BIKE CHECK: JEFF LENOSKY’S REEB CYCLES STEEZL

By John Ker

In the world of pro mountain biking, we tend to think of the pros as the racers in the World Cup series or the daredevil riders at Crankworx and Rampage. Then, there are also people like Danny MacAskill and Fabio Wibmer, who make a living by producing videos of their riding that are seen by millions of people.
Then there is Jeff Lenosky.

Jeff is an amazing rider. I’ve both ridden with him and photographed him in all sorts of places—from Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park in Cleveland, Ohio, to the trails of Highbridge Park in New York City, and even on some super-fun trails in Santos, Florida. I’ve known Jeff for over 20 years. Of course, he rides at a much different level than I do. He raced both cross-country and downhill when he was younger, he won national championships in trials, and he even raced Super D in the pro ranks.

I never gave much thought to how Lenosky was able to make a living as a pro mountain biker until MBA editor Ron Koch suggested that I feature Jeff for “Inside the Pros’ Bikes.” I always thought of Jeff as one of my long-time friends, someone I was always happy to see, ride with (if I got the chance) and photograph. Suddenly, the question occurred to me, “How does Jeff make a living as a pro mountain biker?” He wasn’t winning major events, though he’s been around for over 20 years making a living as a pro mountain biker. How does he do it? I had to call him and find out.

I got him on the phone, and Jeff told me how he does it. One thing he told me was that he has his own YouTube channel, which goes by the name, “Trail Boss.”

YOUTUBE’S “TRAIL BOSS” CHANNEL
“I started my YouTube Channel about six or seven years ago,” Jeff said. “For the first 20 years of my career I did lots of in-person, live riding demonstrations. Making videos and putting them online seemed like a logical higher-tech way to share my riding with a large audience.

I’ve always gravitated towards technical riding and trying to conquer trails other riders deemed ‘impossible.’ I started getting lots of comments saying, ‘How’d you do that?’ so I started making how-to videos. Trials riding was always about technique, and I’d spend a lot of time practicing and thinking about what goes into the moves we make on our bikes. My degree from college helps me, since it had a large focus on kinesiology and body movements.

“The next natural progression was to begin coaching people in person, so I started the Trail Boss Academy as a means to help riders feel safer and more confident when they ride. I’m going into year four of coaching and I love it!”

CAN’D AID
“Can’d Aid is a national non-profit organization I’ve been working with for over seven years,” Jeff told us. “We are involved in lots of activities, and one of our main objectives is helping kids get outside and inspiring them to be active. As a Tread + Trails ambassador, I’ve worked with Can’d Aid to donate over 10,000 bikes to children in need.

It’s amazing to be able to help introduce kids to cycling and provide them the opportunity to have a bike of their own. When I grew up, my parents bought me my first bike, and since then the sport has literally taken me around the world. It’s a great feeling to come full circle and offer that opportunity to a new generation.”

JEFF LENOSKY’S REEB STEEZL

Frame: Reeb Cycles Steezl, 155mm travel, steel front triangle and aluminum rear.
“I got this bike just about a year ago and just had it repainted. I’ve ridden professionally for close to 30 years, and over the first 25 I learned not to get too attached to my bikes. I would usually build up at least six bikes a year and swap out similar models every six months.

When I started riding for Reeb, I began thinking of my bikes as works of art. Every time I’d build a new bike I got to choose the color, all the components, sometimes geometry, etc. These weren’t disposable items like I used to treat my bikes. With my current Steezl, I’ve beat the heck out of it for a year and it’s still perfect.

You can see in the pictures it used to be a purple color scheme, but I wanted to change the look. Rather than get an entirely different bike, I just decided to get a fresh paint job and swap out some components. Riding hand-crafted bikes and seeing the work that goes into them has definitely changed how I think about my bikes. I’m definitely less inclined to build a completely new bike when they last as long as these do.”

Fork: Cane Creek Helm set at 160mm.
“I use the adjustable volume spacers they provide to make it a little more progressive.”

Shock: “I’m using a Tigon rear shock, which is an air-charged coil shock. I love that you can adjust the air pressure to change the progressivity of the shock. It really allows me to tune my bike for whatever situation I get into.”

Tires: Vittoria Mazza, 29×2.6″ (f), 2.4″(r)
“I was lucky enough to help prototype this tire, and it’s my go-to for any situation where I want maximum traction.”

Tire sealant: “Always Orange Seal.”

Rims: Industry Nine Enduro 300

Spokes: Limited-edition Industry Nine Bronze.

Front hub: Limited-edition Industry Nine Bronze

Rear hub: Limited-edition Industry Nine Bronze.
“I love technical riding, and I couldn’t imagine riding without the engagement of a Hydra hub. The engagement is super fine, but more important, it’s super durable. It’s tough to find hubs that are both, but I9 pulled it off.”

Brakes: Shimano XTR Trail brakes with 200mm rotors.

Stem: Industry Nine 50mm

Handlebar: PRO Tharsis 30mm rise

Grips: Ergon GE1

Bottom bracket: Cane Creek Hellbender 110

Cranks: Shimano XTR, 170mm

Chainring: Shimano XTR 32-tooth

Pedals: “I go back and forth between Shimano XTR clipless and Shimano XT flat pedals.”

Chain: Shimano XTR

Rear derailleur: Shimano XTR

Shifter: Shimano XTR

Cassette: Shimano XTR 10-51

Saddle: PRO

Seatpost: OneUp, 240mm

Headset: Cane Creek Hellbender 110

Weight of complete bike: 34.8 pounds

Estimated value: $9000

MBA Q&A

MBA: Where did you grow up?
Jeff Lenosky: Fairfield, New Jersey. It was typical suburban New Jersey, but close to a lot of technical terrain and New York City, which is how and why I leaned more towards urban free-ride and trials early on in my career.

MBA: What kind of work did your parents do?
JL: My mom was a high school math teacher, and my dad was an engineer.

MBA: When did you first learn to ride a bike?
JL: Probably 5 or 6. I remember riding around on my bike that looked like a motorcycle.

MBA: Who taught you?
JL: My dad

MBA: Did you compete on other kinds of bikes before mountain bikes?
JL: I did some BMX racing, but only entered a couple events. The first race I ever was going to win I got so excited that I tried to wheelie across the finish line. I looped out and ripped the knees open on my pants and finished last. I learned a valuable lesson that day.

MBA: When did you get your first mountain bike?
JL: I got my first mountain bike in 1988 from a friend. I was 6-foot-4 in high school, so by sophomore year I outgrew BMX bikes. I started skateboarding for a few years since I saw Tony Hawk and he was tall, too. When I saw the first MTB, it looked like a big BMX bike to me, so I started imitating what I did on my BMX bike and skateboard before I ever thought to start riding long distances in the woods. Shortly thereafter I saw a Hans Rey video of him riding trials in Venice Beach and I was hooked!

MBA: When did you start competing on mountain bikes?
JL: I raced XC in 1988 and started entering trials events soon after that. Most events on the East Coast would have both events on the same weekend. Riders would race XC, and then use the same bike to enter trials.

MBA: How did you finish in your first competition?
JL: I would go and watch the expert/pro riders for over a year, and then when everyone was gone, I’d practice the courses to see if I could do them. Observed trials was always performative, since you had to ride courses with everyone standing around watching. It’s very calculated, and you don’t really get in “the zone,” so I was always too nervous to enter until I felt I could do decent. Once I started competing, I was always able to do the big moves others couldn’t, but I wasn’t very consistent. I’d finish mid pack for a while until I kinda got lucky and won the 1993 National Championship.

MBA: Did you win any titles as an amateur?
JL: I would win amateur DH and XC races but never an overall title.

MBA: What have been your best results and titles as a pro?
JL: 1993, National Champion Observed Trials; 1999, National Champion Observed Trials; 2000, National Champion Observed Trials; 2014, 5th place National Championships Super D; 2023 National Champion Observed Trials, Veteran class.

MBA: Did you go to college?
JL: I have a degree in movement and sport studies from East Stroudsburg University.

MBA: What other sports have you done?
JL: Wresting.

MBA: Can you tell us something interesting or unusual about yourself or your family?
JL: My cousin Elaine was one of the founders of Dirt Rag magazine. We both had no idea either of us were into the sport. In 1988 or so there was a NORBA National, and I went to enter the Sport Downhill class. This was also the first time I got to see Hans Rey ride in real life, and my jaw nearly hit the floor. My dad came to cheer me on and saw a girl handing out a Xeroxed zine and thought she looked familiar. They stared at one another. She said, “Uncle Larry?”
And he said, “Elaine?”

MBA: Is there some other interesting fact or trivia that people might like to know about you?
JL: I really enjoy singing. I think I’m okay at it, but I’m sure I’m annoying when I drive with people. I’m usually the guy who can’t be interrupted until the song is over, and if I do get interrupted, I usually need to start the song over.

RIDER PROFILE:

Name: Jeff Lenosky
Nickname: “Trail Boss”
Age: 52
Birthdate: April 19, 1971
Birthplace: Passaic, New Jersey
Height: 6-foot-4
Marital status: Married [to Amy]
Kids: Jack (23), Kate (20) and Max (13)
Current home: Sparta, New Jersey
Vehicle: 2022 Ford Transit AWD Sender van, Trail Boss model
Started racing: 1990
Turned pro: 1992
Riding specialty: Competitively, it was Observed Trials. I won my first National Championship in 1993 and then again in 1999 and 2000
Favorite course (North America): It was always Mammoth Mountain for trials competitions, but if I’m riding for fun, it’s gotta be Sedona
Favorite course (Europe): Urban riding around Barcelona
Favorite food: Mexican
Goals: Sharing my riding with as many people as possible.
Heroes: Hans Rey
Favorite recording artist: Counting Crows
Favorite movie: “Rushmore”
Favorite hobbies: Trying to cook, camping
Jobs held (other than racer): Production engineer right after college, but that was a long time ago
Most embarrassing moment: Competing in a trials event in Helen, Georgia, in the late ’90s. There was a course that ran alongside a river, and it rained a ton overnight. Half of the obstacles were submerged, and as I was riding the course, I was hopping from rock to rock and started to lose my balance. I quickly glanced for a place to put my foot down, and what I thought was a submerged rock was actually a glare from the sun. I stomped into the water, fell over and got completely barreled. I remember being underwater for a fraction of a second, which felt like an eternity, thinking, “I’m in a professional bike event right now!”
Always takes on a trip: My computer and GoPro
What I’d be doing if I weren’t a pro mountain biker: Marketing