When it comes to hammering enduro descents, slaying high-alpine shuttle runs, and party-training laps in the bike park, there are a handful of steeds that are keen for the task and boast 29-inch wheels. What the long-travel 29er category struggles to provide, however, is an efficiency-focused frame design with an intuitive linkage system that is truly fit for big days, twisty flow-tracks, and technical climbing as well as descending. Pivot's new offering, the Firebird 29 utilizes 162mm of rear travel and slack geometry to eat up technical drops and rock gardens, while the responsive DW-link suspension design retains a supportive platform while climbing and popping through moderate terrain. Such a versatile suspension platform pairs well with 29-inch wheels for racking up long miles in the backcountry, and the downhill pedigree lets you ride those features and sections of trail you worked so hard to get to with bike-park-esque bravado. The Firebird 29 borrows heavily for the design and geometry queues of the 27. 5in Firebird and its Phoenix DH Carbon siblings, with long reach numbers and 45mm length stems across the board. The Firebird 29's super-short chainstays sit at 16. 96-inches, thanks to the 12 x 157mm Superboost Plus spacing allow for snappy handling, quick power transfer, and easy lifting of the front wheel up and over techy climbs, and for those blessed with the talent--manualing. Also contributing to the climbing chops are its steep seat tube angle of 74. 5 to 75-degrees (based on its adjustable flip-chip position and lower headset cup selection), which places you right on top of the pedals and prevents the front wheel from wandering on steep switchback climbs while its adjustable 65. 5 to 65-degree headtube angle lengthens the bike's wheelbase for excellent stability that gets better the faster you rip down notoriously steep, gnarly terrain. Growing the wheelbase and getting the front wheel too far out in front of the rider has diminishing returns if ...