and down! I have a similar setup, enduro version, XT/XTR.

[@elroobike]

@SpeedstrD - I would love to try out the Enduro version to see how the rear shock is different from the trail spec

[@TheSpeedstrD]

@@elroobike I would imagine you would have a similar feeling ride and maybe on the prolonged rough sectoins would you see less fade because of the higher volume oil on the DPS2.

[@herr_rossi69]

Greetings from the Black Forest in Germany. I also have a Trail429 for 3 months. I can only agree with you, the pivot is just awesome. I've also had problems with the Fox post. Just like my test bike.... Let's see how long it works after the service. Otherwise a Vecnum or Bikeyoke comes in. I have a Vecnum Moveloc that has worked flawlessly for years. Otherwise I'm satisfied with the equipment of the 429. With the suspension I thought to keep it simple and chose the Fox Performance with the old grip cartridge. Ok, I also like the black look ;-) I upgraded the crank and shifter to Xt. The handlebars on reverse carbon. For the tires I chose Wolfpack Trail/Race. For the suspension, I reduced the size of the tokens in the air chamber to make better use of the spring travel. My Trail429 now weighs about 13.5 kg. Maybe I'll build a light wheelset...

[@elroobike]

Greetings! It sounds like you have put together a great build on your bike. I hadn't heard of the Vecnum Moveloc dropper before, but it sounds solid, and the all black look is super sharp. I'm just about do for a new set of tires, how have you liked the Wolfpack tires?

[@herr_rossi69]

@@elroobike I've been using the Wolpack for a number of years. But the tires are going in the XC direction. They are not so suitable for really hard riding. It also depends on where you ride. With us it is 1000 meters uphill at a time. Mostly on forest roads or asphalt. Downhill mostly forest soil with lots of roots but no sharp rocks. Trail/Race weigh 850/730 grams in 29x2.4. My disectors were at 990gr. They have a supple and voluminous 120tpi carcass and roll well. Good grip even in the wet. For me the best compromise.

[@elroobike]

@Rainer Decker Thanks for the info! Tires can make such a big difference on bike handling, and can be a tricky balance of weight vs performance. It's always a bit of a compromise.

[@AOL0321]

Get a Bike Yoke from your native Germany 🇩🇪

[@ridelikekrum7707]

Thanks for the video. That is definitely my next bike. I bought a new switchblade, same issue with the dropper not working and slamming the seat into the tire. Came with a 175mm dropper, had to switch to a 150mm, all good now.

[@elroobike]

Good to hear switching to a shorter dropper helped. I’m will add that to my list. I’m now a year into having the 429, and still love the crap out of it. I have even been using it in XC races.

[@pcdude2394]

I bought my T249 enduro Xt/XTR size medium. I was a huge upgrade from my 2007 Santa Cruz Superlight which I had for 15 years. I originally wanted to the Ripley, but the bike shop didn’t have my size and for some reason the T429 keeps catching my eyes. I bought and took it out on the trail and fell in love with it. This bike makes mtb more fun for me all over again after I got tired of my Santa Cruz Superlight. I am 51 now and this bike makes me a better mountain biker than I was in my 20s and 30s. When you mentioned this bike was designed by someone who has a desert in mind, you’re right. Pivot is an Arizona bike company .

[@elroobike]

@Duc Ly - I couldn't agree with you more! I have now had my T429 for just over a year, and still love it. I had become bored with my old MTB, but this bike re-sparked my love for biking. Can't wait to get out and ride!

[@smartiee99]

Sounds awesome! May I ask how tall are you and does the size of your bike suit your height?

[@REB4444]

I found that the limit to my Trail 429 on long chattery downhill trails comfortably was about 23-24 mph. After that, I felt like it was reaching past the comfort limit into sketchy territory. I think I hit 26 miles on that downhill, but it was the continuous bumps for 50-75 meters that was over whelming the 130 mm Fox 34 front fork, rather than the back suspension. Can it do more? Yes, of course. But I did feel that it was starting to overwhelm the suspension at 23-24 mph. On smoother blue trails, I guess the sky's the limit.

[@elroobike]

Does the limitation you found on that ride make you wonder about switching to a longer travel option - like the SwithcBlade (140mm rear travel) or upgrading the fork? I switched my fork out to the 140 mm Grip 2. I can't specifically say if it made a huge difference, but I don't see it bottoming out often.

[@REB4444]

@@elroobike No, because the majority of my trails are not that chattery for that long at such a steep angle. It's not that it bottoms out, it's just that the constant, non-stop chatter is so constant that the shock doesn't get to rebound fully and keeps getting deeper and deeper into the travel and since there's less of it, it gets overwhelmed faster after a while. I could adjust the rebound for that one trail, but I just prefer to just keep the speed closer to 23-25 miles and not go over it. If your trails are like that most of the time and you want to go faster, yes I would get the Switchblade or get the bigger fork but I like the space this bike was meant for. I have more fun picking my spots than just bombing down the hill.

[@REB4444]

I meant to say the limitation is the Fox 34, not the DW-Link or the rear shock because I tried it on my other trail bike and the Fox 34 was the limitation to be honest.

[@michelewacker5412]

I'm 5'4", just bought the small. Same issue with seat hitting rear wheel when landing to flat on small stuff. In the down position, the seat was two inches lower than my yeti sb140 and also much closer to my rear wheel (I guess because pivot has 2 degree slacker seat tube angle). So I changed out the 150 dropper post to 125 and raised the seat post. Seems good now, will test it next weekend. Is there anything you don't/won't do on the shorter travel bike that you did on your bigger bike? Specifically, wondering about size of drops. Any drop size you wouldn't do because of the shorter travel?? Maybe too many variables for anyone to answer that.

[@elroobike]

I am curious how you'll like the shorter dropper, keep me posted. Did you stick with the fox or did you try a different brand? On my longer travel Mach 6 there wasn't much I wouldn't try. I think with this new bike there are a couple things that have kept me from riding as hard (downhill) as I used to, and I don't think it's the amount of travel. I switched to clipless pedals this year, and my comfort level and confidence took a hit. So the jury is still out on what the real limits of the 120 is for me.

[@jayswavely6371]

Good review. I prefer shimano, but many don't 😂

[@troyesch6203]

What’s your weight and height? Wondering if we’re the same for your shock setup numbers. Also what size 429 are you on? I just bought a medium. I’m 5’7” 160. Not able to ride here in Minnesota til spring. I’m a little worried that this bike might feel a little too long. Thanks for the video!

[@elroobike]

We are super close, I'm 5'6" 160-165 lbs. I am riding a size small now, the demo bike I tried was a size medium. I liked it. I even bought a medium initially, switched out the stem for a super stubby ENVE. I ended up returning that bike after countless driveway laps, I felt too stretched out. I've been happy with the small. When I got a pro bike fit on the size small, they said I would have been ok with the medium. The bike fitter told me it's not really your height that matters, but your torso length and arm reach. Hope this helps - hit me up if you want more info. Hope spring comes fast - you'll love your new bike!

[@troyesch6203]

@@elroobike I guess I have a few months to try and get my arms stretched out 😂 We will see how it feels. Thanks for the help

[@scottpung6789]

@@troyesch6203 I live in the Twin Cities and have a size small Trail 429. I'm 5'7" with 30" inseam Let me know if you'd like to throw a leg over it this Spring

[@josh-cc9oy]

I'm considering this bike, but I'm wondering if it's worth saving a few thousand bucks and picking up a used Ripley instead. Thoughts?

[@elroobike]

@josh - That sounds like a substantial amount to save. Both bikes on paper seem similar, but I haven't ridden the Ripley to confirm. A lot of the extras cost may be the build kit you pick. Part of what I like so much about my bike is the kit I put on it. So for me it wouldn't be worth the savings. I have always had good luck picking the right gear the first time and just enjoying it, for whatever that's worth.

[@josh-cc9oy]

The components are very similar between the two, the Ripley is simply a bit cheaper than pivot! I haven't test ridden a Ripley, only a ripmo.

[@e2dub]

@@josh-cc9oyI think they’re very similar bikes. Check out the channel MTB Yum Yum, he tests both extensively and may even have a comparison vid. For me I want to be able to carry a big water bottle in the frame or a frame bag so Ibis is not a consideration. I demoed the 429 Enduro last week on a 50 mike ride with 5,500’ of climbing over a wide variety of trails. What a sweet ride! BTW the bike shop manager who mostly rides Flagstaff and Sedona owns one as his personal ride which is a shining endorsement. PS: I had issues with the Fox dropper post on the demo and I was only the second renter of this bike so everything was nearly brand new. Dropper seemed to need extra downward pressure to actually drop and felt like it was getting hung up at the top of its downward stroke

[@michaelbochenek9612]

Hey, I’ve been looking into this bike. Is this the carbon version?

[@elroobike]

@ Michael Bochenek - It is the carbon version, it looks like Pivot only offers the Trail 429 in a carbon frame.

[@shockwavepulsar7996]

600 miles in 6months 😂? Chubby