About a year ago, Bold Cycles launched its first model, the Linkin Trail. In addition to numerous design awards, the bike also received good marks from the bike media in various bike tests - including from us. Now Bold have followed up and launched their second model a few weeks ago, the Linkin Trail LT (Long Travel). The LT is fundamentally based on its smaller brother. Thanks to a new linkage combined with a shorter seat stay and a rear shock with more travel, it now offers 154 millimetres of travel. Various details of the frame have also been optimized. Telescopic seat posts with internally routed cables can now be installed and a Shimano Di2 battery can also be fitted.

The equipment

The suspension element used is the newly developed R414 from DT Swiss. Otherwise, the bike can be ordered in six basic kits (groupsets and add-on parts) and there are variants to choose from for various parts that allow for an individual build. You can choose between three color variants, from subtle to bright.

Our test bike is equipped with a Rock Shox "Pike RS" with 150 millimetres of suspension travel, a SRAM GX groupset with Guide RS brakes and various Race Face parts. The wheels are also from DT Swiss, namely the new "XM 1501 Spline One" with an internal width of 30 millimetres and Onza Ibex 2.4 tires.
Like the first model, this bike can also be fitted with both 29 and 27.5 inch plus wheelsets. We deliberately decided to test the 29-inch version in order to feel the suspension better, as the air cushion tires give less feedback from the bike.

The endurance test from single trails to bike park

We took the model add-on "Long Travel" as an announcement and chased the bike over rough and rough single trails in the Alps, as well as over jump tracks in the Leogang bike park.

The handling of the bike is very similar to its little brother with 130 millimetres of travel. It climbs up technical climbs with great propulsion and provides plenty of grip. On rough trails on the flat, the rear suspension behaves fairly inconspicuously but still provides enough travel without sagging. You hardly lose any energy and can keep up a good pace even on very rough terrain. Of course, the large wheels also contribute to this, but the rear suspension remains nicely centered and helps to provide permanent traction.

As usual with Bold, the handling is very playful, yet secure, and thanks to the 67-degree steering angle, smooth running is guaranteed at higher speeds. The bike's high steering precision is particularly striking. This is due to the inherently high rigidity of the frame in combination with Rock Shox's "Torque Caps" on the wheels - www.sram.com/rockshox/torque-caps

The LT with the new DT Swiss shock feels firmer than its predecessor, but this is not a disadvantage on the trail. The "extra" reserve is noticeable when simply compressing the suspension, but not as much as you might expect from the additional 24 millimetres of travel. But when you finally get to enjoy a rough trail, the "extra" quickly becomes noticeable. And at the end of the day, your legs are noticeably fresher than on the classic Linkin Trail. It seems that the addition of "Long Travel" pays off.

However, it takes some time to find the perfect setup. Just five psi more or less makes a noticeable difference. We advise riders weighing less than 70 kilograms to ride with slightly more negative travel in order to be able to use the full performance of the shock.

We were only able to push the new Bold to the limit once, and that was in the bike park on a descent over 1000 meters of altitude, without a break over numerous jumps and a very fast track peppered with many braking bumps. Whether it was because the shock was a little too linear or the rider, at around 70 kilograms, was a little too light for the basic setup of the high-speed compression, we can't say for sure.

Conclusion

The Bold Linkin Trail LT is a great trail bike for those who like to ride in rough alpine terrain and need some reserves. But also for those who are looking for a bike that performs just as brilliantly uphill as it does downhill, both on flowing trails and rough terrain.

www.boldcycles.com