TwentyNineInches.com beat us to the punch on revealing this, so we figured we’d better offer something new before posting it again. Try as we might, this is the only pic available of the upcoming Lenz Sport 29er downhill mountain bike.
Perhaps after reading our interview with all those companies about how 29ers just won’t work as a downhill bike you thought you’d never see the day, but here it is. And it’s important for more reasons than just the frame…all those 29er DH-worthy parts had to come from somewhere, right? That means one big hurdle to more 29er DH bikes is overcome, let’s see if the floodgates are open.
Hit ‘more’ to see the specs on on this bad boy, and leave a comment if you think you have a good name for it…Devin Lenz hasn’t decided on one yet…
Technically, this isn’t a production bike yet, but it’s getting close and they said they’ll have one or more of them to ride at the Outdoor Demo at Interbike next week, so unless someone’s hiding something pretty well, this could very well be the first “production” 29er downhill bike (there have been a few one-off prototypes before, like this one from Waltworks).
Here’s what we pryed outta Devin:
Frame material? Aluminum
Frame weight? Forgot to weigh the proto. I’m guessing 7.75 (update: 9.1) pounds. I’ll try to weigh the ones I’m building.
Sold as frameset or full bike? Frame only. Maybe a frame fork set too.
MSRP? $2500.00
Looks like a Manitou fork…did you guys have to mod it to work with 29er wheels? They make a modified 29er version.
Anticipated release date? Were showing at Interbike and will start taking orders after that. Looking at 90 about days for first orders.
What’s the build kit on prototype? (rims, brakes, cranks, etc.) You’ll have to ask Mike Curiak on that. We’ll see if he’ll chime in… (Editor’s note: We haven’t gotten a response from Mike yet)
Will it work with ISCG standards? HammerSchmidt? Yes ISCG and HS capable.
What’s headtube diameter? Beefy 1.125″
What’s the name of the bike? This bike wasn’t even being considered 4 weeks ago so the name is still being painstakingly figured out. You’ll have to wait until the On Dirt Demo to see that.
Just to confirm from our phone conversation:
– rear wheel is SS DT Swiss Thru Axle hubs, which is why it’s running only 6 speeds. That’s right.
– New tires coming for Interbike, currently running on WTB tires. Yes, new DH tires 2.5 to 2.6 range 2 ply. That’s about all I know. Mike is responsible for these and the company producing them. We have been riding the Kodiaks of a similar style tire. Despite the funky knob design they work very well. Very DH capable.
Specs.
We have made a small, meds, and large so far. Basic specs are:
- BB height 14.125
- HTA 64.5 deg
- Chainstay 17.375″
- Travel were calling a 7.0 but actual is 6.875″
- We are making a 96er SS which makes the bike get an actual 7.0″ of travel
- Wheelbase on the med is 46.625″s with an effective TT of 23.375″
