Last year, Bold Cycles introduced a radical new 130mm travel mountain bike called Linkin Trail that hid the rear shock inside the seat tube. Now, they’ve added a long travel version that bumps the rear to 154mm, all with minimal changes to the original frame.
The Linkin Trail Long Travel accomplishes the extra squish by simply changing the linkage and seatstays section. So, the Boost 148 rear spacing stays, which means possible 27.5+ or 29er compatibility, though we see this one as more of a pure 27.5″ all mountain bike. The front triangle’s the same, too, but it does introduce a few new features that’ll carry over to the original…
The rear shock inserts through the access port on the bottom of the downtube. The same front triangle is used on both the 130mm and 154mm travel versions, but it gets an updated pocket for the shock that makes room for an internal dropper post remote cable. The original didn’t and required the line to be ran along the outside of the seat tube, so now the rest of the bike’s clean lines aren’t marred by a dropper cable.
The new, large volume DT Swiss R414’s adjustable banjo and remote lockout capability help it fit inside the frame.
The LT linkage simply changes the amount of movement on the shock. That, plus a slight geo tweak to the rear end lets them get more travel out of it. The black cover plate just in front of the lower linkage hides mounts for a front derailleur mount.
They’ve also added a sag guide that fits into the window for the upper shock mount. A line on the inside section of the linkage matches up with gradients on the guide. You’ll need a friend to spot for you, but it finally provides a way to know what the percentage is.
Air vents and extra cable guide ports on the headtube vent air into the frame to help cool the shock. The Linkin Trail Long Travel will be available mid May 2016. Retail is €5,358 with SRAM GX, DT Swiss Spline 2 wheels and Race Face Turbine cranks…and goes up from there as spec improves.
