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IB15: Lenz Sport Cruises in on a Fatillac and More Plus Size, Belt Drive, IGH, Full Suspension Creations

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Lenz plus size belt drive rohloff (22)

One of the more influential frame builders out there might also be one of the more unassuming (and humble). Devin Lenz has always had a thing for bikes, but his contributions to the world of full suspension started in 1996 when he built his first fully, with Lenz Sport tooling up the next year. One of the first builders to consider long travel 29er’s a viable option, Lenz’ Leviathan came to life in 2004 which was a while before similar bikes from other builders followed suit.

Lenz Sport continues to crank out new bikes from their Colorado facility, which have started to add plus size abilities. More than just bigger tire clearance, the Lenz Concentrak suspension design lends itself to full suspension single speed, belt drive, and internal gear hub use…

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Decorated with a wild custom paint job, the Lenz Fatillac is a dedicated + bike that uses their standard linkage driven single pivot suspension. Available in both 29+ and 27+ build options, the bike’s tire clearance is somewhat limited to keep the chain stays as short as possible with their “FATass” stays. Built with 4″ of travel front and rear, the bike uses a 157x12mm rear axle. Pricing on this guy is still being worked out.

fatillac geometry Lenz 29 plus mountain bike
Fatillac Geometry

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The Lunchmoney gets its name from a cross between their Lunchbox an Milkmoney to create a 5.5″ travel full suspension bike that can run single speed, belt drive, or IGH hubs. Since the lower pivot is concentric with the bottom bracket (a design Devin has used since 1996), the chainstay length never changes which is what allows for single speed use. Chain or belt tension is adjusted through keyed sliding, vertical dropouts (vertical dropouts for gears are available as well). A new yoke allows for plus size tire clearance and the frame is compatible with 10×135 or 12×142 rear spacing. For improved performance, the frame moves to cartridge bearings for suspension pivots instead of bushings as well as a titanium shell at the Concentrak pivot for improved durability. Matched with a 150mm front fork, the Lunchmoney is offered in 27.5 or 29″ versions with pricing starting at $2,475 for the frameset.

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As mentioned above, the Milkmoney was the inspiration for the longer travel Lunchmoney. Still available in 27.5 or 29″ wheels, the frame runs either 80 or 100mm of travel with 80, 100, or 120mm fork options.

lenzsport.com

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smilmick
smilmick
8 years ago

I see no desirable attributes in any of Lenz Sports’ bikes. Asthetics are terrible, the hardware on their frames look like they were taken right out of home depot, and the paint reminds me departent store beach cruisers. Being an early adopter of long travel 29ers is no longer a selling point. This is all just my personal opinion of course. But seriously…. Yuck, I’ll spendy money elseware.

Glenn
Glenn
8 years ago

AND archaic suspension designs at a price that gets you all sorts of more modern, relevant options. No thanks.

DJ
DJ
8 years ago

To me they look good and are hand made in the USA, what’s not to like. I wouldn’t say no to a ride on a Milkmoney, just make it set up SS.

larsv
larsv
8 years ago

I’ve never liked the way their frames look.

But that transparent-red-over-brushed-alu is the bomb!!! 🙂

Shredder
Shredder
8 years ago

“the frame moves to cartridge bearings for suspension pivots instead of cartridge bearings”
Huh?

mlc
mlc
8 years ago

pretty tight yoke clearance on the “fat” bike or is it just the photo angle?

OldDoc
OldDoc
8 years ago

There are only several companies out there like Lenz.

These are the folks that are willing to build what they want instead of the usual (and amazing) carbon spaceships w/ the Boost, the kashima, the PF, the tapered, the blah blah same old/new standards that are finally going to cure us of all that ails our riding.
And as the bikes we ride getting more and more capable, yet losing weight- I see more and more riders going around the trail obstacles, more and more cars at the THs.

Wait- sorry, that’s another rant.
Good on you Lenz. Way to stick to your path, and thanks for making them in America.

Tim
Tim
8 years ago

Many of these comments are being made without one distinctive pre-qualification, actually riding the bike. If you have been in the industry long enough, you know that half the “tech” out there is to convince you that said company has the newest latest greatest wiz bang design to try and boost sales when it may not actually be better or may just be avoiding payment on someone else’s patent. Lenz Sport is one of the last true custom mountain bike manufacturers. If you don’t like the color, well, get one in a color you like. If you want something extra special, he can do it. Lenz Sport does all fabrication including hydro forming and machining with the exception of heat treating and paint in house. The only other domestic frame maker that might actually do in house hydro forming is Intense to my knowledge. These manufacturing capabilities also allow Lenz to be fluid in their design. Current designs can be tweaked when necessary and new designs can come to life in a much easier faster path to test and prove concepts. I don’t want to go too long here, but I would encourage people to actually throw a leg over something and ride it before you pass judgement on it. And if you want a great riding frame built from the ground up in the US of A, or want to at least ride one, give Devin a call.
P.S. No I do not work for Lenz.

Nick
Nick
8 years ago

yeah, if you look at Devin’s frames up close, you will see the level of intricacy and quality that goes into each frame. The Welds are better than any mass-produced frame, and the weight of his frames is much lighter than comparable aluminum frames from other manufacturers. Maybe you prefer the look of some mass produced plastic bike, but when you ride a Lenz, it’s a game changer. I’ve had several lenzsport bikes over the years, and have ridden many other brands, and no other bike compares with Devin’s geometry. The fact that he keeps his suspension simple keeps the weight of the frame down, and it allows him to run shorter chainstays and better geometry for trail riding. And the suspension quality is awesome. It’s plush on the downs, smooth on the ups, and holds traction extremely well on chattery terrain. Also, the bolts he uses are aerospace grade material, so you can’t just buy them at home depot. However, it’s nice to have bolts that are of standard dimensions, so if you are in a pinch on a bike trip, you could get through the rest of your trip on a bolt picked up at a local shop, whereas another bike might be completely SOL if a bolt breaks or something. Also, who cares what the friggin bolts look like. You are obviously convinced by silly marketing gimmicks that make no difference whatsoever in the way the bike rides. Maybe you should actually ride a bike before bashing it. Or just stick to your Trek or Specialized like everyone else in the world and keep your mouth shut.

gatorskin
gatorskin
8 years ago

Wow… negative comments based on photos?
After riding a Behemoth for a week, I sold my carbon 5010 to buy one.

Move over kids, these are bikes for experienced riders…
Just stick with prolly the fixy guy now mtbiker presents you.

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