The industry has a tendency to label bikes as "quiver killers" and "jack of all trades" and we've been guilty of falling into this camp as bikes have grown slacker longer and lower for descending confidence and high-speed composure but without penalizing much in terms of pedaling and climbing efficiency due to steeper seat tube angles lightweight and stiff carbon frames and 29-inch wheels carrying momentum up climbs and steamrolling imposing boulders standing in your way. We'll try to avoid using these terms when describing the Trail 429 by Pivot even though it certainly punches well above its weight in terms of providing far more capability on the trail than most riders will ever use save for more advanced riders putting this bike through its paces in tech meccas like Moab's legendary slickrock BC's famed North Shore bridges or even Pisgah's root and rock-infested singletrack. Perhaps the most natural place to start when diving into the new Trail is with its completely reshaped frame that gives the bike its progressive geometry. Unlike the smooth swooping top and down tubes we saw on the Mach 429 Trail the Trail 429 is a bit more direct with a more angular approach that brings the bike into the cutting edge with clean lines a slacker head tube to instill confidence and composure on steep lines packed with chunky granite and a steep seat tube that keeps you dialed in the cockpit when you push your way up punchy switchbacks laced with root lattices. This particular Trail 429 boasts top-end components from SRAM including their XX1 AXS groupset with their lightest drivetrain components and their AXS electronic shifting. Carbon hoops from Reynolds make this trail sled truly zippy for high-mileage days and Fox Factory suspension offers industry-leading performance and adjustability. *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 ar...