The Spanish have a reputation for being hot-blooded, passionate folk, who are very good at dancing. The Lynx, from ye olde Spanish bike brand BH, is also a fine dancer, performing a lively flamenco through the singletrack.

We’ve now ridden a number of bikes from BH, including a long-term review on the exquisite, curvy carbon Lynx 4.8 29er, and we’re starting to ‘get’ the theme of the way these bikes perform. These are fun, playful bikes.

[divider]Build[/divider]

The 150mm-travel Lynx 6 uses those new fandangled 650B wheels, a full aluminium frame, and a unique configurations with the rear shock piercing the seat tube. As with all the Lynx series bikes, the bike is assembled around a Dave Weagle designed Split Pivot suspension system. It’s a very effective suspension configuration, offering excellent performance both under pedalling and braking, with top-notch small bump sensitivity. The shock is not actually mounted to the mainframe, instead it’s sandwiched between the upper link and the chain stays. This offers BH more control over the suspension curve.

If you like handlebar levers, you’ll like the BH Lynx 6. This bike comes configured with a remote lock-out for both the fork and rear shock. We’re almost glad there’s not a dropper post to add to the mix! Some people will love the remote activation, as it is handy particularly for the rear shock, others will prefer a cleaner look. Ideally, we’d keep the remote for the rear end, but not for the fork. You’ll notice in these shots that there is no remote fitted for the fork or the shock – we experimented with leaving the remote lockout levers both on and off the bike during testing.

We’ll be up front; compared to the sublime construction we found on the carbon Lynx 4.8 29 (one of the nicest finished bikes we’ve seen), the alloy Lynx 6 feels a little rough around the edges. For instance, with so many cables going on, it’s a pity more thought wasn’t given to keeping them all quiet! There is a lot of noise from the internally routed gear cables rattling around inside the top tube and down tube. We ultimately took the fork out of the bike and pushed some lightweight foam into the frame (something we’ve had to do on road bikes in the past) to keep the cables from pinging around so much.The absence of any chain slap protection is also downer – it’s such a simple addition and really should be standard fare on a bike of this price.

While the BH doesn’t come with a dropper post (it will for 2015) there’s cable routing in place. You’ve also got room for a full-sized water bottle and frame is up to date with a direct mount front mech, press-fit bottom bracket and a 142x12mm rear end, plus direct mount brake tabs. The pivot hardware is cool too, with a cassette lock-ring tool being used to keep many of the pivots tight – this is a great idea, allowing a solid fit for the tool that won’t round out.

[divider]Spec[/divider]

A $3999 asking price fetches you a suitably specced machine; Shimano XT and SLX throughout, with FOX Evolution series suspension. The Stan’s Arch EX wheelset is a highlight, contributing greatly to the bikes playful handling. Schwalbe Nobby Nics are a safe all-rounder, and they’re perfect for tubeless conversion.

The FOX fork is a 32mm version, rather than the stouter 34, which won’t faze lighter riders, but bigger dudes might lament this skinnier choice. Either way, both the fork and shock are as smooth and hassle-free as it gets, and very easy to setup.

Keen-eyed readers will notice that we’ve changed the bar and stem on the BH. The original cockpit on the BH was well out of step with current design trends, with a 90mm stem and 690mm bar, when a 60/70mm stem and 740mm+ bar is the industry norm for this style of bike.

Riding a bike like this without a dropper post is a little frustrating, you end up feeling a bit constrained, like you can’t unleash bike’s full fury. We’d encourage you to fit a dropper post ASAP. Whether or not you prefer a single-ring or double-ring drivetrain, you simply cannot fault the performance of Shimano XT. Superb shifting, with a crisp lever feel and we never dropped a chain either.

[divider]Ride[/divider]

While we weren’t 100% impressed by the BH’s construction, we had no qualms with the way it handles just about every situation on the trail.

The Lynx, once we’d fitted a more appropriate bar and stem, has ideal geometry. With a low bottom bracket and a slack head angle, you feel like you’re able to really attack every corner. It’s a bike that responds really well to a bit of aggressive body language too; give the rear wheel a bit of a shove as you enter a corner and it’ll fling its tail out wide and drift beautifully!

It’s happiest once you’re up to speed, changing direction faster than its slack head angle should allow. At slower speeds or on steep climbs the front wheel is a little wayward, but that’s always a trade off, and one we’re happy to live with.

A real highlight of the BH is just how smooth the suspension is. It has a very linear suspension feel, using its full travel easily. It just hoovers up rough trails brilliantly, regardless of whether you’re pedalling, on the brakes or out of the saddle just hanging on. Given the bike’s awesome appetite for choppy terrain, it’s a surprisingly good climber as well. The bike’s excellent small bump sensitivity means there’s traction aplenty and you never feel like you’re pedalling a recumbent.

[divider]Overall[/divider]

The Lynx 6 is a mixed bag. It’s a bike that is beautifully designed – the suspension system is great, the geometry ideal – but it’s just not quite as refined as we’d hoped in a construction sense. Perhaps it’s just that previous BHs we’ve ridden set the bar so high! The BH is a lively, buttery smooth ride, it just needs a bit of love to help it realise its full potential.