We’ve seen it hidden under cover since spring, now the next-gen BH Lynx SLS cross-country racing mountain bike is here! And while it looked like this was going to be another softail at first glace, BH managed to tuck in one of the smallest, sleekest linkage-drive single-pivot suspension designs we’ve ever laid eyes on…
2025 BH Lynx SLS lightweight 80mm XC race mountain bike
BH describes their new Lynx SLS as the “efficiency of a hardtail with the control of a full-suspension” mountain bike. We got an early sneak peek of the new bike being raced by the BH Coloma Team even before the season’s big racing began back in March. Then, I snuck in for an even closer detailed look at the single pivot suspension design at the Nové Město XCO World Cup in May.
It was hard to see covered up, but I thought I could make out seatstays that joined back together in front of the seattube and a short rocker link.
And that turns out to be what is really happening here…
What’s new?
BH says the Lynx SLS is kind of an all-new category for them now. After years of XC bikes diverging into trail-capable hardtails and mid-travel XCO race bikes, now they return to a short-travel full-suspension XC bike. What that ultimately means then is light overall fraemset weight with 80mm of rear wheel travel. But you still get all the high-performance characteristics of modern well-tuned suspension – with full damping & lockout controls – in a bike platform said to be as quick and efficient pedaling as a hardtail. It sounds a bit like the kind of bike that could try to make top-tier hardtails themselves obsolete when it comes to XC racing.
Weight of course would be the obvious drawback. But using their top HCIM (Hollow Core Internal Molding) and a hi-mod EVO carbon layup, BH claims the weight of the carbon element of the frame at just 1200g. And the complete Lynx SLS frame with all of its hardware at just 1520g. Of course, you still have to add in about 250g for the Fox Float SL shock too. So ultimately, you end up one full water bottle heavier than a race-ready hardtail, but with improved rear wheel grip, control, and rider comfort.
Tech-wise, the BH Lynx SLS is similar to the other lynxes in the line-up. It’s still a high single-pivot suspension design with a split pivot concentric around the rear axle, and a short rocker link driving the rear shock. All with full sealed bearings at the pivots. That should provide a similar mix of pedaling efficiency and plushness, even if it is just 80mm of rear wheel travel.
Tech details & XCO racing geometry
The new BH Lynx SLS splits the difference geometry-wise between the Spanish biike maker’s XC Ultimate hardtails & Lynx Race full-suspension bikes. The key point being super short 426mm chainstays paired to long frame Reach figures, plus a quite slack 67° headtube and steep 76° seat angles. It then pairs the short 80mm rear travel with 110mm forks for happy medium technical suspension capabilities, too.
- semi-integrated standard rear shock position inside the toptube
- space for 2 full-size water bottles in the main triangle, in all frame sizes
- max 29 x 2.4″ tire clearance
- ICR internal cable routing through the 1.5″ headset
- Acros Blocklock over-rotation stop headset
- mechanical and electronic derailleur compatibility
- UDH with T-type Transmission derailleur compatibility
- compatibility with BH’s integrated FIT mini-tool inside the fork steerer
2025 BH Lynx SLS – Pricing, options & availability
Four complete MY25 BH Lynx SLS full-suspension XC race bikes are available, in 4 stock sizes (S-XL) . All share the same top-tier carbon frameset and Fox Float SL shock with remote lockout, and buyers pick from exposed carbon with red, white, or blue decals. Pricing starts at 6300€ with a Shimano XT mechanical grouspet, with SRAM GX AXS for 7400€ & 10k€ XX SL AXS builds also on offer, also with Fox Factory forks.
And they top out with this super premium World Cup race-ready SRAM build at 12,000€. A BH Lynx SLS 9.9 built up with a complete SRAM XX SL AXS groupset including a power meter crankset and RockShox Flight Attendant suspension, thanks to the standard shock clearance tucked up inside the rear end of the Lynx SLS’s carbon toptube.
