2019 Pivot Mach 429 Trail

Demoed a new 429 Trail for a couple of days and 30 miles or so in Park City. Good bike. Hit me up if you want a review. One deal breaker for me is the 157mm rear hub standard.

Overall a fun bike similar to a Ripley LS V3, but a little less playful.

 

I agree with the rear hub. Limited upgrade options and keeps me from swapping it among my other bikes.

 

I have the Pivot 429 trail from 2016??
is the 2019 new?
big difference btw 429 and 429 trail..
good all around bike for OC... but realizing that there is no such thing as a great all around bike for OC...
probably need two bikes... one for fast and one for comfort...

 

Yes konakc. Yes, the new one is new in the usual ways--longer, lower, slacker.

 

There are two guys that I know of Tony, you and Scottay who change bikes like underware or socks? That has to be a nice luxury but, how and when do you ever get comfortable on the one, when there is no one? Or is there that secret weapon you pull out when you are competing with friends, or have kept longer than the others? BTW I know you had said it was a demo.

 

I've kinda' been looking at these, along w/ the 429sl Both seem like great bikes. I like the comparison to the Rip LS, helps give some perspective!

 

Built one today, as well a shuttle

 

Path?

 

No, Action Sports in Bakersfield. We are getting a Switchblade and a Mach 5.5.

 

They were all called the Mach 429 (Trail or SL) until now. Yours is a Mach 429 Trail. They have now dropped the “Mach” from the model and it is a different bike.

 

Danmtchl, I’d love to do a long term demo on a Shuttle. Haven’t been able to find one to demo or buy at a great deal though.

Good point SnakeCharmer it is a 429 Trail (no Mach).

Doug, good point too. I do change often and it costs me some on downhill speed. I find that when I have and ride a bike for six months or a year, my speed and comfort picks up. I kept the Mojo 3 a long time and its still among the very favorite. A really excellent all around bike. Similar to the pivot 5.5 we (Parker) has now, but a little lighter, shorter length and more playful, albeit less stable at speed.

The Ripmo is really too big of a bike for how I ride and I fear it’ll encourage me to get in trouble. It just climbs so well and feels far better than expected in the tight. Unfortunately it steers and turns differently than the Tallboy 3 or Mojo 3 that I’m used to so I’m not that fast down on it when it gets twisty. I think I’ll adjust though.

 

So confusing...

 

That Shuttle was sold and I don't know if anyone has a demo model. We are charging it up tonight and dial it in tomorrow, and take it for a spin tomorrow. Will give you the very short term details.

 

As are most things in life from my POV.

 

Too bad the new 429 trail reviews are a bit muted.. not as fast climber ..ok downhill.tech..
The old 429 trail pre 2018 is a good climber n good enough downhill for oc.la..
Put in about 5000 miles 600k elevation on the pivot..still works great.. lots of chipped paint..

 

The bike was initially the Mach 429 (al), then the Mach 429c became available, later the split to SL and Trail. I rode an alloy one a bunch and had a C briefly, my bro still has the al and loves it dearly.

PS: Agree, kc, good climbers.

 

I love my bike dearly but forget what it is called

 

Did someone say chipped paint, sounds like my Ripley. It's not long or low or slack but I don't care it still gets it done. Gave up worrying about the paint on this bike a long time ago. Lots of good memories on this rig.

 

I was in the market for a new bike and demo'd the 429 Trail a couple weeks ago. I was cross shopping it against the Tallboy (V3) and the Ripley LS. The trails I demo'd were at LCWP (Lizard and Old Emerald for the descents and plenty of climbing up Emerald Canyon).

Keep in mind, my daily driver (up until now) was a Tallboy (V1) so I was used to something considerably less slack. I'm pretty far from being able to extract the most out of these bikes but my impression of the 429 Trail was that it felt a little slow and clumsy in ordinary riding. I also noticed the rear wheel liked to lock up under downhill braking a lot more than my bike did. I wasn't sure if this was because of the DW-Link suspension or the tire choice of the demo bike (Maxxis Rekon). That being said, I also thought the bike was a pretty decent climber, especially given the slacker geometry. The front wheel didn't have a big tendency to lift, especially compared to my older Ibis Mojo (2008).

As a data point, I demo'd the Tallboy (V3) a week prior to demoing the Pivot. The TB felt more nimble but just as playful, especially on Lizard. It also didn't lock up the rear wheel on braking as easily. I bonded with the Tallboy more quickly than I did the 429 Trail.

In the end, I bought the Tallboy. The two bikes were very similar but at this price point, you gotta love it. I admit I never gave the Ripley LS a chance.

 

Good review, thanks for the data points!!!

 

BTW - not that I'm a shill or anything - If anyone's interested in the *older* Pivot (the Mach 429 Trail, not this newest one without the "Mach"), Competitive Cyclist has them at a pretty good sale price. Don't forget to book the order via one of the airline point portals first - 3 miles/$ from Southwest or Alaska!

 

The older one is an awesome bike.. perfect trail bike for all of oc.. good climber yet can still handle chutes. T n a rattlesnake... w.o breakin ur back..
Does well in the santa anas.. up holy jim n down trabuco...

 

wow, is that normal for Ibis paint jobs?

 

Jennifer's blue Ripley did the same thing. I swear I sneezed on it and have to paint came off!

 

This blue is such a good looking color but chips super easy. Admittedly I have beat there ever-loving crap out of it. I think most Ibis paint holds up better than this particular blue color color but not as good as many other manufactures. My bright mango Hightower has seen an even rougher life than the blue Ripley and while it has a couple of blemishes it doesn't look anywhere near that bad.

 

wow, discouraging. The new Ripley was at the top of my list to check out. Ya my Tallboy paint is pretty much perfect, except for a few chips near the pivot which aren't even visible unless you remove the tire.

 

I think you should still take a look...

 

Ya if it matches the initial hype I may have to put up with the paint. On another forum someone was building one up and he was pretty bummed with the quality of the frame manufacturing. Surprised on both of these issues as I always thought of Ibis as a premium niche brand.

 

Jennifer's Mojo has seen twice the action of her Ripley already and there's not a mark on it. Maybe just something with that particular run of blue?

 

ok good to hear that. Thanks for the additional info.