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Clarifying Mach 429 Tire Clearance - from Chris Cocalis

25K views 92 replies 38 participants last post by  pompa 
#1 ·
Everyone:

We have had some questions regarding this thread and wanted to go on a set the record straight. First, in general we designed the new 429 to clear a wide variety of tires. Below is a pretty comprehensive list of tires that fit the 429 Alloy frames without any issues. When we redesigned the 429 AL, the new rear triangle we increased stiffness by over 20% and maintained proper tire clearance for the category.

We try our best to measure a wide variety of tires but (as most people know) sizes are all over the board and sometimes the height of the tire and the brand and/or width of rim that is used can create additional challenges. In the case of the Han’s Dampf, that tire is over 6mm taller than ANY other tire we tested regardless of stated size. It is not the widest tire but it doesn’t fall into normal standards. However, as you can see from the below list, the WTB Weirwolf 2.55 clears and is actually lower in height (but wider in width) than some of the 2.2’s including the Slant 6. The Maxxis Ardent 2.35 also has great clearance. If you are looking for a more aggressive trail oriented tire for your current 429, there are some great choices and by no means is this the total list of tires that will fit. This is just our current list of tested and confirmed tires which will grow as we get more samples to check.

If you are looking at buying a 429 aluminum, you can rest assured that we have sold thousands of these bikes with the new design and have not had negative feedback as to tire clearance issues. We did experience a very small number of frames that went out without the proper tire clearance that only affected a handful of customers. We took care of these immediately and as far as we know, all bikes in the market should be at the proper specification. If anyone has an issue with clearance on any of the tires listed below, please contact us directly and we will correct the situation. As always, we stand behind our products and want our customers to know that we are here to help if questions arise.

Hutchinson Cobra 2.25 tubeless
Kenda Slant Six 2.2
Kenda Honey Badger 2.2
WTB Wolverine 2.2 tubeless
WTB Bronson 2.2 tubeless
WTB Stout 2.3
WTB Weirwolf 2.55
Maxxis Ardent 2.35 tubeless
Maxxis Ikon 2.2
Conti Race King 2.2
Conti Mountain King 2.2
Specialized Eskar 2.3 tubeless
Specialized Purgatory 2.2 tubeless


Sincerely,
Chris Cocalis
 
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#2 ·
This is very informative post. Thank you for sharing this well balanced list of tires that will fit nearly any terrain... As a 2010 429 owner, I have admitted envy of the statement 20% stiffer, especially after reading the frame is nearly 0.5 lbs lighter too.. . Great refinements by Pivot... showing their commitment to value-engineering and focusing on the important aspects "ride quality and performance"

Lets please keep this threat alive and contribute to the tire list... I would propose the moderator add this post as a STICKY..

Have a great ride this weekend..
 
#3 ·
Everyone:

We have had some questions regarding this thread and wanted to go on a set the record straight. First, in general we designed the new 429 to clear a wide variety of tires. Below is a pretty comprehensive list of tires that fit the 429 Alloy frames without any issues. When we redesigned the 429 AL, the new rear triangle we increased stiffness by over 20% and maintained proper tire clearance for the category.

We try our best to measure a wide variety of tires but (as most people know) sizes are all over the board and sometimes the height of the tire and the brand and/or width of rim that is used can create additional challenges. In the case of the Han's Dampf, that tire is over 6mm taller than ANY other tire we tested regardless of stated size. It is not the widest tire but it doesn't fall into normal standards. However, as you can see from the below list, the WTB Weirwolf 2.55 clears and is actually lower in height (but wider in width) than some of the 2.2's including the Slant 6. The Maxxis Ardent 2.35 also has great clearance. If you are looking for a more aggressive trail oriented tire for your current 429, there are some great choices and by no means is this the total list of tires that will fit. This is just our current list of tested and confirmed tires which will grow as we get more samples to check.

If you are looking at buying a 429 aluminum, you can rest assured that we have sold thousands of these bikes with the new design and have not had negative feedback as to tire clearance issues. We did experience a very small number of frames that went out without the proper tire clearance that only affected a handful of customers. We took care of these immediately and as far as we know, all bikes in the market should be at the proper specification. If anyone has an issue with clearance on any of the tires listed below, please contact us directly and we will correct the situation. As always, we stand behind our products and want our customers to know that we are here to help if questions arise.

Hutchinson Cobra 2.25 tubeless
Kenda Slant Six 2.2
Kenda Honey Badger 2.2
WTB Wolverine 2.2 tubeless
WTB Bronson 2.2 tubeless
WTB Stout 2.3
WTB Weirwolf 2.55
Maxxis Ardent 2.35 tubeless
Maxxis Ikon 2.2
Conti Race King 2.2
Conti Mountain King 2.2
Specialized Eskar 2.3 tubeless
Specialized Purgatory 2.2 tubeless

Sincerely,
Chris Cocalis
If by fit you mean less than 1mm of clearance to the cross brace on the swingarm, OK. I put a Specialize Purg 2.2 and Captain 2.2. If my wheel were not perfectly round, it would rub.
 
#8 ·
In my opinion one of the detractors from the 29er platform especially at longer travel is the length of the wheelbase. A long wheelbase means a longer turn radius. Clearly shortening the chainstays will have a positive effect on this and on overall stiffness but there are always tradeoffs. The only other way to shorten the wheelbase is to steepen the head tube angle which also has drawbacks.

Thanks for doing your best to address the issues Pivot. That's not a very long list of tires and for me would mean special ordering just to see if I like them. Expensive proposition. Hopefully you can find common ground between these issues on the 2013.
 
#12 ·
If you were to look at the original version 429's rear triangle you'd see that it used an "X" type bracing between the uprights(same with the Mach 5). That brace was made of sheet material and was relatively large. The new version uses a cross brace similar to what we've been using on the Firebird (and the same as the 5.7) which is more of an oval tube. This piece is much more compact than the "X" brace which is one place where we were able to trim some weight.
 
#27 ·
This info is great, though disappointing- I was planning on purchasing a 2012 429 as I have missed my 2010 that I sold a while back (zero issues with multiple 2.25 tires and room for more on flows)-

Has anyone had any issues with a RRalph on a Flow?

Looks like I may need to look elsewhere- hopefully it is not left as "proper tire clearance for the category", what does this mean? I respect Chris for posting but after looking at some used 2012 429's and seeing the crazy amount of tire rub on a few it left me wondering...
 
#28 ·
Ugh i was pretty sold on the 429 for my next bike but these tire clearence issues are giving me second thoughts. Daaangit. We do get a fair amount of muck around here especially during the winter season and it would seem even with a tire that clears itll still be prone to clogging easy. Anybody wanna ease my piece of mind?
 
#29 ·
I just put a Nobby Nic on the rear of my 12 with a few mm of clearance. I personally feel that an alloy short link bike from any manufacturer does not make for a good mud bike. My first gen 429 had plenty of clearance, but all the nooks and crannies would collect mud. My old carbon Tallboy and Scalpel cleared mud much better.
 
#35 ·
My TB cracked twice, however SC has good CS. The seat tube on my Scalpel ovalized. Cannondale CS is not so good, but my LBS is outstanding. The TB was too active for me in mid stroke. The Scalpel had to be run with a lot of rebound. The Scalpel's headset, pivots and BB seem to require a little more maintenance. The Scalpel might be stiffer than the 429 - shocking! The 429's suspension is perfect yet I must say I could easily live with the other two bikes but I always worried about frame failure. The only carbon frame I would consider is a 429c. Why? I suspect it has been engineered to handle South Mtn chunk,day in, day out, with a larger than average cyclist or a "hammer". I feel many bikes are designed to cover up to the 85th percentile. Obviously pure conjecture on my part.
 
#36 ·
update - my NN grew and now rubs when climbing steeps. I'm thinking of trying a MKII or Moto, but I don't want to spend the money and I had quality issues with both manufacturers. I would like to have a TNT Gato 2.1. I value security over weight in the winter.
 
#38 ·
Just recently purchased a 2013 aluminum frame....Rode a 2011 frame for almost 3 years and it had great tire clearance and I loved the bike, boy I should of done my homework first though. I called Pivot today and after playing dumb, suggesting I ride a different tire and finally being told that there was no issue with tire clearance I was actually told that tire clearance had actually increased over previous models! Not only did the rep play me as a fool he told me there was no guarantee that I could get my money back. I asked "what would be the reason why?" and he wouldn't give me an answer. Chris if that was indeed you earlier on this post I just want you to know that you shouldn't lie to customers, nor play them as fools especially when they are dropping $2000+ dollars on bike frames. Its bad business, the proper thing to do would fix the cross brace issue.
 
#39 ·
Further to my post above my fears have been confirmed.
I have also bought the 2013 frame without doing my homework and knowing about this issue.
Here are some pics of the clearance with racing ralph's on cobalt's.
I measure it at 5mm.

Brown Photograph Automotive lighting Tan Beige


Tire Automotive tire Rim Synthetic rubber Automotive wheel system


Summer here in Aus and this isn't a problem ATM but this will seriously affect my tyre choices in the winter months.
I can understnd the requirement for a stiff rear triangle bit it doesn't look like much of a modification would be needed to generate alot more clearance.
This design will effectively make this bike completely unsuitable for UK riding which is a fair chunk of the market to ignore IMO.

This is my second Pivot and I am still impressed with how great this bike rides otherwise. Such a shame.
 
#42 ·
I have a 2013 MAch 429 that came with a 29x2.2 Slant Six on the back. After 1 ride it had already rubbed off the anodizing. I switched to a 2.0 and solved the problem. I ride in So-Cal where I don't have to worry about mud much. but if you ride in the muck even the 2.0 does not give you too much room to spare. I love the bike but it is unfortunate about the clearance, or lack thereof.
 
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