TECH CHECK
PIVOT TRAILCAT SL & LT 29
SPLIT PERSONALITIES
Words by Drew Rohde
New for 2025 are the Pivot Trailcat SL and Trailcat LT. Pivot Cycles had a goal to create a 29-inch wheeled version of their Shadowcat, which is a newer 27.5 play-bike that had a knack for doing it all. Chris Cocalis, Pivot CEO, told us that the recent redesign and increase in capabilities given to the crowd-pleasing Pivot Switchblade they felt it was time to bring the Trail 429 along for the ride. Let’s learn a bit about the how and why around the new Pivot Trailcat bikes.
HOW DID THE TRAILCAT COME TO BE?
As the group of editors sat in the presentation room after our third straight day of desert riding, Chris Cocalis talked through the presentation and how they arrived at the Trailcat. Pivot isn’t the only brand modifying trusty old models, increasing their capabilities and shifting where they play best. It seems bikes that used to be XC bikes became Trail bikes, and Trail bikes have morphed into All Mountain and sometimes even light-duty Enduro bikes. With the Switchblade getting upped in travel, a void was left. Similarly, the Trail 429 was admittedly a bit long in tooth.
Starting with the name, Pivot has noticed excitement from dealers and owners of Switchblades and Shadowcats. Combine that with Pivot’s popularity growing in regions that use the Metric system, the 429s’ nod to 4-inches of travel was lost on some. Not to mention, the new bike now has up to 135mm of travel. So, a 429 and 529 model seemed more confusing than SL and LT options preceded by a fun, and cat-related model name. Makes sense meow, doesn’t it?
Regarding why two models of Trailcat are being offered, Cocalis referenced their “experiment” to offer a 429 Enduro build. “We were getting questions from our own employees and shop employees mostly, who wanted to know how big of a fork they could run on their Trail 429s. After talking about it internally, we decided to offer a 429 Enduro build, which was upforked and had some spec differences. In all honesty, we expected it to be a one-time offering that we maybe sold for three months and would fade away. We quickly discovered that the Trail 429 Enduro spec sales were about 50% of all Trail 429 sales. With that in mind, we decided that this new bike didn’t just need to have a longer fork thrown on it, but that we had to properly design a bike with this longer, more aggressive travel fork and that kind of rider in mind. That’s how we came to having two distinct linkages, kinematics, and slightly modified geometry to best suit the rider of each model.”
Pivot’s development of the Trailcat models began much like the new Phoenix, with a lugged version that allowed Pivot to modify and alter certain aspects of the prototypes in-house. Though Pivot admits they didn’t have to do a ton of modifications as the Trailcat LT was almost directly inspired by the award-winning Shuttle SL. “It’s pretty much a non-e version of that bike,” Cocalis shared.
Along with seeing some early prototype samples, our group of editors were treated to a tour of Pivot’s HQ. We saw their new in-house studio, design room, met with guys on the assembly line, frame alignment and QC dept as well as some special access to the R&D room. Needless to say, there’s a lot of cool stuff that had us bike nerds behaving like, well, bike nerds.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PIVOT TRAILCAT SL AND TRAILCAT LT
The Pivot Trailcat SL has 120mm of rear travel and 140mm of front travel. The Pivot Trailcat LT has 135mm of rear travel and 150mm of front travel as standard, but can run a 160mm fork.
Both Trailcat models utilize the same front and rear triangle and the same lower DW-Link. Where the bikes differ is in their intention, thanks to their own respective upper links. There is also a lower shock mount that can be flipped to accommodate the different length shocks. This small change gives the bike a different geometry and resulting character and capability on the trail.
FRAME FEATURES AND INTEGRATIONS
We’ve long said that Pivot bikes present themselves a step above their competitors. From things you can see like machining, paint, frame protection and hardware, through to hidden things like the tight tolerances and frame alignment you’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere, it’s refreshing to see Pivot’s pride in craftsmanship. Stacked in a lineup of other top-tier bicycles, you don’t need a microscope to see the difference on a shiny, new Pivot bike. Along with that pride come some exciting new features for the 2025 Trailcat.
Pivot has finally come to market with their own in-frame storage solution. The Pivot Toolshed is exactly what in-frame storage fans hope for: a tight, easy to use, eyes-free solution to putting things inside your bike. The large lever has a smooth and easy action. The functionality seems to be on-par with many other rider favorites, however it looks like the ease of use and sealing performance could just make it a class-leader.
Each bike will come with two Toolshed bags. Each is a different size and designed to carry different loadouts.
Sitting opposite the storage compartment is Pivot’s Dock Tool System. There are a number of options from tools to CO2 and other accessories that will work in this neat integration.
Another new feature of the Trailcat is Pivot’s updated Cable Port Design. The dual cable port allows for two hoses to be routed through the same port. This helps improve ease of routing cables, gives a cleaner frame, particularly for those not running housing for wireless systems. Cables then run to a new integrated cable clip system located at the Toolshed cutout. This ensures a deathly silent bike, which we experienced during our three days of rock-bashing in the Arizona desert.
One of the most impressive features Pivot offers their customers is their Proprietary Ride Tuning. With sizes designed to fit riders from 4’11 to 6’5, it’s easy to understand how big of a weight range riders who own their frames may land in. Pivot designs each frame uniquely to optimize the stiffness and strength-to-weight ratio for a comfortable, durable and performance-minded ride. Everything from tube thickness and profiles to carbon layup schedules is examined and changed based on the size and weight range of riders in those sizes.
FLIP CHIP ADJUSTABILITY
Not unique but equally welcome is the High / Low flip chip, which allows riders to alter the bike for their local terrain and riding style. It’s neatly marked and easy to adjust, even on the trail.
