First Ride: Bold Linkin Trail

It was clear to see where Bold's inspiration for their 130mm travel bike came from while driving around Lac Neuchâtel to Lengnau, then passing through Biel, the town that produces Rolex, Breitling, Omega, and other things of typical Swiss precision. The new company is clear in saying that they don't want to compete with the value brands or big guns out there - they're purely focussed on creating their best machine rather than backtracking to a price-point or competing against massive buying power. Bold's new Linkin Trail 29er is expensive, but they're not offering any apologies for that, and they're aiming to create something a bit different here. And different it certainly is.

The official launch of the Linkin Trail will happen this coming weekend at the Solothurn Bike Days festival, with the website opening at the same time, but I was able to get some pre-release seat time on the bike in order to offer some early opinions. Bold are initially concentrating on the Swiss market to start with, but they do plan to expand across Europe and then on to global sales and partnerships at a later date.

















Components

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Sizing and balance felt good from the outset. My Linkin was built with a 60mm stem, but they have certainly underpowered themselves in the handlebar department. The Race Face handlebar measures in at a narrow 740mm, especially considering that the large frame is aimed towards six footers. My 35.5" inseam also meant I was close to the top of the 125mm travel Reverb's height limit, so taller riders might struggle for seat height. The chain stay isn't super short at 439mm, which I think is a benefit for larger frame sizes. For me, finding weight balance between the wheels is tough with a long front centre and short chain stay. I'm a longterm fan of big wheels, and like the feeling of a comparatively steeper head angle for fast response, but the stability of the bigger hoop and lower chance of being sent over the bars.

The frame feels super stiff thanks to the carbon layup, the short rocker link with the 30mm axle, and added to this the carbon wheelset meant it was a little harsh on small trail chatter, but power transfer is direct through the pedals all the way to the rear tire and trail feedback is accurate. Climbing was a breeze thanks to the weight, stiffness and suspension adjustment options. Pedalling forces were neutral and traction isn't compromised when on the stoppers thanks to the Horst link configuration.


The 130mm travel DT Swiss fork was admirable. Progression, support and control are all there, but there's also a bit more flex than a Pike allows for, and certainly more than a FOX 36 in the lengthy 29" stance. The DT Swiss shock has a whopping 40 clicks of rebound, from fast to "'is it actually moving" slow. I'm not sure why such a wide range exists, but it does. I settled on 32 clicks from closed for my preferred fast rebound action. I felt the shock was over-damped for small roots and rocks, and for finding grip on cambers, but this was certainly rewarded on high speed and flowing trail. Support was huge for the mere 130mm of travel, with a feeling heading towards bottomless on drops and compressions.

The O.D.L. system worked without issue. Lock-out mode is true, and the 'Drive mode' offers a heavily damped middle ground that's perfect for pumping and flowing trail, but it is lacking sensitivity. As a rider who mostly goes all the way to the top of the hill, then all the way down in one go, I'm still not convinced by locking out both ends simultaneously. Suspension lockout or compression adjust from the bars is a huge benefit without question. Changing both at the same time leaves a geometry that keeps the front end high when climbing. Leaving the fork open and stiffen the shock gives an improved dynamic geometry for climbing. Dual lockout is more suited to riders who spend more time on long distance XC or trail riding situations, although that is how this 130mm travel 29er can (and likely will) be used by most.


Descending and cornering presented no issues except my oafish grins for the cameraman. The bike's low and centralized centre of gravity helps stability, and I like the feeling of my weight sitting below the axles of the larger wheels. The aforementioned climbing benefits of the light weight, stiffness and damping meant the bike was a little skittish, and small deflections on the wet slime and roots were common, but it was generally happy to plough a straight line down the hill.


Issues

The carbon handlebar is too narrow for the modern trail rider and pricey to replace, although maybe suitable for the small sized frame. Frame-wise, this small first batch of bikes presented some problems. There was slight noise from the internal cable routing when compressing and extending the suspension, and Vincenz was aware of this and says he has a solution for the production version. The plastic cap that hides the top shock bolt needed more flange to stay put, again should be fixed for production. Cable routing on the DT fork is designed around a front brake on the left-hand side, and wasn't neat when I flipped the levers to moto-style, but this could be improved in the workshop. Suspension-wise, the over-damped feeling of the shock concerned me - maybe it would bed-in over time from its out of the box state? If not, it surely could be solved with some internal work to the shock tune. I loved the level of support and feedback given, but maybe too much compromise on small bump sensitivity. Shock compatibility is also a relevant issue, as you can't "up shock" the Linkin with a heavier duty damper, due to space constraints.


Pinkbike's Take:

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