Gear Guide Review - 2012 Redline Syntax

2012 REDLINE “SYNTAX” REVIEW Wr i t t e n b y : J e r e m y P a v i a

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Redline as a company has been stepping things up over the years as they continue to push the progression of BMX in many ways.

With Olympic athletes, Dew Tour Champions and a stacked freestyle team aboard Redlines it’s no secret that they make good BMX bikes, plain and simple.

Redline has a solid team that has evolved into a well-rounded group of riders led by Team Manager Mark “Flip” Filipowicz. With guys like Brandon Dosch, Josh Hult, Zack Gerber, Brandon Christie, Jared Eberwein and young gun Tyler Fernengel all giving input on what works and what doesn’t it’s no wonder that their D/S/P

(dirt street park) line of bikes are ready to roll right out of the box. Brandon Dosch and Josh hold it down for the dirt scene, Zack does his thing in the streets while Brandon Christie, Jared and Tyler help put Redline on the map for being able to ride anything and everything in their path.

Read on to find out what team feedback and testing can do when it comes to designing a solid ride.

It doesn’t take long to notice that the Syntax has everything necessary to get

your shred on. Starting with the main lifeblood of the bike is the 21” frame with a geometry meant to be ridden everywhere from the trails to the skatepark with a street session in between.

The 74.5 degree headtube angle, 21” inch top tube and 13.75 inch rear end make for an incredibly stable ride that feels right at home in the air.

The longer top tube provides plenty of room to move around the bike and the mellower head tube angle helps to stay in control at high speeds. Looking closer

at the frame it becomes obvious that they paid attention to detail adding removable brake mounts, cable guides, and detangler tabs. The frame also features an open-ended gusset on the downtube, small dropouts, an integrated seat post clamp, mid-bottom bracket and more.

The forks feature unique cutouts in the dropouts as well as a tapered leg that fits the Redline Smoothie pegs perfectly making a dialed grinding surface. The front

“It’s always a little weird to hop on a new bike that you are not used to and ride it like your own but that was no problem with the Syntax.

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Stamped open ended downtube gusset Redline Team rider Jared Ehewein takes the Syntax for a spin load Hollowpoint stem locks the bars in place and has rounded edges in the back to help avoid the never enjoyable “knee-to-the-stem.”

Embossed graphics on the saddle

Redline Hollowpoint stem held strong

The Redline Pro Hex grips are soft and have a nice broken-in feel after a session or two. They are a little thicker than the average grip but the only thing that means is that they will last longer than most as far as wear is concerned. That is especially important when buying a complete because the last thing you want to

do is spend more money on parts when you just bought an entire bike.

Moving on the 8.25” rise combined with the 28.5” width makes for a set of really comfortable bars. Keep in mind that the frame has a 21” top tube so a bigger bar is the perfect match. The bars have 12 degrees of back sweep and 1 degree of upsweep and are big enough to provide the control that you demand. At the same time you can still throw barspins without worrying about them getting caught up.

You will be rolling smooth and fast with a set of aluminum 36-hole Redline hubs. The front 3/8” hub is laced to a PBR rim and the sealed 14mm rear cassette is laced to a Black Sheep rim. Ride everything with a 20 x 2.25” Odyssey Aitken signature tire in the front and an Odyssey 2.2” Dirt Path tire in the rear. Both treads are aggressive for dirt but still roll smooth and fast at the skatepark which is the perfect combo.

The drive train is made up of a 9-tooth driver, a 5mm thick 25-tooth Redline XYZ sprocket, and a KMC Z410 chain. This is all powered by a set of Redline Monster tubular chromoly 3-piece cranks. The Syntax also comes with a pair of Odyssey Twisted PC pedals, a onepiece padded combo seat/ post, a set of Tektro FX340 U-brakes with a straight cable, clear compound pads and a Tektro 273A hinged lever. Oh yeah, and it weighs in at 24.9 lbs.

“ ... everything necessary to get your shred on.”

“The seat is slim but padded

The Odyssey tires grip on any surface

and comfortable enough to pinch for barspins no problem even without any kind of knee pads.

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Tapered fork for perfect peg fit

Riding wise the bike handled better than expected. It’s always a little weird to hop on a new bike that you are not used to and ride it like your own but that was no problem with the Syntax.

That just goes to show that the bike was designed with performance in mind. With the 28.5 inch wide bars and 21-inch top tube this bike is made for taller riders (around 5’10” or so) that need more space to move around.

Although the Syntax is a bit on the bigger side it doesn’t feel like it’s too big which is a good thing. It is easy to whip around but at the same time it feels stable in the air especially at the trails. The bars have the perfect amount of back and upsweep, which makes them comfortable to hold onto especially after long sessions. The good thing

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Sealed mid BB and Monster crank

» about having them come so wide stock is that you can always cut a bit off each end if they seem too big for you. The stem held great and didn’t move on us at all after the first slip. That’s to be expected with a new ride and a lot of times new bikes can have a problem with bars slipping but after the first fix they locked into place and stayed put, which is a bonus. The grips felt comfortable straight out of the box and only got better

with each session. The fact that they are a little thicker than the average grip might take a little getting used to but remember that there is more grip there, which just means that they will last longer than most. The grid pattern makes them perfect for riding with or without gloves and even on a hot day sweaty hands didn’t seem to pose any kind of problems.

The brakes were one of the most impressive features

Removable brake hardware of the Syntax. The straight cable combined with the clear pads made for a perfect combo. Fufanu’s 540 tire taps, abubaca’s and any other tech lip trick where brakes come in handy all came easy. A good set of brakes is almost a priceless feature on a bike and the fact that they come that good ready to ride was rad to see.

It is also good to know that it comes with a hinged brake lever that makes going back and forth between riding

with and without brakes so much easier.

The choice to feature Odyssey tires and pedals was a smart move. The Aitken tires gripped on any surface even though the first place the bike was ridden was at a cement park.

You would think they would have been slipping all over the smooth surface but that was not the case at all. The tires also felt great at the trails and seemed to hook up even in the loose stuff.

Another cool feature is the fully removable brake hardware. With it being 2012 it is good to see that companies have taken action to integrate that feature into most of their frames as well as their higher end

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complete bikes. These days it’s all about shaving weight where you can and the traditional seat and seat post combo that usually comes stock with completes is heavy to the point of being unnecessary so it was also

“ ... Ready to roll right out of the box.” cool to see a lightweight one-piece combo seat. The seat is slim but padded and comfortable enough to pinch for barspins no problem even without any kind of knee pads. The Aluminum hubs rolled smooth and fast and

weight-saving feature. Color wise, the Syntax is available in gray and green color schemes and retails for $490.

The Syntax was designed ride everything in your path and the list of features is something to get stoked on.

From the freestyle designed frame built with team input, to the 3-piece Monster cranks, Alienation rims, signature Odyssey Aitken tires, Hollowpoint stem, 1-piece seat/post design, sealed aluminum rear cassette and dialed Tektro brakes this thing is ready to shred.

It’s not every day that you can find a bike that needs absolutely no upgrades out of the box but the Syntax is just that. The designers at Redline obviously know the importance of a bike you can trust and that shows in the details from the subtle graphics to the quality of parts they chose to add-on making this one bike you can trust.

If it’s overall performance that you are looking for with a price tag that won’t break the bank then I would recommend checking out what Redline has to offer.

only got faster with every session. The sealed rear cassette is a nice touch along with a sealed mid bottom bracket. The three-piece Monster cranks can be ridden with confidence knowing that they will hold up to

any abuse you can dish out.

Drops, gaps and flat landings are no match for these cranks. The 25/9 gearing is small, and stays out of the way during any lip tricks, which is essential. A smaller drive train is another great