Posted on 16 July 2011.
£1,050 (frame only)
The Zion 29in closely resembles the Ragley TD-1 coming from another titanium specialist manufacturer this time in the Netherlands.
Frame only comes in at 1,199 euros (approx £1,050) or you can go for complete build – a Shimano SLX set up would cost 2,807 euros (approx £2,450).
Unlike the TD-1 the Van Nicholas accepts suspension forks (the above build includes Rockshox Reba RLTs) . Van Nicholas offer a lifetime warranty for the Zion 29in and will replace any defective frame.
Posted in 29er Reviews, Mountain Bike News0 Comments
Posted on 15 July 2011.
£1,199 ( Frame only)
Despite it’s hefty price tag – the lightness and durability of titanium means it ‘s becoming a popular choice for mountain bike frame material.
The Ragley TD -1 certainly strays from the norm, as well as the titanium rather than the usual alloy or carbon it’s a 29er rather than a regular MTB .
Being from Yorkshire though means it’s a common sense concept. The bigger wheels provide more comfort to the rider as they speedily fly over bumps. The manufacturers suggest they improve rolling momentum though it could be argued their manoeuvrability is slightly disadvantaged.
Titanium is stronger than steel, lighter than aluminium and doesn’t rust and it’s more reliable than carbon under extreme pressure. It is more tricky to manufacture into a bike frame , which explains the higher price bracket.
Ragley are based in Calderdale , part of the Chain Reaction Cycles group. The titanium bikes are actually manufactured for them by one of the top titanium bike producers in the world, US company Lynskey Cycles .
The Ragley 29 ers perform best across fairly simple terrain at speed so it’s unsurprising that the Ragley race team did well with the pre- production samples of the TD-1.
For less accomplished legs though the Ragley still does the business.
It certainly looks the part, well constructed with attractive detailing like the three-fingered bridge between the bottom bracket and chainstay. It also moves well. Speed on the road is slightly hampered by the wide rubber big wheels but the frame helps here. Once you hit the rough stuff though it’s apparent how speedy this machine can be. It flies over trail surfaces and makes bumpy paths a joy to navigate. It’s worth fitting high spec brakes to compensate for the speedy performance.
The TD-1 has an extra long top tube to enable a racy position and a recommended short stem makes it a responsive ride , despite the fact 29ers can often seem less easy to handle on tricky technical terrain. It boasts good stability but those used to suspension forks will notice the bumps when riding on the rigid ones Ragley recommend for this speedy MTB. The TD-1 has been designed to take 440mm forks which are often used on 26in wheel MTBs so choice shouldn’t be an issue. One tester complained the quick release seatpost clamp kept slipping but other than that all reports have been enthusiastic.
There are many bike build options as there are a range of different dropouts available. The TD1 can be a standard geared bike with a rear derailleur or even become a singlespeed or it’s possible to have a dropout that incorporates a Rohloff hub gear. You can customize the decoration of your TD-1 as Ragley supplies a sticker set with each frame. The TD-1 will also be available as a complete build later this year.
For those wanting speed off- road the TD-1 is just the ticket. It performs superbly across fast terrain and responds well when tested across tracks and big bumpy descents. The high price tag is justified when you consider the bike is high class, high speed & has a high level of controllability.
EXAMPLE BUILD:
Posted in 29er Reviews, Hardtail Reviews0 Comments
Posted on 30 June 2011.
The lightweight PIVOT 429 is a 29er full suspension mountain bike made from 6000 series aluminium which is triple-butted and hydro formed.
The bike fully built is 28.5lb which isn’t mega light, but with some changes to the spec, you could sneak that under 25lb. The 71 degree head angle helps handling, and this can be a problem for 29er bikes. Traction is good, with the DW Link working well to keep the rear wheel firmly planted into the ground.
Stiff and low
The PIVOT 429 is stiff. As well as the stiffness is the low bottom bracket, which means the centre of gravity is very low, giving the PIVOT 429 mega ability in the twisty stuff.
The bike comes with Shimano XT 10-speed and uses Hayes Stroker brakes. Front suspension duties are down to a Fox F29 120RL fork, and the Fox RP23 rear shock works well.
Wheels are DT Swiss’ 29er custom 350 wheels with Kenda tyres – however these might need swapping out.
Frame Only is £1,900 – and Pivot Cycles offer all kinds of different specs… www.pivotcycles.co.uk
Information from Pivot about the 429:
When designing the Mach 429, we developed something truly special-a bike that outperforms everything else its category. Anyone who has ridden a 29er hardtail knows these bikes provide instant acceleration, and roll over just about anything. Unfortunately, in rough, long events or even just your typical trail ride, there is a price to be paid for all that hardtail goodness. Enter the full-suspension Mach 429. It can go from the racecourse to the trail, and give up nothing in between. Using designs from Chris Cocalis and dw-link(R) designer Dave Weagle, the Mach 429 accelerates, descends, climbs and corners unlike any other 29er on the market. It takes the best of both worlds, and delivers a fun and efficient rig that’ll have you smiling and winning. More…
One Step Beyond
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 and 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(R)
The dw-link(R) 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 much like a 26″. 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(R) 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. 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’re 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(R) and therefore better stiffness and longevity from the main pivots. The dw-link(R) features eight Enduro Max sealed cartridge bearings, nicely tucked away from the elements inside the link. These are designed to give you many trouble- and maintenance-free years of trail pounding bliss.
Rear Triangle
We didn’t just stop at the front triangle, bottom bracket, and dw-link(R) when designing the Mach 429. The 429′s rear triangle and carbon fiber upper link are works of art, 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. Because it’s made of carbon fiber, it’s both light and strong. The upper link houses four 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 Nirvana
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 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 so far as to say 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(R) and Pivot’s unique rearward wheel path through the beginning of the travel buys 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 Mach 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 one to two stem lengths shorter on the 29er because they all have longer top tubes per frame size than their 26″ wheel cousins.
Ride and Intended Use
Just like the smaller-wheeled Mach 4, the Mach 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 trail 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.
Design Details
We’ve put a ton of thought into every aspect of the Mach 429′s design and want to share some 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 precisely control the chain-line. 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, providing 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 than 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 than the sum of its parts.
* Customer Service and dedication to the rider: Although not technically a part of the bike design itself, we feel 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 Cycles, or you have a problem that needs solving, give us a call. We would love to hear from you.
Size Options
* Small
* Medium
* Large
Posted in 29er Reviews0 Comments
