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Well, you know the spiel. New bike day! But today it’s not just a new bike for me, it’s a new bike for Pivot – and maybe for you? ( 😉)

Today Pivot launches the new Trail Cat in not just one, but TWO versions! Introducing the SL and LT. 

Every once in a while, a new bike just makes sense. 

The Pivot Trail Cat is exactly that. It’s a lightweight, short travel bike – but, with a few key details that make it unique. 

Let’s dive in to what exactly the bike is and what makes it special, the intriguing story of where it came from (carbon and alloy lug proto), and, most importantly: why it exists. 

Topped off with some wheelies, of course. You know the drill! 

Editor’s Note:
These articles are adapted by Savannah from Jeff Kendall-Weed’s YouTube videos for riders who prefer reading over watching. They’re written in Jeff’s first-person voice to stay true to the style and storytelling of the original content.

The Arizona Escape: First Impressions

In January, I got the opportunity to escape the dreary and uncharacteristically snow-less Pacific Northwest for the sunny, desert landscape of Arizona. While there, I got to ride both the SL and LT versions – finally bringing the LT back with me to meander through my familiar old growth forest terrain. 

A Trail 429 Evolution

The Trail Cat is a replacement for Pivot’s popular Trail 429, a 120mm travel 29” wheeled bike that I reviewed last summer.

While the Trail 429 has not seen an update since Kim Kardashian hosted SNL, the new Trail Cat is far more than just a skin care refresher – even if it does sport some super boost curves. I will note here that when I was testing the Trail 429, I rode the Trail 429 enduro build.

Behind the Design: Inspiration and Development

But the Trail Cat is more than just a Trail 429 with cojones. Interestingly enough, it’s also being referred to as an analog version of my favorite Pivot bike to date: The Shuttle SL ebike.

Another big inspiration for the Trail Cat came during development of the Shuttle SL eMTB. Fazua was late on delivering motors, so Chris and the crew just rode their Shuttle SL prototype bikes for 6 months without any electronics. They all agreed that the aggressive, short travel platform was a ton of fun, and this helped them decide that a more rowdy short travel bike was indeed viable.

A Bold Bike Design Strategy

Zooming out to 10,000 feet for a bird’s eye view of the bike industry, Pivot has taken a risk with this new bike. The Trail Cat is a short travel, lightweight bike, meaning that it has a narrower potential audience than something like the Pivot Switchblade – a bike that, in theory, should appeal to just about everyone. As with it’s namesake, it’s true that not everyone loves cats, but Pivot went ahead and built exactly that.

Besides, “If you try to be all things to all people, you won’t be anything to anybody.” There is tremendous value in niching down.

Taking the risk to hop into a travel category that is getting less attention than ever, Pivot has built a bike that a large portion of the riding population will love, even though it will occasionally scratch back. Meaning… 

Two Flavors: SL and LT Versions

We all claim to love a fun, short-ish travel trail bike – but that term can mean something different to each one of us. Pivot is aware of this, and have split the Trail Cat into two very different configurations. Dubbed the LT and SL, both use the same carbon parts, but different shock sizes, links, and shock mounts to achieve the desired travel and very different ride characteristics.

In short: 

One Cat was a bit more kitten (SL), and the other was an absolutely ferocious feline (LT). Similar bones, very different bites…

The SL is the short travel bike that everyone was expecting. But… the LT is the bike that so many of us want to ride. And yet, bike companies continue to insist that they won’t sell.  Pivot has strayed from the pack and committed to this, and I love it. They’ve back this overlooked path with plenty of proof on the backend that it can sell.  

The sharing of carbon bits between the two variants shouldn’t mean much to the end consumer, as the two iterations ride very differently, catering to different riders. After all, the difference is only 15mm of travel – which sounds like far less than the difference I actually felt while riding on the trail. 

Now, I know you’ll ask: It’s not an easy task to change from one set up to the other. And no, Pivot does not plan to sell conversion kits. A word of the wise? Adopt the one you want, and plan to stick with it.

It’s worth mentioning that this carbon promiscuity mirrors the concept that Ibis does with the latest Ripmo and Ripley. Behind closed doors, Santa Cruz is reported to do something similar with their Bronson and Hightower models (it has been reported these two share the same carbon front triangle). Smaller brands have done this quite a bit, but it’s rare for these mid-sized brands like Santa Cruz, Ibis, and Pivot to engage in such promiscuous product positioning.  But I’m not here to judge the brands, just the bikes – and I can say with confidence that all of these bikes have turned out really good.  

Similar to the latest update to the Phoenix, Pivot was able to jump start R&D on this concept by utilizing the new lug and carbon tube prototype method. This means they could foster some very close to production bikes right away, allowing more time to fully dial in the bikes.

Before diving into the riding experience, let’s check out the geometry.

Riding Impressions: SL Edition

The SL version makes 120mm of travel with a tiny 165mm eye-to-eye trunnion shock, and the model I rode had a 140 travel Fox 34 Grip x2 fork. For full SL effect, I left the 55mm stem on there and spent a couple hours riding this bike on beautiful South Mountain.

In the parking lot, I felt a lot of weight on the SL’s front wheel, making it feel like a pretty steep front end. I’ve found that going with a slightly longer stem can help keep a steeper front end feeling nice. So – I wanted to try this with the 55. Was it a bad choice? TBD.

Off we went, pedaling into the desert, on one giant game of follow the leader.

SL Performance Notes

I want to be fully transparent here… Yes, the SL pedals with efficiency, and it can go down some rocks, but it’s not the bike for me. With a few weeks of dedicated riding, I could adapt to the short travel. But in reality, the LT version was designed for the riding I love.

Most recently, I’ve been riding the Hightower 4 as my main bike, with a 63-and-change head angle. Going up to nearly 66 on the SL, I felt like a cat who had fallen into a bathtub. It felt like I had a ton of weight on the front wheel, and I didn’t feel planted to the ground. My Trail Cat paws were slipping on the tile, and I didn’t feel as secure or confident as I’d like.

Trail Cat SL vs. Trail 429

In comparison to a Trail 429, the Trail Cat SL will be a more dialed in bike. While the geometry isn’t a totally different breed, the rear suspension does a much better job at pretty much everything. Yes, it’s still short travel. But – the rear suspension of the Trail Cat SL was softer at the top and provided more support through the travel than the outgoing 429. The Trail 429 was such a linear bike, with such a firm platform, that at times it could feel like it was at one of two extreme positions – either at sag, or bottomed out.

The Trail 429 just didn’t use the mid-range effectively – which I simply chalked up as being a drawback to the meager 120mm of travel. The SL, on the other hand, is tuned for better performance throughout the entire travel range. 

Between the body positioning with the longer stem, and the sketchy lightweight tires… well, the SL isn’t quite my mouse. Which doesn’t mean that it isn’t yours! We all prefer different rides. 

Suddenly, the brightest laser pointer of them all flickered across the saguaro-lined horizon – it was time to pounce on the LT and see what this feline truly could do!

The LT: Where the Magic Happens

Now let’s nip some herbs (you know the ones 😏), and talk about the spicy one! The version that I really, truly enjoy.  

The LT is built around a 185mm eye-to-eye shock delivering 135mm of rear travel, paired with a 150mm Fox 36 fork. I ran a shorter 35mm stem, immediately making the bike feel right in my wheelhouse. The bike still pounces uphill – to me, it was both more comfortable and more competent on steep climbs than the SL.

The suspension platform is dialed for pedaling efficiency, and the climbing position just works. Riding a lot of bikes with steeper seat tube angles, I clicked with the LT’s more upright position immediately – a welcome change from the SL’s stretched-out cockpit.

LT Performance Highlights

Right away, as I pedalled from the trailhead in beautiful Mesa, Arizona, the LT began to scratch that little itch under my chinny chin chin. After riding some bigger, longer travel rigs, the LT was exactly what I’ve been looking forward to. It’s superbly light, and the geometry is intuitive – even for a guy who has been riding an abundance of Santa Cruz Hightower and Pivot Firebird recently.

For riding in the Phoenix area, the Trail Cat LT is exactly the bike I want. For a trip up the Arizona Veterans Highway to Sedona, I’d still be all for the Trail Cat LT. And for a Pacific Northwest road trip? Guess again: 100% Trail Cat LT.

When it comes to chunkier technical climbs, the short 135 travel is just about right. When it’s time to lift the rear wheel up a rocky ledge, there isn’t so much sag that it turns into a strength-training chore.

Before I get deeper into my love letter gushing all over the LT, it’s worth mentioning that the stock bike will ship with a .4 volume reducer in the rear shock – but for this video, Pivot left a .7 in mine. And, note that I did put a much larger volume reducer in the Trail 429, making that fairly consistent. That being said, for me the rear suspension felt spot on. 

When the going gets fun, and wheels point back down toward sea level, the bike begins to play like it’s got the zoomies. With that larger .7 volume reducer, the rear end offers a great amount of support. This is the best suspension I’ve felt on a stock Pivot bike to date.

Despite its modest 135mm of travel, the Trail Cat LT feels more effective than the 142mm Switchblade. Notably, both bikes utilize the same rear shock size, but the LT’s performance stands out. Between the refined shock tune and innovative kinematics, I’m appreciating the Trail Cat LT even more than the Switchblade.

The bike feels more open off the top, with a shock tune that genuinely improves the ride quality. This design intricately balances the short chainstay, resulting in a bike that’s both fun and lively. 

The seat angle strikes a perfect middle ground—not annoyingly vertical, yet still positioning enough weight over the rear wheel. Unlike more aggressive enduro bikes, the Trail Cat LT remains comfortable on flatter trails and urban rides, avoiding the extreme upright posture that can feel restrictive.

On mellow, rolling trails, the LT blends two main traits that I want: it generates speed effortlessly, whether through pedaling or pumping. The versatility has me feeling primed and stoked to ambush those random pulls and creative lines. 

As I mentioned earlier, this bike won’t be everyone’s ideal companion – and I love that. You can’t put it on autopilot and just charge through gnar with zero regard for your physical well-being. No, the Trail Cat LT demands rider engagement. It’s not an enduro bike, nor is it masquerading as a trail bike with enduro dreams (like that Hightower). 

But if you’re like me, and you’re the kind of rider that is seeking a responsive, nimble, and jumpable bike… well, the Trail Cat LT is an absolute riot. For so many of us, it represents the ideal “one bike quiver” to do all of our regular trail riding on a consistent basis. While you may want something burlier for the bike park or double black diamonds, just remember that this is a shorter-travel bike – use it and love it for what it’s made for!

Technical Details and Nuances

Both versions I rode were set up with SRAM AXS drivetrains and enormous Maven brakes. I’m not a fan of the Maven brakes on a sub-30lb bike – I’m too used to riding Shimano brakes and struggle to modulate these massive SRAM brakes, especially on such a light, small bike.

Shimano was a supporter of my channel through 2024, but even with a pause on any sponsorship, I still prefer the feel of the Japanese brakes.

Additional Features

While the detail of additional in-frame storage is not something I particularly care for, Pivot’s buyers have been asking for it – kudos to Pivot for listening and adding it in (even if I don’t agree with the novelty). Even so, Pivot’s latch is the easiest to use that I’ve experienced – but with a caveat that the hole in the downtube is pretty narrow. Why is it a feature that irks me? Well, it just seems to add unnecessary weight and cost. 

But, more importantly! Pivot is launching a lifetime warranty for any bikes sold after January 1st, 2024.

Now that’s a feature I can get behind!

Final Thoughts

The Trail Cat LT is one of my favorite Pivot bikes to date. Yes, you’ll find its limits. But it’s so versatile. The Firebird was great, too – even phenomenal, with the Live Valve Neo Float X. But now, I gotta say: the Trail Cat LT takes the catnip cake.

It feels poised between two Ibis bikes – the Ripley and Ripmo. Nearly as competent as a Ripmo, but better sized for me, with a slightly longer reach. It’s also got a stiffer, more predictable feel – likely due to the super boost rear end. The LT is similar in travel to a Ripley, but sports a bigger front end. YES PLEASE! 

I’m stoked to say that the Trail Cat LT and Ripley V5 have both restored my waning faith in bike companies. When enduro showed up back in my day, it took all of us by storm – an awesome storm! But as the sport progressed, it turned into a collection of downhill bike-worthy tracks. Enduro bikes became such massive sleds, that head angles went from 66 to 65 to 64… and now they are in the 63 range.

150/135mm travel was a bit of a no man’s land a couple years ago, where we would most often see 120mm or 160mm. Now we are finally meeting in the middle. These mid-travel trail bikes finally use the geometry we had on longer travel bikes 5 or 6 years ago, and apply that special sauce to a lovely, modern chassis. These short travel bikes absolutely revive my enjoyment of less travel.

HUGE thanks to Pivot for taking a stand, and building one incredible bike. 

And as always, a huge thanks to Jenson USA for making all of these videos possible!

Peace & Wheelies, Jeff

Looking to pick up your own Trail Cat? Check out the full range at Jenson USA by clicking over here. Your purchase helps support the channel, and I genuinely appreciate it.