When designing the 429, we developed something truly special -- a bike that outperforms everything else in the category. The Mach 429 is a bike that can go from the race course to the trail and give up nothing in between. Using designs from Chris Cocalis and dw-link designer Dave Weagle, the Mach 429 accelerates, descends, climbs and corners unlike any other 29er on the market.
Anyone who has ridden a 29er hardtail knows what makes these bikes special. They provide instant acceleration and they roll over just about anything. Once up to speed the 29" wheels feel nearly unstoppable. Unfortunately, in rough, long events or even just your typical trail ride, there is a price to be paid for all that hardtail goodness. It's not nearly as punishing as on smaller wheels, but you can still take one helluva beating.
Enter the full suspension 29er -- more cush and big wheels!
But there is a lot more we could ask for. We rode what is out there and consulted with some of the leading 29er experts. We went to races and listened to 29er riders. There is a clear consensus between what we experienced as well as that of the shops and the riders -- 29er full suspension bikes are cool, but they don't offer the same efficiency benefits as their hardtail cousins. In general, 29er full suspension bikes have been longer, flexier, and have an overall lag in acceleration…Until now.
The Mach 429 is designed from the ground up to deliver on the promise of ultimate efficiency and unsurpassed performance from its 29" wheels. This isn't just marketing speak, but a completely new 29er Full Suspension design that truly is the next level in the category and here's why:
The dw-link:
The dw-link suspension design brings something very special to the 29er world that other bikes just cannot deliver. Simply put -- you pedal, it goes. The Mach 429 accelerates with the authority of the lightest, stiffest hardtail but with traction and control that no hardtail (or any other 29er full suspension bike for that matter) can match. The 429 is a bike that just puts a smile on your face as you get out of the saddle and get on the gas to sprint out of a corner or attack a short steep climb. Some of our customers and dealers have said it's like cheating. We have heard that you can ride two gears higher (not our words), and that the acceleration is very 26" like. The best way to describe it is that the bike is fast and super fun which is really what it's all about.
Frame stiffness from tip to tail:
The Mach 429 is designed to get the maximum benefits out of its dw link suspension and live up to the demands of the strongest, fastest riders in the world by getting all the power to the ground with zero flex in between. 29er riders tend to be some of the fittest, fastest, freaks of cycling nature (if you fall into this category, we mean it in the nicest way) and whether you are racing or just out for a killer trail ride, we know you demand a lot from your bike. We feel the same way.
The core of the Mach 429 is our 92mm wide hollow forged bottom bracket and main pivot assembly. The wider bottom bracket doesn't place the cranks out any further, but it does allow for a bigger diameter BB shell with the bearings inside, instead of hanging off the edge of the shell. The bigger internal bearing bottom bracket shell, means we can make the parts lighter, stronger, and of course, stiffer. The 92mm shell gives us more room to weld a bigger down tube which also increases stiffness. The wide shell also gives us more space for a wider dw link and therefore better stiffness and longevity from the main pivots. The dw link features 8 Enduro Max sealed cartridge bearings, nicely tucked away from the elements inside the link. These are designed to give you many trouble free and maintenance free years of trail pounding bliss.
We didn't just stop at the front triangle, bottom bracket, and dw link when designing the Mach 429. The 429's rear triangle and carbon fiber upper link are works of art that are just begging for you to try and get them to flex. The swingarm is stout without sacrificing tire clearance. The rear triangle's two uprights are designed specifically for the demands of bigger wheels. They are stiff and strong in all the right places while eliminating the need for a brake bridge up top. The combination of no brake bridge and our specially reinforced and hydro-formed chainstay design give the Mach 429 class leading tire clearance from its sub 18" chainstays (It will clear a WTB 2.55 with room to spare).
The Mach 429's one piece molded high modulus carbon fiber upper link is also a sight to behold. It is one piece (instead of two independent links) which means zero flex as well. Because it's made of carbon fiber, it's both light and strong. The upper link houses 4 Enduro max bearings riding on large diameter 7075 Alloy hardware to finish off the job of making sure the only thing flexing is the tire as you put all your power to the ground. We take this stiffness thing seriously!
Handling and Geometry:
There are many theories out there regarding the handling and geometry of a 29er bike. Everything from top tube length, to head angle, to fork offset is constantly being discussed and debated. This is an area where one number (such as head angle) or even the geometry as a whole does not tell the entire story. Bike handling is not only about the geometry numbers, but also about the interaction of the front and rear suspension, and even to a large degree, how frame stiffness affects the feel and precision of the entire package. When looking over the Mach 429's geometry, there are no real surprises in the numbers. They look fairly conservative, until you ride the bike. All we can say is that you need to experience it for yourself. It's both quick and stable with a very precise and dialed feel. There's little in the way of a written description that will do it justice but we will go as far as to say that the Mach 429 has achieved handling nirvana. We would be remiss if we didn't point out the Mach 429's 17.85" chainstays. This is quite unheard of from a full suspension 29er with a true 100mm of rear wheel travel. The dw-link and Pivot's unique rearward wheel path through the beginning of the travel buy us the extra room to keep the stays short. The short stays allow the bike to climb with authority and further contribute to the bike's amazing handling.
Fit:
One of the great features of the 429 is the zero stack headset design. The headset is a standard 1.125 size that fits inside a larger diameter head tube. It makes for a stronger, lighter frame, but most importantly has the ability to lower the front end by over an inch vs. a conventional headset. With the taller forks and wheels of a 29er, the lower front end is a welcomed feature for most riders. You can get the fit you need without resorting to negative rise stems.
The Mach 429 comes in three sizes to fit riders from approximately 5'7" to 6'4". If you are in the 5'7" to 5'9", the small is made for you. At 5'10" to just over 6', the medium should fit well and for riders over 6'1", the large is the ticket. If you are on the fence between sizes or have unique proportions, all sizes have very close to the same stand-over clearance, so make your decision based on top tube length. If you are riding a 26" wheel bike, and are switching over, expect to run 1-2 stem lengths shorter on the 29er because they all have longer top tubes per frame size then their 26" wheel cousins.
Ride and Intended use:
Just like the smaller wheeled Mach 4, the 429 is bred with racing performance in its heart and soul. That is not to say that the Mach 429 doesn't make for a kick ass tail bike -- it does. With a full 100mm of travel, and big wheels, it absolutely rips up technical terrain while still having the acceleration of a pro racing machine. It's a great do-all bike. Some riders have asked us if they can put a 120mm fork on the bike and the answer is yes. It will slow down the handling slightly, shift your weight back and put a little more leverage on the rear suspension, which will have the affect of making the bike feel even more plush in the rear to provide a nice balance with the longer travel front fork. We don't offer it this way, but if you are building your 429 from the ground up as a custom build or are having your local shop swap out some parts on one of our stock builds, the 120mm fork option just opens up the door to riding more technical terrain with a longer travel trail bike feel.
Details:
We've put a ton of thought into every aspect of the 429's design and want to share some of unique aspects of the bike with you.
- Front Derailleur: The Pivot Mach 429 uses a direct mount front derailleur that bolts straight to the frame in the exact location needed for perfect shifting. It's a more rigid mount that gives you the best front shifting performance made.
- Chain-line: By direct mounting the front derailleur and precisely controlling the bottom bracket width we control the chain-line precisely. A perfect chain-line means perfect shifts and no strange cross chaining issues. It seems like a small detail, but its something no one else does and it makes a big difference in a race or out on the trail.
- Replaceable derailleur hanger: The replaceable hanger is made of 7075-T6 aluminum which is the strongest aluminum made. The hanger features a reinforcement rib and a design that integrates perfectly with the dropout and provides for perfect shifting every time.
- Cable routing: Our under-the-top-tube-routing is clean, smooth, and out of the way of both the elements and the rider. Although not the most exciting thing in the world to talk about, cable routing just doesn't get any better then this.
- Quality, Passion, and Pure Love for what we do: We love to ride and we sweat the details. It shows in every frame and every bike that we get to share with our customers. When you ride one, we think you will agree that there is something special going on that is far greater then the sum of its parts.
- Customer Service and dedication to the rider: Although not technically a part of the bike design itself, we feel that it is equally important. We want to take care of our customers and riding friends and want everyone that rides a Pivot to be a part of our extended family. If you have a question or a problem, we are there for you. You can get in touch with anyone in our company from our sales guys, to the shipping manager and all the way to the president. If we haven't answered your questions here, you just want to talk to someone at Pivot, or you have a problem that needs solving, give us a call. We would love to hear from you.
