Help me spend my money- Gravel Bike Edition

[mtb_frk]

I got the go ahead to spend about 2-2.5k on a new gravel bike. Im looking at frame and fork for that price. I’m not interested in bike packing, this would be for a occasional race, and mostly just riding.

So here are the requirements
Ti
700x>=40, 650x48
Fender mounts
No pressfit bb
Good warranty aka a company that has been around for awhile, and will hopefully be in the future.

Right now Lynskey is the leading contender but am looking for other options just in case I am missing something before I pull the trigger on the GR300.

The dean torries looks nice but the dean of old kind of scares me.

Honey is another idea but both them and dean are probably just out of my price range.

[joevers]

https://standert.de/collections/erdg...eset-bubblegum

I expect more color announcements and stock in the next month or so. Not a lot of cx race bikes are really meant for a 650b conversion, that's for sure more on the bikepacking side. I'm pretty partial to this brand, and I also don't super love ti. 5 year warranty and a decent crash replacement program. T47, standard everything else. Definitely worth a look imo.

[mtechnica]

Hakka, stigmata, trek checkpoint

[mtb_frk]

Yeah I was really close to buying a stig but think I want to go Ti.

Standert looks nice but are they only in Europe?

[joevers]

Originally Posted by mtb_frk

Yeah I was really close to buying a stig but think I want to go Ti.

Standert looks nice but are they only in Europe?

Nope they're based in Germany but ship worldwide. Prices are lower too because you don't pay VAT I believe.

[SlowPokePete]

I really like a metal bike as a gravel machine, preferably unpainted, so ti really fits the bill for me.

My Lynskey has 18,500 miles on it and it's been a great bike.

SPP

[FlashUNC]

Call Paul Sadoff, tell 'em what you want, specify the Rock Lobster in sea foam, wait a few months, and Bob's yer uncle.

[mtb_frk]

Yeah a lobster has always been something I wanted to try.

[oldguy00]

Cervelo Aspero
3T Exploro

Two that I am looking at...

[scoobydrew]

Looks like your price range is ~$2000. With those requirements, Litespeed seems to have a couple of gravel options where you can "upgrade" to a T47 threaded BB shell.

[djg21]

Originally Posted by mtb_frk

I got the go ahead to spend about 2-2.5k on a new gravel bike. Im looking at frame and fork for that price. I’m not interested in bike packing, this would be for a occasional race, and mostly just riding.

So here are the requirements
Ti
700x>=40, 650x48
Fender mounts
No pressfit bb
Good warranty aka a company that has been around for awhile, and will hopefully be in the future.

Right now Lynskey is the leading contender but am looking for other options just in case I am missing something before I pull the trigger on the GR300.

The dean torries looks nice but the dean of old kind of scares me.

Honey is another idea but both them and dean are probably just out of my price range.

I just got the Lynskey GR Race. It’s got shorter chainstays and supposedly climbs a bit better than the GR300. I’m just in the process of getting parts to build it. I got the Lauf Grit SL fork directly from Lynskey and Flo Cycling G700 wheels (20% off coupon code if you listen to podcast. https://flocycling.com/pages/podcast). The GR Race is designed for 1x, so I’m doing a Force AXS/Eagle mullet build with a 44x50-10 cassette.

BTW, this frame was a warranty replacement for a custom R460 I purchased in 2007 and rode for after a chainstay cracked last winter while on the trainer. I paid a very reasonable upgrade fee for the fork. When I called about the warranty, Lynskey told that the fact that I had 13 years of heavy use didn’t matter: “lifetime means lifetime.” You can’t beat that warranty and service.

[nalax]

Originally Posted by mtb_frk

Yeah a lobster has always been something I wanted to try.

From RL's facebook post on 10/13:

"Looks like my wait time is up to 9 months now. 2020 has been a really strange year for the bike industry and all of us within are busier than ever. It is a good thing when you can keep up with the work load but at 65 I'm finding it a real struggle. I hope that all of you on the list can be patient ."

So you might be looking at July '21

[mtb_frk]

Originally Posted by nalax

From RL's facebook post on 10/13:

"Looks like my wait time is up to 9 months now. 2020 has been a really strange year for the bike industry and all of us within are busier than ever. It is a good thing when you can keep up with the work load but at 65 I'm finding it a real struggle. I hope that all of you on the list can be patient ."

So you might be looking at July '21

Its amazing how fast 9 months goes by when your wife is pregnant but that is too long to wait for a bike.

[mtb_frk]

Originally Posted by djg21

I just got the Lynskey GR Race. It’s got shorter chainstays and supposedly climbs a bit better than the GR300. I’m just in the process of getting parts to build it. I got the Lauf Grit SL fork directly from Lynskey and Flo Cycling G700 wheels (20% off coupon code if you listen to podcast. https://flocycling.com/pages/podcast). The GR Race is designed for 1x, so I’m doing a Force AXS/Eagle mullet build with a 44x50-10 cassette.

BTW, this frame was a warranty replacement for a custom R460 I purchased in 2007 and rode for after a chainstay cracked last winter while on the trainer. I paid a very reasonable upgrade fee for the fork. When I called about the warranty, Lynskey told that the fact that I had 13 years of heavy use didn’t matter: “lifetime means lifetime.” You can’t beat that warranty and service.

I'll be interested to hear what you think of the bike once you get it built up.

Thats one of the main reasons I want to go with a company that has been around for a while. As nice as some of smaller brands are, I wonder if they will be around in 5 years.

[ridethecliche]

This may be a bit out of left field but the Ribble CGR looks pretty amazing.

I think it checks all your boxes. I think my next 'long term' bike is going to be ti. I'm seriously considering lynskey as well as this.

https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr-ti/