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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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#188 · (Edited)
I've been able to get 5 solid rides in on this bike in the last ~10 days.Not as much as I'd like, but it beats a sharp stick in the eye.As anyone might expect when looking at a geo chart for this chassis, it is *sporty* when descending, and rewards a rear-wheel-heavy riding style.By that I mean if you can sit back and manual, or at least unweight and loft the front when things get chunky, you will be richly rewarded.But that's not, to me, the real beauty of this sled.What the overall package does when pointed up is truly groundbreaking, at least where I live and ride.Pulling the rear wheel that little bit more under your CoG makes a tremendous difference in traction.In short, if you can maintain good left/right balance *and* keep the pedals turning, you've got a fighting chance at making it up stuff you probably never have before.And then, of course, once you're up there you get to come ripping back down…I finished a ~6 hour ride last week with a sore throat--from making moto noises all day long…;)
 
#208 ·
With the 5 inch rockers on the 'Box, they pedal very similar. The Rip has a very active suspension on the trail, as does the Box. I honestly would put them pretty even overall, but the inch that has been chopped off the chainstay on the Lenz really puts it in another league. You just can't ignore it. Even if it pedaled noticeably worse I would deal with it just to have the geometry of the Lenz. It just does everything better. The Box just climbs and climbs and climbs up rough terrain with gobs of traction.

I will say that I'm a huge fan of the Rip RDO even still, but it wasn't in the same category anymore. If I hadn't ridden the Lunchbox I'd probably still be very satisfied with the Rip RDO, but as it stands it was hard to go back to longer chainstays.

If you can't get your hands on a new Lunchbox, the Niner would still be my #1 recommendation.
 
#210 ·
That's the talk of a man with purpose. ;-)

I have no experience on a RIP RDO however, I can contribute my opinion and findings, with relevancy, of the new Box to the old...

In the first ~10 hours and ~50 miles I've cleared obstacles and sections of trail -- mostly ledgy climbing and gnarly uphill root gardens -- that gave me fits on my previous Box. The bike makes things borderline easy.

Colin, and others here speak the truth when they say "gobs of traction" when climbing.
 
#211 ·
If you can wrap your head around the fact that:

1. You won't see a Lenz review in MBA or the like...
2. Won't ever a see an "ad" for one
3. Most people will have never heard of it
4. It's unapologetically un-carbon
5. It doesn't have any cute acronyms or "technology"
6. The Website is...well, dated is a nice way to put it;)

Point is, this is mountain biking. It is supposed to be raw, ugly, utilitarian, rough, manly, tough etc etc etc. It's a tool, not jewelry. Use that MF'er.

Because of this I have the say that my Lenz is the definition of a "mountain bike".

Oh, and I think it looks pretty:)
 
#213 ·
In the past 4 years I've only seen one other Lenz in person, a Leviathan, and the guy riding it was pleased as punch.

I really think that we all get caught up in the details and the newest, latest and greatest that we miss the boat somewhat. I'm totally guilty of this.

This bike isn't flashy but it is by far the best bike I've ever ridden. The funny part is that it has it all, even more than the latest and greatest.

Bottom line is that this bike is FUN. Remember that word? Isn't that why we all do this in the first place?
 
#214 ·
My problem is that this is too much bike for 80% or so of my riding. But if it pedals as well or nearly as well as my current setup, then what the hell...

As for aesthetics, I think that raw color is gorgeous. I might go for a flat black with gloss black graphics, but that's just splitting hairs.
 
#222 ·
I think rockers are the same as are the shock lengths, slacker head angle will help lower the BB some but not a ton. Longer downtube on the lunchbox? Higher pivot locations on the frame equaling a lower BB in relation to the rear triangle? Hell, those magicians and their tricks.

I can confirm that the new LB with a 150mm Fork and middle of the road tires yields a BB Height of 13.5 inches on the nose.
 
#224 ·
Been following this thread for some time now.Can those of you riding the newer LB comment on how it is on long climbs.From what I've been reading it handles the short steep bursts (climbs) very well.
I would guess a 5" version would be the better choice for this.Wonder how long before one gets to the east coast!?
 
#225 ·
Does North Georgia/TN count as east coast? I'm pretty sure that mine was the first one this side of the Mississippi river.

It handles climbing, period. Smooth singletrack, rocks, roots...you betcha.

The 5 inch rockers provide a firmer feel, so I would say it pedals "better" in that regard, although I'm sure Mikesee thinks the 6's do just fine:)
 
#234 ·
I doubt you will. Since it's not a showroom brand, you don't have some kid spewing acronyms and telling you what you need just happens to be the one your standing next to. To buy a Lenz, you have to want to buy a Lenz. If I could make an uneducated guess on the profile of a typical Lenz rider it would be that they are a seasoned rider that has ridden a lot of bikes and pretty cynical of three letter marketing term on a bike. They have ridden lots of bikes and know what to look for. Or you could be like me and think that if you look directly at a S-works sticker, a little bit of your soul is taken forever( my favorite road bike is an old steel Allez that I rode forever in the '90s.)
 
#236 ·
Reading reviews of boutique brands can be a double edged sword, though. You might not have the marketing power if the big S to deal with, but smaller brands tend to have fanboy types who are very vocal about their love for, say, Niner, Banshee, etc...

Not to say that those giving this thread its meat are blind fanboys by any means - reeeeeally not saying that. I've just found that, in the bike world, almost everything has a flaw or weakness. Really curious as to what that could be with this bike.

Edit: started on this post before Mikesee's above. Colin's list of "downsides" really have nothing to do with the bike itself. One of my issues is that I haven't ridden a crapload of bikes like Colin or Mike, and my best frame of reference is my RIP9. Not all that sure I have enough seasoning to be able to make a truly informed decision.

I have Colin's list, but I'm wondering, Mike, if you might be able to quickly list similar bikes you've ridden. Let's call "similar" 125mm+ rear travel FS 29ers.
 
#238 ·
Reading reviews of boutique brands can be a double edged sword, though. You might not have the marketing power if the big S to deal with, but smaller brands tend to have fanboy types who are very vocal about their love for, say, Niner, Banshee, etc...

Not to say that those giving this thread its meat are blind fanboys by any means - reeeeeally not saying that. I've just found that, in the bike world, almost everything has a flaw or weakness. Really curious as to what that could be with this bike.
To me, the only question is: how much am I going to notice the loss of the feel of carbon? I've ridden otherwise identical bikes with both frame materials, and the feel of carbon is a real thing, and its technological superiority in building a better *riding* frame, all other things equal, is also real.

Maybe put another way: if Devin could make bikes out of carbon with the same skill and ease as he does aluminum, would he make aluminum bikes? You don't hear a lot of people making arguments for the outright superiority of aluminum as a frame material (and the ones that do frequently make bad arguments**). Small scale builders make metal frames because it's not feasible to make carbon frames on a small scale.

So that's my only reservation, really. I'm sold on the superiority of carbon (ceteris paribus), and that's currently an unavoidable tradeoff if you want a Lenz. I can live without the acronyms and advertisements.

**Disclaimer: I'm intentionally bracketing the "I crash a lot, so I need a metal frame" argument.
 
#237 ·
This is how I started out and ended up as a Lenz owner:

http://forums.mtbr.com/29er-bikes/ride-comparison-lenz-behemoth-vs-turner-sultan-770853.html

I was coming off a FS 29er with looooong chain stays, looking for quicker handling, slack HA for confident descending, and an overall great performing bike.

For all the reasons that have been covered in this thread and the one I referenced, I chose Lenz...and haven't looked back.

Now on my 2nd LunchBox and, at this point, I can't think of anything that will make me want to replace this bike.
 
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