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The bike that started it all just got even better...

265K views 2K replies 114 participants last post by  mikesee 
#1 · (Edited)
Bicycle wheel Bicycle tire Bicycle frame Tire Wheel


The new and improved Lenz Lunchbox.

Short chainstays? Check. 16.75 inches measured the honest way, from the center of the rear axle to the center of the BB.

Travel? Check. 150mm.

Stealth Dropper post routing? Check.

Clean-ass cable routing? Check. Rear derailleur cable runs down the downtube, inside the rear chainstay and pops out right at the derailleur. Nice.

Piggyback shocks? Check. Pick your favorite, it fits.

150mm rear hub spacing? Check. Props to Banshee for doing this as well. It matters much more than the 15mm vs 20mm fork argument.

Stiff as shizzzzzzz? Check. With the rear wheel removed, you can't budge the rear triangle. I've never had a bike that even comes close to this one in this regard.

More pics to come. I've been too busy grinning and riding to take pics.

Props to Devin Lenz on making a masterpiece, literally. He made it, with his hands, in his shop, in Colorado and it's a functional work of art.

Forgot to add, BB height is 13.5 inches with the 150mm Pike. This improvement was huge for me as I always felt the previous model's BB height was a tad tall for east coast carving. Now it slays corners. I don't have the chunk and chunder like out west, so the additional height was a hinderance to getting that "in the bike" feel. Problem solved.
 
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#35 ·
I still have the Rip RDO, will need some more saddle time on both to really give you an honest answer. The RDO is really really good and really different from the Lunchbox. Even with 1 inch shorter chainstays, the Lenz is about 1/2 inch longer in WB. BB height is higher on the Niner. Pedaling efficiency is close, both are nice and active on chunk/roots with gobs of traction. The Niner is obviously lighter and the Lenz is overall stiffer. Reach feels longer on the Niner in size large vs. the Lenz in size large.

If I had to keep only one...

Stay tuned;)
 
#31 ·
Forgot to add, BB height is 13.5 inches with the 150mm Pike. This improvement was huge for me as I always felt the previous model's BB height was a tad tall for east coast carving. Now it slays corners. I don't have the chunk and chunder like out west, so the additional height was a hinderance to getting that "in the bike" feel. Problem solved.
Nice looking bike. Is the lower BB the only option now or can you still get the 14" BB. I live in rocky/rooty terrain so I appreciate a higher BB.
 
#34 ·
I'm not sure to be honest. I didn't order it "custom" so I'm thinking the lower BB is gonna be standard. I know Mike C. is running his with a 160mm Pike and hasn't had much in terms of trouble with the boulders he rides daily. I personally think the BB needed to come down some, I've ridden the older Boxes and this lower version feels much more stable and "modern" if you will.
 
#38 ·
Are you saying its chainstays are more like 16.5", being a full inch shorter than the SB95c (17.5"), when measured in the "less honest way"? The "less honest way" being a horizontal measurement from BB to axle, which doesn't factor in BB drop? Who knows if any of the measurements take sag (considering chain growth) into account.
 
#39 ·
Colin,

In the original picture you posted, did you have a MTX-33 on the front?

Is that a medium frame?

This seems to fix most of the complaints I have with my medium 2010 Lunchbox frame (rear tire clearance, no piggy back shock, straight 1 1/8 head tube; I learned my lesson buying an older frame even at a really great discount).

The problem I have is that I am "higher" on my LB than on my Prime or 2010 WFO.

I have a 385 mm Reverb inserted down as far as it will go on my LB.

When measured from the floor, my LB seat height is two inches higher when slammed.

That two inches makes a big difference to me, I feel more above the bike than in the bike on corners and on steeper stuff.

Can you tell me how far your seat post can be inserted? And what is the height of the seat collar from the floor?

My LB's seat collar height is just under 33 inches and my other bikes are around 31 inches.

Does the new frame take the same size shock (7.875 x 2.0, 200x51)?

I hope they update the Lunchbox specs on their site...

I'd like to run a 6" dropper, but not if my lowest seat position will be higher since the overall seatpost length is longer and the length that can be inserted down the seat tube is limited.

I also need to verify how low my seat will be on a medium Enduro 29 with a dropper...I'll probably take one on the demo ride next month. I don't like bikes that require specific custom shocks with special mountings...but I can get a replacement CCDB air CS, which is the only shock I would want to run on that frame.

Thanks.

JB
 
#40 ·
I'm wondering what size frame this is too. The cockpit looks a little cramped but I know pics don't tell the whole story.

I started watching some videos with Lenz bikes and they have really peaked my interest. Being a short guy, (5'-7") on a good hair day, finding a good fitting bike is tough.
 
#45 ·
I'm 5'-8", my Lunchbox and PBJ are both supposed to be mediums, their seat collar height from the floor is identical.

They do make size small...maybe I should have gotten size small (my WFO is a small and my Prime Prototype is a medium - I think the TT on both these two seem pretty close).

Not being able to test ride before you buy makes purchasing the right size more difficult.
 
#42 ·
I'm just glad more manufacturers are doing this and I hope to see more trailbikes and XC bikes with "normal" geometry soon...
 
#43 ·
I know the bike in johndubs photos is a medium. Can't speak to Colin's.

On a good day I'm 6'1"... Coming off a 2012 large Lunchbox. Loved the bike immensely but with the revisions Devin had made with the new version, I had to get my grubby paws on one.

That said, after much debate and conversation with a few peeps in the know, I opted for a medium. I felt the large was a bit long in the TT, mostly in the chunk. Looking for the medium to be a bit quicker and more playful.

The Lunchbox just begs to get rowdy no matter what trail you're on.
 
#98 ·
I know the bike in johndubs photos is a medium. Can't speak to Colin's.

On a good day I'm 6'1"... Coming off a 2012 large Lunchbox. Loved the bike immensely but with the revisions Devin had made with the new version, I had to get my grubby paws on one.

That said, after much debate and conversation with a few peeps in the know, I opted for a medium. I felt the large was a bit long in the TT, mostly in the chunk. Looking for the medium to be a bit quicker and more playful.

The Lunchbox just begs to get rowdy no matter what trail you're on.
6'1" here, and I disliked the large LB. The Medium was just right.
 
#44 · (Edited)
A teeny little history lesson.

Looks good man--not that you can tell that much from that *ONE MEASLY PIC*!Let's see if I can shine a little light on the subject:Back in 2005 I asked Devin Lenz to create a 'long travel' 29"er. The 5" travel Behemoth is what came from that, and while forks, rims, and tires took a few years to 'catch up', it was (and is) still a very capable bike.By late 2006 we'd realized the need for shorter chainstays and a titch more travel, so Devin debuted the LunchBox with 17.2" stays and 6" of squish. It was the longest travel production bike for years, and to this day there are few 29"ers with a rear end that approaches the short/sportiness of it.I rode that original LunchBox *everywhere*. It is not a stretch to say that that bike taught me how to ride aggressive terrain with confidence.And although it'd be better than 5 years until any other manufacturer came close to going this short out back, Devin and I kept wondering "What if?"That is, what if we went even shorter?The limiting factor was always the front derailleur--and until XX1 arrived we were unwilling to lose the friendly gears needed to crawl up the rockies. Once I had a bit of time on XX1 and saw the potential, I installed a writ-large bug in Devin's ear to go as short as he could go while still maintaining the geometry that makes this chassis so capable.We put the first prototype under several pro racers--from enduro to DH to ultra-endurance. We took their feedback and added it to a growing pile. Then we unleashed our own non-professional selves on it. In testing we didn't limit it to 'one setup'--we used both coil forks and air, 6 different kinds (and tunes) of rear shock from the Monarch Plus to the Vivid Air, CCDB-A to DHX-A to the Vivid coil. We ran it with different combos of rim and tire, both tubed and tubeless, fiddled with the cockpit reach and rise, and used the "old" LunchBox leverage ratio and spring curve as mere springboards to suggest where we might start to seek perfection with the new one.In short, we took our time and ticked every box until we were sure we had it right. And then Devin went into production.It is not a stretch to say that this is *the* single most capable *and* fun bike I've ever ridden. It does everything I ask of it really, really well, from climbing steep chunkies to manualing at 20mph through Moab ledges, to dropping the occasional 10' huck that I've somehow become convinced is a good idea. I'm a long ways from able to be objective about it, obviously--because it's the bike I've always wanted and it's the bike I've been asking for.We knew that going shorter out back was going to unleash a manualing machine on the descents--and it has. What is most surprising, still, on every ride, is how much better it climbs (both seated and standing) relative to, well, anything else we've tried. It is honestly the most adept climber I've ever swung a leg over.Need to get back to work--will try to check in later to answer a few questions.Cheers,MC
 
#52 ·
In the nearly immediate wake of the what may as well be the non-official "official" release of the Lunchbox PunkAss6, I invite you to take a trip back in time to when our beloved long-travel 29er chunk-schralping machines were as rare as unobtanium:

http://forums.mtbr.com/29er-bikes/lenz-sport-behemoth-97305.html

I would say you would have a difficult time arguing the Lenz Behemoth was the bike that started it all.

That thread is full of win - well, except for the lycra. Haha! I kid.....I've ridden with plenty of dudes clad in lycra that could put me to shame on the trail.

...back on topic, seems as though the Pike/Monarch or VA is the preferred optimal suss setup. ...I'll be building mine up with the 150 Pike, 51mm offset and a VA. If the VA turns out to be too much for me, I'll swap for a Monarch Plus.

Brown Santa comes down the chimney tonight. A cold beer and a pile of jerky awaits.
 
#59 ·
Now we've got a party!

Mine is a large, I've ridden medium Lenz's before enough to know that I personally wanted a large. That being said, I don't have the chunk/steeps that Mike does so I like a little longer top tube. Plus he's pretty short;) I'm like a whole 2 1/4 inches taller, at least.

I have mine set up with the 150mm Pike and M+ at the moment, although I might try the CCDBair again since I already have one. The M+ seems to be a good fit and match for the Pike.
 
#61 ·
Mike could probably answer that more accurately, but I can guarantee you that it is worth the wait. I'm fairly confident in saying that there isn't another bike out there right now like this one since I've owned most of them;) (except the E29).
 
#65 ·
I'm with you on the raw finish. It definitely shoots it into badassery. Me sell a bike? NEVER!

I always say it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission:)

Before Mike sent me that infamous teaser email back in the summer, I had resigned to the fact that I was gonna end up getting an Enduro29 even though I've never longed for a Specialized and really didn't want one. I wanted sub-17 inch stays, piggyback shock capabilities and long travel. Thankfully the "Shortbox" came along and saved me.

I'd much rather hand over my $$$ to Devin than the Evil Empire and get a bike made in the States with a 150mm rearend. Plus it is nice having a bike that not everyone else has.
 
#67 ·
I've got DT 350's, 240's, and 440's laced in 150. Didn't see much (any?) added benefit to the 157's personally, so I stuck with 150. But Devin did ask/offer to do 157, so I'm sure it's on the table if you've got your heart set on it.

Hope EVO's are currently available in 150 or 157 w/XX1 as well.
 
#70 ·
I am digging this USA made bike!What is the wheelbase and standover on the medium size frame?How wide can we go on the tire size out back?Would be nice to have an optional rear with a little longer stays to fit the surly knard/dirt wizard tires.I am looking for a one bike quiver.
 
#102 ·
My medium production frame has a 45.5" wheelbase, 16.72" stays, and 29.5" standover.

I've run 2.5" Dissents on MTX33's as well as 2.5" Minion DHF's on P35's and Derby rims. Plenty of clearance for both.

I have zero interest in running Knard's or Dirt Wizard's on this bike--you'd never be able to keep air in them, and I tend to like riding more than fixing flats.
 
#74 · (Edited)
Mike can chime in as well, but I've found that the front end stays planted better on this one than other bikes I've ridden with over an inch longer stays. You have traction galore, planted front, etc. The only limiting factor is me.

The only people claiming short stays aren't important are the people not riding 'em.

I haven't found a downside at all thus far, except I don't have enough time to ride it.

Downhill stability is improved due to the lower BB and the fact that your front/center is longer with your butt over the rear wheel. The WB is long enough to be stable, but the rear is so short it keeps it lively and maneuverable for everything else.

It really does tick all the boxes. I'm very picky about ,well everything, and I can't think of one thing that I would want that this one doesn't have.
 
#79 ·
Speaking of 150 rear spacing...how would you compare the rear of the RDO vs the PunkAss Lunchbox?

Every bike I've been on since owning a 150 rear 'Box, I can feel the rear flex when pushing in corners, maneuvering through rocky chunk, or slamming through a root garden.

Up until that point, it was something I never really noticed. In fact, I thought it was simply an inherent trait of riding a bike through rough terrain.

Fool me once...
 
#80 ·
I hate to say it's night and day, but it's night and day. Seriously.

For example, you can take the rear wheel out on the Lenz and "try" to push the dropouts towards each other and it won't budge, seriously it won't. Now imagine that stiffness plus a 150mm wheel and it is holy effin shizz stiff. Steamroller Stiff. Confidence inspiring stiff. I'm gonna get myself in some trouble stiff.
 
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