BH Lynx SLS Review

The new BH Lynx SLS looks like the Trek Supercaliber or Specialized Epic Worldcup. However, unlike the American competition, in Spain they don’t rely on flexing seat stays in the rear triangle. We tested and dissected the new race bike to get to the bottom of the concept.

For racers, the weight of their ride is more crucial than for any other biker. That’s why we not only weighed our test bike but also took the trouble to determine the frame weight separately. Moreover, we hung the wheels complete with tires and cassette on the scale.

There’s nothing to criticize about BH in this regard. With a total weight under 10 kilos including a dropper post, it’s significantly lighter than many competitors. The BH wheels and the frame are on par with Specialized’s Epic World Cup, which we also had on the same scale. In the table below, you’ll find the most interesting race fully bikes with their weights.

What is amazing about the weights is that BH achieves these weights without making compromises elsewhere. For instance, the head tube accommodates a Fox 34 SC fork. With its 34 mm stanchions, it is noticeably stiffer than the often very flex-prone 32 mm forks from Fox or a Rock Shox SID SL.

For the frame, BH relies on a single-pivot rear triangle. Unlike all other competitors in the cross-country segment, this bike does without flex stays. BH has decided to equip the frame with a Split Pivot around the rear axle. This allows the rear triangle to work sensitively and maintain consistent performance throughout the entire travel range. The necessary bearing does add weight, of course. Is this extra weight worth it on the trail?

A few meters are enough to attest to the core qualities of this bike. The bike moves forward brutally. The light wheels and well-rolling Pirelli tires make you fly up the climbs. Especially in undulating terrain with many direction changes, the advantage of the light wheels really comes into play.

In the rush of lactate and speed, unfortunately, you only have the option to completely lock out the suspension. We would have celebrated an intermediate lockout position because the rear suspension works super sensitively. Although it doesn’t suffer from drivetrain influences, the rear end bobs slightly when pedaling due to upper body movement. However, no energy is lost as a result. You have to consciously pay attention to the shock to notice this slight bobbing.

When riding over root carpets, you don’t have to stop pedaling thanks to the suspended rear. Anyone chasing seconds on a CC course will love this. Marathon riders will especially appreciate that the rear shock truly ensures a comfortable ride over light trails or coarse gravel. This saves your back on long distances.

Uphill, there’s no reason for criticism. Downhill, the skilled touch of the product managers shines. Because with the dropper post from Bike Yoke, you really draw a joker when it comes to handling. This provides sufficient freedom of movement to fully appreciate the potential of the geometry and the 34 fork. In terms of geometry, BH leans towards the sporty side with a very low stack and a long main frame.

The Shimano XTR brakes provide solid stopping power, and the thick 2.4″ Pirelli tires offer excellent grip on dry terrain. This ensures a secure ride even at high speeds.

However, it becomes evident that with 80 mm of rear travel, you quickly reach the limit in gnarly descents at the fork. While the rear suspension works exceptionally well thanks to its full bearing setup and is notably more sensitive than, for example, a Specialized Epic Worldcup, where high breakaway torque is part of the bike’s design.

The quantity of travel on the Lynx SLS is simply limited. Charging through a rock garden without a care is just not feasible with such little rear travel. But this doesn’t only apply to the BH Lynx SLS; it’s even more true for the Supercaliber or the Epic.

We also noticed a perceptible flex in the handlebars when climbing out of the saddle and during descents. The slightly imprecise steering doesn’t stem from the frame but rather from the handlebar-stem combination. This is manufactured by BH and features an “aluminum core” to clamp the stem to the steerer tube (see image). There’s some room for flex where the aluminum transitions to carbon.

Additionally, the cutouts, which allow the cables to pass through the headset, are quite large, significantly reducing the contact surface and clamping area of the stem on the fork. This contributes to the overall stiffness of the handlebars being slightly compromised.

As with all our tests, we don’t just provide deep insights into the details. Unlike other media outlets, our innovative and completely objective testing system allows us to offer you information on the entire model family. Notably, with the Lynx SLS 8.0, BH only offers a complete bike above 6000 €. Use our comparison feature with the arrow symbol to compare the models with each other.

By the way, here we have a complete buying guide for race bikes.