Versatility is always a good attribute for a mountain bike. The majority of us don’t have the luxury of having specialized bikes for every condition, so a bike like the Cannondale Trigger 29 stands out.
With adjustable travel front-and-rear, the Trigger 29 is a unique mixture of XC and Enduro. Fully-open, it sports a decent amount of travel (130mm). But, with the flick of a bar-mounted trigger, the custom Fox Dyad RT2 rear shock goes from 130 to 80mm travel — changing the attitude of the bike immediately. It should be noted that the front travel remains 130mm instead of dropping proportionately.
The full-carbon frameset is built for stiffness and reduced weight while remaining strong and durable. Cannondale calls their flavor of military-grade carbon called Ballistec. This ensures that high-impact areas are better protected from typical impacts.
At the level of the Carbon Team, very little is left on the table. With 1×11 kit (a mix of XX1, X01 and Cannondale cranks), the Trigger 29 Carbon Team hits the spot and the RockShox Reverb stealth dropper makes for easy transitions from ascent to descent modes.
The Lefty SuperMax 2.0 Carbon PBR fork is something that Cannondale is quite proud of. The OverMountain team has put this fork through the rigors of competition and it promises the best performance of any Lefty to date.
Cannondale Trigger 29 Features:
- Hi-mod carbon with Ballistec layup
- Fox DYAD RT2 rear shock (130/80mm)
- Lefty SuperMa 2.0 Carbon PBR fork (130mm)
- C1 low riser 750mm carbon bars
- 1×11 drivetrain with XX1, X01 and Cannondale bits
- Magura MT6 brakes
- Mavic Crossmax ST 29 wheelset
- Price: $8120
The Bottom Line
The Trigger 29 checks off lots of boxes in the versatility department, but may be a bit much travel for some riders. That said, it will most certainly be a fantastic all-mountain bike for all-day adventures in technical terrain.