Jeff Lenosky - Year 20 Bike Check

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JEFF LENOSKY: YEAR TWENTY BIKE CHECK

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This is my 20th year riding professionally. It’s been a long adventurous journey and it’s still a thrill each time I build up a new bike. Recently I got my new Giant STP and figured a trip to California to avoid the cold weather back east would be the perfect way to break it in. Trials-ish bikes are pretty obscure these days and I get asked lots of questions about my bike when I’m out doing trials demos. I’m really stoked on how this bike came out so here’s a breakdown of what makes my bike unique:

FRAME: Giant STP Size Large
FORK: X-Fusion Slant 34 mm stantions
STEM: Pro Components Koryak 70mm reach
HANDLEBARS: Pro Components Atherton 50mm rise full width
GRIPS: Ergon GE 1
HEADSET: Giant sealed bearing with tall spacer and carbon top cap
SEATPOST: Pro Components Koryak cut down to 100mm long
SEAT: Ergon SME3 Black cro-mo rails
CRANKS: Shimano Saint with custom bash ring and 22t chainring
PEDALS: Shimano Saint
WHEELS: Mavic Crossmax XL
TIRES: Maxxis Holy Roller
REAR COG: 17t aluminum
BRAKES: Shimano Zee front 180mm rotor and rear 160mm


BRAKES: I choose to run Zee Brakes because they feel really stiff when you squeeze them hard. Trials is demanding on brakes, normally on a dirt trail after a certain point a tire will skid, when you ride trials you could be jumping 8-12 feet landing with your brakes completely locked.

STEM: I get comments from my buddies who dirt jump and ride street about the length of my stem. Trials is all about leverage so a long stem really helps, 70mm is actually short compared to what other riders use, but I like to keep my bike versatile, so it seems like a happy medium.

CRANKS: I had to dig deep for some older Shimano Saint cranks since the new version no longer accepts a small chain ring. I use a 22 tooth in the front with a bash ring to protect it. Somewhere along the line I lost a chain ring bolt on one of my old bikes so now I build my new ones with only 2 bolts on purpose.

GEARS: Gearing is really important. The general rule of thumb is that a half of a pedal stroke should move your bike one bike length. I choose to run 22 teeth in the front 17 in the rear. This gives you a good amount of torque when you’re doing moves from a stand still and let’s you time out pedal strokes for gaps and drops when you have a short runway and need to squeeze in as many revolutions as you can. The chainstays on the STP are adjustable from sub 16" to sub 17". I run them at to make the bike as nimble on the back wheel as possible.

WHEELS: I run Mavic Crossmax XL wheels on several of my bikes and they do a great job for everything from trail riding to trials. The free hub has quick engagement and has been super reliable.

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MENTIONS @jeff-lenosky @mavic @shimano @Maxxis

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Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Bike Checks Jeff Lenosky