TESTED - Zink Bikes Vacay: A Trail Bike with Freeride Intentions 10

A Zink Vacay review deserves an opening that matches the bike’s unapologetic attitude, so let’s get this straight right upfront: The Vacay isn’t trying to be like any other bike in the trail category—it’s a purpose-built machine that leans hard into freeride capability. So let’s dig into how that vision translates on everyday mountain bike trails, jump lines, and everywhere in between…

Photos by: Tanner Stephens; Photo test rider: Brady Buck

Disclaimer: For anyone who somehow missed the last two decades of progression within the sport of mountain biking, Cam Zink isn’t just the guy whose name is on the downtube of this bike—he’s a defining force in modern freeride and slopestyle, with world‑record backflips, multiple Crankworx slopestyle victories, and a career of boundary‑pushing moments that helped shape the sport into what it is today. And in a way, that mindset is baked straight into the Vacay itself—Zink’s lifelong habit of pushing past the accepted limits shows up in a bike that carries the same defiant energy.

2026 Zink Vacay Highlights

• Aluminum front and rear triangle
• 150mm rear travel (230x65mm shock)
• Designed around a 29” front wheel and 27.5” rear wheel (as tested)
• 29” or 27.5” front wheel capable
• 63.9 head-tube angle / 37mm BB drop (Low Flip-Chip Position with 160mm-travel fork and 29”/27.5” wheels)
• 65 head-tube angle / 25mm BB drop (High Flip-Chip position with 160mm-travel fork and 29”/27.5” wheels)
• Threaded BB - 73 mm BSA
• ZS 44/56 Headset
• 31.6 mm seat tube diameter
• Boost 148x12 rear axle
• Internal and external cable routing options
• 180mm post mount rear brake
• Universal Derailleur Hanger
• Fidlock base included
• Weight: 32 lbs.
• Custom bike build options
• Lifetime warranty
• MSRP (as tested) “Cam’s Dream Build Parts Pack”: $7,420.53 (frame only w/o shock: $1,790 - $200 pre-order discount available for 2nd batch as of Apr 8, 2026)

With its ultra‑short 420mm chainstays, the Vacay snaps into steep transitions and drop‑ins without overthinking or fear of hanging up.

Initial Impressions

The stance of the Vacay has a utilitarian aesthetic—its frame shape is clean and straightforward, matching the tough, stripped‑down feel of the raw all‑aluminum chassis. The welds are tight and consistent, giving the bike a workhorse look.

Beyond its clean welds, the Vacay’s all‑aluminum chassis offers both internal CNC‑fitted routing and external tack‑welded mounts—versatility most bikes don’t offer.

Upon closer inspection, finer details do become visible. Internal cable routing ports are integrated into the downtube and chainstay with CNC-machined fittings and hardware. But there are also several external cable guide anchor mounts tack-welded to the down tube and chainstay. Even if you don’t use them, it’s a versatile option to have should you find yourself in a midnight emergency the night before a ride—needing to swap an ailing rear brake assembly without bleeding, changing a full derailleur/shifter setup, or make a major last-minute parts swap. It’s the kind of small detail that ends up mattering, whether you’re a seasoned rider who’s blown up enough parts to appreciate a clean backup plan or a newer rider still learning how to keep a bike rolling when plans go sideways.

All told, the Vacay’s first impression is exactly what it looks like: a durable, get‑it‑done rig with enough smart details to support riders on both ends of the experience spectrum.

The placement of the main pivot is a key facilitator of Zink’s “Lift Technology”. The concept: Make the bike as easy as possible to get the front wheel off the ground for manuals and jumps. 

Geometry

Overall, the Vacay’s geometry numbers are seemingly contemporary, but there is one drastic deviation from ordinary: The chainstay length is significantly shorter than any other bike on the market today. Size Small and Medium Vacays have 420mm chainstays, while the Large bumps to 426mm to keep the bike’s overall proportions in check. Only a handful of bikes have chainstays as short as 420 mm, and almost none in the trail/enduro category. The Vacay sits in rare company here.

The head and seat angles align with what you’d expect from a modern trail bike, though the bottom bracket sits on the lower side of today’s typical numbers. The Vacay also incorporates two flip chips for geometry adjustment. We could rattle off the numbers here and speculate on what that might mean on paper, but we’ll dig into the exact numbers and their effect on the ride characteristics in the “On the Trail" section of this review.

If jumping is a personal challenge for you, maybe you’re on the wrong bike… This is what the Zink does best: Air. 

Suspension

Zink Bikes built the Vacay around a familiar and proven foundation, opting for the Horst Link four‑bar/FSR suspension layout for its reliability and broad tuning range—an easy match for the “free, capable, and fun” demeanor Cam Zink wanted from the bike.

The second major design pillar, right behind the ultra‑short chainstays, is the placement of the main pivot. To maintain a consistent wheelbase throughout the travel, the pivot is positioned as close to the bottom bracket as the frame design allows—and notably low.

This layout underpins what Zink Bikes calls “Lift Technology,” a suspension‑and‑geometry philosophy aimed at making it easier for riders to get the front wheel off the ground. It’s a blend of rear‑center length, leverage curve, axle‑path behavior, and anti‑rise/anti‑squat balance—all tuned toward that single objective.

Vacay complete builds skip the cheap house‑brand stuff. Premium parts from Deity, SDG, and Sensus come stock on both the “eco” and “top‑tier” kits.

Available Build Kits 

The Vacay is available as a frame only for $1690 in three sizes: S (recommended for riders 5’ to 5’6”), M (5’6” to 6’) and L (anyone over 6-foot tall). Complete bikes come in two possible build kits: Economical Parts ($4,698.96) or Cam’s Signature Parts ($7,520.54). The economy build focuses on getting you rolling with solid, dependable parts, while the siggy build gets you the best of the best with all the same parts the man—Cam Zink, himself—rides.

The Vacay is so comfortable leaving the ground, it encourages you to play and learn next tricks, no matter your age.

Our Build 

Our test bike mirrored Cam’s own setup, right down to the signature parts he’s helped shape over the years. Beyond the frame, it came loaded with his fingerprints everywhere—Sensus Lite grips (we swapped to familiar EMJ’s), Sensus Crue pedals, an SDG Bel-Air V3 Sensus Kevlar saddle, Deity CZ40 bars, and 5Dev Cam Zink Signature cranks. When you stack that many rider‑driven components from different brands onto one build, it becomes obvious: Cam’s preferences have influenced so much aftermarket gear that designing his own bike feels like the natural next step.

The Vacay’s bottom bracket is low. But with cranks as short as 150mm available on the Zink.Bike website bike configurator, you can stay en vogue with the industry—and be sure to keep your feet off rocks.

Our Setup

Zink Bikes advertises the Vacay to be 29” or 27.5” front wheel capable, but designed around a 29” front wheel and 27.5” rear wheel. The mixed‑wheel layout of our build encouraged that familiar trail bike behavior—with the 29” front wheel for stability and rollover, paired with a 27.5” rear that tucks in tight.

The all-aluminum Vacay proved to be a workhorse during our 10 months of testing as we passed it around between 3 test riders.

On The Trail

On trail, the Vacay performs as advertised. In practice, the gist of Lift Technology means manuals come up with less effort—the bike naturally wants to pivot around the rear axle. Bunnyhops and pops feel more intuitive and energetic, thanks to a suspension curve and rear‑center length that return energy instead of swallowing it. Front‑wheel lifts over obstacles require less body English, making the bike feel lively on trail features and side hits.

How’s this for quality control? Every Vacay is hand-signed by the man himself: Cam Zink.

Overall, the Vacay feels intuitive—neutral enough that you don’t have to fight the bike, but aggressive enough that you’re encouraged to stay active and push into the terrain. The suspension has that modern “supportive off the top, calm in the midstroke” feel, giving you confidence to load the bike without blowing through travel. It’s easy to trust what the chassis is doing underneath you.

The Vacay’s geometry is all about play—right up until the terrain turns extremely fast and rocky.

Descending Performance 

The 63.9° head angle in the low setting gives the front end a relaxed, confident steering feel, while the notably low 37 mm bottom‑bracket drop keeps you planted without feeling sluggish. In our experience, the Vacay isn’t the bike you choose for simply plowing through rocks at warp speed, but everywhere else it rewards an active rider by encouraging precision and pop. A bike with a longer rear end would bulldoze through those sections, but it would give up far more of the Vacay’s playfulness and responsiveness elsewhere on the trail. The rider aboard the Vacay is pursuing “the more”—more pop, more pump, more ways to interact with the terrain.

Swapping the flip chips to the high position bumps the head angle to 65° and raises the bottom bracket just enough to quicken direction changes. The steeper, higher‑chip setting adds urgency and makes it even easier to snap into corners or pop off trail features. It’s worth noting that the BB stays relatively low in all configurations, but modern crank lengths—available as short as 150 mm direct from Zink Bikes—help keep pedal strikes to a minimum.

What stands out most about the Vacay is how little effort it takes to get the bike to do what you want. While we couldn’t ride sloppy or lazy through the aforementioned fast, rocky sections, the Vacay willingly jumped in and out of tight transitions with little thought. The chainstay length is the clear facilitator here. There’s no extra compensation needed to coax a response—it doesn’t plow through lips or stay glued to the ground. Like a kitten with a ball of yarn, the Vacay plays with whatever terrain you feed it, and that energy is contagious.

While many trail bikes feel tuned to stay planted, the Vacay is engineered to leave the ground behind. It doesn’t demand extra movements to stay on task; instead, it rewards a centered stance and lets you focus on the trail rather than managing the bike. The Vacay feels like a platform you can work with, not one you have to wrestle into submission.

While it didn’t encourage you to seek out the steepest climbs back up, the Vacay’s tried-and-true FSR/Horst Link suspension platform was efficient, up and down. 

Climbing Performance

Did Zink design the bike to win an award for climbing? No. That said, the Vacay climbs with the simple goal of getting you to the rest of the trail without complaint. Its short chainstays do make it a bit more work to keep the front end weighted when the grade really kicks up. But its pedaling platform delivers steady traction on loose or technical pitches. Its suspension kinematics are efficient, not robbing you of power, so you can put your energy into getting to the top of the next descent.

Its progressive FSR/Horst Link tune ramps up late, but we still pushed the o‑ring to the end of the stroke. The Vacay is simply that fun.

Fork/Shock Performance

The Lyrik Ultimate has a reassuring consistency—always smooth and supportive. During testing, we swapped the bike back and forth between testers and the DebonAir+ air spring could reliably accommodate a range of air-pressure needs, while the Charger 3.1 RC2 damper performance remained predictable with a wide range of personal-preference tuneability. And the Vivid Ultimate matched that dependability out back. Together, they create a suspension package that is ready for daily abuse and long‑term reliability.

Ain’t skeered. The Vacay promotes a freeride mentality.

Tire Performance

The Michelin Wild Enduro tires offered impressive dry‑condition traction, with side knobs that bit predictably whether you were leaning the bike or correcting mid‑corner. With the MH model up front and the MS in the back, rolling speed can feel a bit sluggish when the trail turns mellow, but put them into anything rough—roots, rocks, loose soil—and they get to work. Both tires also wore far slower than expected, which is a welcome bonus when you’ve invested in the premium build and want it to hold its value.

Wheel Performance

Low‑engagement hubs are a low‑key flex, and the Onyx Vesper hubs deliver exactly that—their silent operation is the kind of “missing noise” everyone notices immediately. A second flex. The Stan’s rims helped round out the feel: the Arch 29” up front gave the Vacay precise steering with minimal deflection, while the Flow MK4 27.5” out back added a touch more compliance and traction, keeping the rear tire calm when the trail turned rough. Together, the setup felt purposeful—quick to accelerate, quiet under load, and sturdy enough to take repeated hits without ever feeling harsh or nervous.

The Lewis LHP-S4 brakes—part of the Signature Build Parts kit—provided plenty of power for trail riding with more adjustability than most, and they look stunning.

Brake Performance

We found the Lewis LHP‑S4 brakes to perform with confident power and a firm, predictable bite point that stayed consistent even on long descents. On our typical SoCal test loops—1,000 to 1,500 feet of continuous drop—and during a few lift‑served days at Summit Bike Park, the modulation remained steady and easy to trust. Swapping between testers throughout the day made us truly appreciate how useful the three‑way adjustability is—being able to fine‑tune lever reach, bite point, and leverage ratio is a rarity in the brake world, and we loved it. Overall, the LHP‑S4s offered excellent control from light feathering to full stop, delivering a precise, repeatable feel.

Yes, there are 2 PowerLock master links in the chain here. Don’t worry about it. The SRAM AXS drivetrain performs well despite misuse and irresponsible ownership.

Drivetrain Performance 

The Vacay’s wireless SRAM AXS drivetrain—anchored by the XX derailleur and 10–52T Eagle cassette—left nothing to question. Shifts were crisp under load, with that signature AXS accuracy that makes gear changes a non‑issue. It’s a top‑tier setup that simply does its job without fuss, letting you focus on the trail instead of what your bike is doing.

Like a true Zink, the Vacay is always up for a session.

For The Young at Heart

As a 48‑year‑old dad riding with a 15‑year‑old who’s just finding his footing, the Vacay hit a sweet spot I didn’t expect. It gave me enough confidence and responsiveness to dust off a few old moves—bunnyhop‑180 rollbacks included—without feeling like I was forcing the bike to cooperate. We spent a good portion of our sessions working on hop-180s, a foundational move for anyone looking to eventually spin 360s. While we weren’t quite spinning 3’s off jumps yet, the Vacay’s short rear end encouraged this progression by staying nimble and never getting hung up or dragging on the ground—a move we were never encouraged to try on the 440mm-length chainstay bikes that have been in our garage. At the same time, it gave my son a platform that let him focus on learning proper technique instead of wrestling with geometry or weight shifts that work against new riders. The bike allowed both of us to focus on fundamentals: it let me reconnect with skills I haven’t touched in years while giving him a clean, intuitive starting point to build his own.

Long-Term Durability

We had a Vacay in rotation for ten months, used between three riders without a single complaint. All fittings and hardware stayed tight, and the frame never developed flex, creaks, or any signs of premature wear—even after plenty of those under‑rotated hop‑180s that put awkward, lateral stress through the linkages. Nothing loosened, nothing developed any noise, nothing hinted at trouble. Based on our time with the Vacay, we have no reason to question the long‑term durability of Zink Bikes’ construction. There is a lifetime warranty with the frame should any issues arise.

What’s the Bottom Line?

This bike was designed by someone who actually rides the way most brands only market. The Vacay is maneuverable by intent. It feels light on its feet—not in terms of grams, but in how willingly it responds when you shift your weight or preload the chassis. Nothing about it feels dull or muted; the suspension and kinematics return energy instead of swallowing it. The Vacay is built to make the trail feel more interactive.

The Vacay is not the bike for riders seeking maximum stability for mindless pointing and plowing over whatever terrain lies ahead. Instead, it’s for riders who want a responsive platform that rewards input and creativity. For most riders, it’s a chance to connect with a lively, skill‑driven style of riding; for younger riders, it’s an opportunity to start with a bike that encourages intention, technique, and play from day one.

Vital MTB Rating

• Climbing: 4
• Descending: 4
• Fun Factor: 5
• Value: 4.5
• Overall Impression: 4.375

About The Reviewer

Scott Hart - Age: 48 // Years Riding MTB: 37 // Height: 5'8” (1.72m) // Weight: 160-pounds (79.3kg)

An expired pro racer and Rampage alumnus, Scott’s experience in the bicycle world spans from BMX to cyclocross—across bike shops, media, energy drinks, events, bike brands, and apparel and component manufacturers. Today, his time is spent enjoying, and promoting, the sport he loves…