Opinions on Lynskey frames

[djg21]

Originally Posted by glepore

Lynskey isn't in the same "tier" as those others in prestige because its primarily a production builder that will do custom, while the others mentioned are full custom builders for the most part. In theory that gets you custom selected butting lengths etc although in practice who knows how much of that goes on and how much of a difference it makes. Pricing reflects that. Lynskey's are fine production bikes, as I think you imply, but bespoke always carries more "prestige" whether there's a real world difference or not.

And just to clarify, Spectrum is not a ti builder. All of the actual bikebuilding in ti is/was done by now Seven and then Merlin. This isn't a secret, its all over Tom's webpage. What you get with Tom is his particular fit expertise and specification-which is well worth the premium IMHO, but no ti welding goes on at Spectrum.

I beg to disagree. I have ridden a custom Lynskey R440 for the past decade and it’s the best bike I’ve owned to date. I have ridden and raced on a number steel bikes including Paramouts, custom steel, and Ti bikes starting with my first Merlin in 1992, a Litespeed Ultimate, and a Litespeed Vortex. I chose the Lynskey when David Lynskey was just starting out after his noncompete with Litespeed expired, because I loved my Vortex which was destroyed when I got hit by a car. That is also why I opted for a frame built from 6/4 Ti. The Lynskey is beautiful, and is just as nice as any bike made by Moots or any other Ti bike manufactured currently. The welds are perfect, and on the par with those of any other Ti builder.

Bike snobs here have an issue with Lynskey’s business model, because it builds for other companies like No. 22, and because it offers some bikes at lower price points that can be purchased from some online retailers. The company has to generate revenue to remain viable, and even its lower end bikes are still top notch. It’s high-end bikes are great.

If you buy a bike, you should buy it to ride it, and not to arbitrage it. A bike is a tool, and not an investment. If you are worried about resale, you should be investing your money elsewhere. You will get your money’s worth if you ride the thing.

[tumbler]

I've had 2 and both were/are great bikes. The company was also very easy to deal with on both purchases. As has been mentioned, you would never want to pay the list prices... and I wish they would cut that out and just stick with a normal, reasonable price list... but assuming you get one through their never-ending "sale", they are great bikes and I've enjoyed mine.

[glepore]

@dig21-I think you may have misunderstood me. Yes, some folks lump them as "second tier" but it has to do with perceived rather than actual quality. Purely custom stuff has an aura that may be deserved or not-totally dependent upon the builder, the design and the needs of the user. Lynskey Litespeeds and his current bikes are fine bicycles made in a primarily production facility.

[Ralph]

From the many Ti bikes I see and have seen on rides, talked with owners, etc....don't see any need to pay more than what a Lynskey costs.

[Tony]

I sold my Rridgeline and bought this, Kona Hozo Ti. Welds seem to be done well on both bikes. Bought the Ridgeline as a frame only, it arrived nicely packaged, faced and chased for assembly. The frame rode nicely, just like the geometry of the Hozo better.
https://goo.gl/photos/8vcyFNf9ciVbj2z56

[Jeff N.]

Originally Posted by djg21

I beg to disagree. I have ridden a custom Lynskey R440 for the past decade and it’s the best bike I’ve owned to date. I have ridden and raced on a number steel bikes including Paramouts, custom steel, and Ti bikes starting with my first Merlin in 1992, a Litespeed Ultimate, and a Litespeed Vortex. I chose the Lynskey when David Lynskey was just starting out after his noncompete with Litespeed expired, because I loved my Vortex which was destroyed when I got hit by a car. That is also why I opted for a frame built from 6/4 Ti. The Lynskey is beautiful, and is just as nice as any bike made by Moots or any other Ti bike manufactured currently. The welds are perfect, and on the par with those of any other Ti builder.

Bike snobs here have an issue with Lynskey’s business model, because it builds for other companies like No. 22, and because it offers some bikes at lower price points that can be purchased from some online retailers. The company has to generate revenue to remain viable, and even its lower end bikes are still top notch. It’s high-end bikes are great.

If you buy a bike, you should buy it to ride it, and not to arbitrage it. A bike is a tool, and not an investment. If you are worried about resale, you should be investing your money elsewhere. You will get your money’s worth if you ride the thing.

Lynskey builds for SAGE, but not No 22.

[djg21]

Originally Posted by Jeff N.

Lynskey builds for SAGE, but not No 22.

It did, but not any longer. https://www.bikerumor.com/2014/03/17...a-ti-beauties/

[berserk87]

Originally Posted by djg21

If you buy a bike, you should buy it to ride it, and not to arbitrage it. A bike is a tool, and not an investment. If you are worried about resale, you should be investing your money elsewhere. You will get your money’s worth if you ride the thing.

I agree. The bike is a something that helps me find enjoyment and get a workout. For me, cycling is a sport. There are a lot of hobbies with which money can be made via price appreciation of equipment (guitars, pocket knives, watches, guns). Cycling is not typically one of them.

For some, the bike is the enjoyment in and of itself. Some folks "buy and try" and turn around and resell quickly. I did a fair amount of this when I was new to the sport, in an effort to learn as much as I could about equipment and find the "perfect" bike (I had 10 road bikes at peak inquisitiveness). Some folks seem to get more out of the equipment than actually riding or training. So if you are one of these folks, maybe resale value is serious consideration.

These days I have one road bike, one TT bike and one MTB. I ride frames until they break. Resale value has never been a shadow of a thought.

[zross312]

I took a hard look at Lynskey when I decided to upgrade my road bike for this season. After digging into the details, I just couldn't live some of the maddening design decisions they make. Case in point - their dropouts. Why wouldn't they just spec simple, visually clean dropouts instead of these eyesores?

[Hilltopperny]

Originally Posted by zross312

I took a hard look at Lynskey when I decided to upgrade my road bike for this season. After digging into the details, I just couldn't live some of the maddening design decisions they make. Case in point - their dropouts. Why wouldn't they just spec simple, visually clean dropouts instead of these eyesores?

I personally don't mind these dropouts, but my r350 and r240 disc have Wright style dropouts like my Moots. The bikes also ride very nice.

I find the finish being one of the only major differences between a Lynskey and a higher end boutique titanium bikes. For the money Lynskey frames are very hard to beat.

Titanium is my favorite material for a bicycle and I own quite a few of them. Lynskey does put out some aesthetically funky designs, but they all ride pretty awesome.

I own a pro 29 with twisted tubes and a helix sport disc with twisted tubes and those drop outs. Both of those bikes ride great and I am used to the looks at this point.

I have a no22 drifter that I had built up the way I wanted. It is a nicer bike aesthetically and I really love the way it rides so far. I have also owned titanium made by Litespeed, Serotta, Merlin and Moots.

I really don't believe Lynskey is lacking anything ride wise and the aesthetics are a subjective thing. I'm pretty sure that if you'd like to have a titanium bike, but don't have deep pockets then Lynskey is a great choice.1519865210405.jpg

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[ldamelio]

Lynskey quality is variable as there are a number of welders doing the work. I have no doubt that those who are happy with their bikes and have immaculate welds are correct. At the Philly Bike Expo a couple of years ago, I spoke with a small ti builder who had formerly worked with them. I was lamenting my repetitive cracking issues with my R430 and ProCross. At that time, he told me that they had six people building, two of them he considered excellent, two competent, and two not so much. Obviously third hand info as posted here, but this may explain why there are distinct and opposing opinions on Lynskey. For my three warranty returns (on two bikes), I had poor service on one, good service on another and intermediate service on a third. With the R430 (and custom paint), I was looking for a grail bike. This was before the steep discounts and Internet sales back when they were selling themselves as a framebuilder of trust on David Lynskey's name. The bike I received spent more miles on the UPS truck back and forth to Tennessee than it did on the road under me. When eventually replaced completely, I happily sold the new frame, which was heavy, stiff, and dead. When the head tube on my ProCross cracked and it came back with a crappy filler repair, it went in the trash and I called Tom Kellogg. Five cross seasons and multiple of thousands of miles doing what you kids call 'gravel', my Spectrum still looks pretty much new except a few well-earned paint chips.

All this being said, the OP is looking at a bike for $700 with a warranty, so probably worth a roll of the dice if he's not looking for perfection.

[duff_duffy]

I’ve had a few Lynskey’s over the years. Quality varied, all had an excellent feel, however the finish and quality of welds varied from perfect to wondering why they let it out of the factory...all in all for the price I’d say they are good. If you want excellent finish and welds every time go with Seven or Moots for a few more bucks.

[duff_duffy]

Just noticed another person mentioned Kellogg - if you can afford it his bikes are great, I second that especially if you are going to paint it, his paint on titanium is spectacular and durable.

[commonguy001]

I picked up a Urbano off eBay last summer in the sub 1000 range and really like it. The welds are great, the finish is really nice and it has hooded TA dropouts so no silly business back there. Maybe I got lucky but for the investment I plan on riding it a crap ton and have no regrets.

I will say they sat on my shipment for over a month for no apparent reason which was frustrating as I was leaving for a two week trip. It literally showed up the day before I left after telling them if they shipped it while I was gone they’d need to ship it twice.

[glepore]

The 'former Lysnskey welder" mentioned above was Richie Moore, who went on to found Cysco cycles. He sold the company after a few years and its now dormant while the new owner moves. I have one of his ti bikes, and its radical looking but rides really well, and the welds are uniformly excellent.