HOTTEST BIKES FOR 2022

XC/DOWN-COUNTRY BIKES

As trail bikes pile on the pounds and start to give full-blown enduro bikes a run for their money on the scales, so people are turning to skinnier alternatives in order to reinject some frenetic pace back into their rides. Where reduced mass meets progressive, modern geometry, new life is being breathed into traditional XC bikes. It’s even spawned a whole new category: down-country. Hey, you know how much the bike industry loves a new buzzword.

This year’s two big releases on the XC front are the Santa Cruz Blur (also known as the Juliana Wilder) and the Scott Spark. Both are covered at length in this month’s bike test on p96, so instead we’ll look at a few lesser-known alternatives here.

PIVOT 429

With progressive geometry and 120mm of travel via a DW-Link suspension design, the Pivot 429 claims to offer a category-defying ride. Yes, while Transition was first to the down-country party with its razor-sharp Spur, other north American boutique rivals are rapidly filing in behind.

In terms of reach, the carbon-framed Pivot runs very similar sizing to the Ibis Ripley AF (next page), although there are five options instead of four – but the head angle is 1° steeper at 66°, the chainstays are a hair shorter at 430mm and the BB is a fair bit taller at a claimed 340mm. If that still sounds too progressive for you, a flip-chip lets you jack up the BB by 7mm and steepen the head angle by half a degree.

According to Pivot, the 429 uses its new ultralight Hollow Core carbon tech that loses 300g from the previous frame weight, while it also boasts a custom-tuned ride feel depending on the size. There’s also a more progressive linkage to help generate extra support and pop while charging hard. Price? Well you’re looking at £7,249 for the