eggnumber41679

I've read probably every archived thread on the Ti vs. Al vs. Carbon debate on this and other boards, and have decided that the opinions are in the end so subjective and contradictory that I wanted to pose a few focused questions to the forum. Hopefully some of you have actually ridden the Lynskey R320 -and- the Cervelo S1.

https://www.lynskeyperformance.com/a/...wb_section_160

https://www.cervelo.com/en_us/bikes/2010/S1/

I'm 5'8", 150 lbs, and an aggressive sprinter with strong arms. I want this bike for crits, club rides and casual eat-and-ride centuries. After a carbon tragedy (the sound it makes when it cracks is the sound of your breaking heart -- and bank account), my wife is limiting me to one last bike. This is going to be my forever bike, so it needs to do a lot. Or, it needs to do a few things really well and not be horrible on the others.

I've read enough about Ti to gather that it's flexy compared to Al or carbon -- but what I want to know frmo you guys is -how- flexy. Are we talking 25% difference in power-transfer? Or will the tube-design of the R320 compensate for any inherent flex in the material? And if the flex doesn't matter as a Cat 4, will it make a difference when I'm up to Cat 1/2?

The Cervelo S1 is astonishingly affordable, and I hear it's fast and suprisingly comfortable for such an aggressive Al design. But in terms of durability, if some dumbass laterals into me at 28mph in a crit, will I be crying over my broken S1 like I was crying over my broken Tarmac? Even if Gerard Vroomen describes it as "bombproof?" For that matter, will I be crying over my broken Lynskey?

Any help will be much appreciated! Thanks, all.

patentcad

Get the Ti bike kid. And you're less likely to break a Lynskey than an alu bike. Then you can get a real CF race bike in a few years. and keep the Ti forever. I've had my Ibis Titanium Road for 15 years. You'll love the Lynskey.

rollin

"... forever bike..." = Ti

jdon

For crit racing look for a good used CF frame. For all the other rides you mentioned get the Lynskey.

AngryScientist 

ha...

badhat

Ti is pretty soft but i bought a litespeed archon T1 last year and its race stiff and 2.3 pounds. not cheap, but for my buck the best Ti race frame and then best way to get rigidity and longevity in one package.

Farby

Get Ti.

Ramjm_2000

A custom ti frame can be tunned to ride pretty much anyway you want. I had a IF Ti crown jewel that I spec'd to be super stiff and it was. So much in fact that I sold it 6 months later because it was just too stiff not only in the BB but in vert compliance. Off the self models may be tuned to the comfort end of the spectrum but if your going with a Lynskey you can probably have them stiffen up the BB area with a minimal weight penalty.

fa63

My Scattante Ti frame (made by Lynskey and the tubing looks almost identical to the R320) is plenty stiff in the bottom bracket area and everywhere else. I am also much taller / heavier than the OP, so I doubt he will find stiffness of the Lynskey to be an issue.

Ramjm_2000

From what I was told by a builder at Lynskey, its a similar design but with less tube manipulation and mostly straight guage tubing, hence the cost and extra weight (and probably stiffness too).

ChorusGirl

Go with the S1. I love this bike.

rollin

Yes but he's going to be a cat 1

MrTuner1970

I own a Lynskey R330. Don't do crits, so can't comment on that, but the bike will great for club rides and centuries. I'm using tubeless tires with Eurus wheels. The ride is so incredibly smooth and comfortable.

I was looking at Lysnkey's site yesterday. They're having a special purchase deal for their Helix frame. If this is gonna be your forever bike, go with the Helix. I think I paid $2400 for my R330 that came with the same fork and headset (and also the Lynskey seatpost). The Helix frame (with fork and headset) right now is $2995. Kinda wish I'd waited for this sale ... but there's always a better deal after any purchase.

Talk to Mike Skiles at Suck Creek Cycles -- he's a Lynskey dealer in Chattanooga. He's a great guy, and will be helpful and honest. www.suckcreek.com

Breal

Go with Lynskey Ti, call them and they will answer/solve any questions/issues you have about their frames. Great customer service.

swalburn

I have a Lynskey R320 and only have great things to say about it. I had a specialized e5 before it and that was a great bike as well. The people who say Ti isn't stiff make me laugh. The r320 is very stiff. I think where Ti loses is in the stiffness to weight department. I'm sure an ultra light Ti frame may be flexy, but the R320 is around 1100 grams and is plenty stiff. The Lynskey has also survived two horrible race crashes. One of which required surgery to put me back together again. The frame was inspected and is damn near perfect other than a couple scratches. I often check out carbon wonder bikes, and will probably own one one day, but I can't imagine parting with the lynskey right now. Additionally, I've always lusted after after an S1 or Soloist. I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

operator

You want to know why the S1 is still astonishingly affordable? Because it comes with a piece of crap front crank/chainrings (FSA Gossamer), that at best shifts like pure garbage. Anyone who is more than slightly clueless will figure this out. Figure in the price of replacement crank swap at buy time, something that shifts like any of the shimano cranks. You'll thank me later if you do decide to buy this bike.

fa63

Good to know; when I called Lynskey to ask them some questions about the frame (I was having dropout alignment issues), they weren't really willing to talk about these frames. I guess they don't like to answer questions about their workmanship if the frame doesn't bear their name on it (even though they built the frames).

zerocool33

I would also say Titanium. I plan on getting one in a year or so. I'm actually looking at a CX frame personally. If I'm going to have something for a long time I want it to be versatile and comfortable.

merlinextraligh

Nothing lasts forever, but Ti is going to give you better odds for the long run than CF or Al.

So if longevity is your criteria go Ti. And if you want the bike to be stiff, the Archon would be a good answer. Expensive, but hey its supposed to be your last bike.

And as for the issue of how much difference stiffness makes, the anwer is precious little in terms of power transfer. One difference that I think is noticeable is that a stiffer front end makes for more confident handling, which is something you want in a crit bike. And the Archon's construction is designed to give the front end of the bike CF like stiffness.


Or you could go completely the other direction, and buy the S1, explain to your wife that it's cheap, and even if you need to replace it someday, it will still be cheaper than buying one, more expensive bike now,

Or finally you could grow a pair and buy what you want.

RazorWind

Between those two, I'd probably go with the Lynskey, but the Soloist team that I actually own and ride is great. If you're worried about having to replace it after crashing, I'd go with the cheaper option. There are other options in that price range that should be just as durable, though. Cannondale, for instance. I say ride a bunch of bikes and get the one you like the best.

I'd also put my wife in her place if she tried to tell me I could never buy another bike again. That's a stupid and unreasonable demand for her to make.

"Oh really? No more bikes ever? Ok, no more new [whatever she likes - shoes? trips to europe?] ever. Deal?"

Run2Wheels

Go Ti: Extra Bonus, Made in the USA

Paul Y.

Go for Lynskey. I have the r210. You'll never regret it.

echappist

+1

seems like the only thing we manufacture well these days... i'll be getting one when i get my ph d

edit: op, regarding stiffness of Ti, did you know that pro tour teams used to race titanium? Lotto did back in the early 2000's, granted that they were a uci continental team back then

ps, anyone race a lynskey cooper?

ChicagoClyde

I have a Lynskey R330 now, too. It is a replacement for a Roubaix that was lost in a tragic bike-to-car incident. I rode a ton of stuff before I replaced, and found that the Aluminum frames (including Cervelo) were all very buzzy and felt high-strung. It wasn't a bad feeling - in fact, I thought it was nice to have so much road feel - but over a longer term ride, I knew I'd find it annoying. The Roubaix spoiled me - I wanted some measure of smoothness, too.

the Cervelo is a very spirited bike. If you are looking for something that is akin to a pure racer, I don't think that you'll go too wrong. And as a bonus, it has the Aero-engineering built into it, which may make you marginally faster over a crit or two.

That said, the Lynskey has really impressed me with its balance. It is stiff (full disclosure - I'm solidly in the clydesdale category, and still have zero deflection at BB) and that leads to really assured, confident handling. So much so, that my first impression on riding was "whoa - this bike can really carve it up." I had thought my beloved Roubaix could handle...but it really can't compare to the R330. It has comfort, too. It's not the same as the old Specialized, but I've been impressed with the level of refinement and comfort that it provides. Actually..."refinement" is a nice way to summarize it's ride quality, in my opinion.

And it hauls. The bike is fast - and that makes it a lot of fun to ride.

I can't tell you what to choose...but I can tell you how and why I chose Ti. I went with ti over the others due to it's value, the pedigree of the Lynskey ownership (they formed Litespeed in an earlier lifetime) and their frame offering. After having a carbon bike - that I LOVED - shatter like glass, I wanted to make a choice that was more durable. Of course, I'm no racer, but for an all-around performer, I'm not sure you'll find a better total package than the Lynskey (and as an aside, their firm is staffed with about the nicest people ever. Mike Viertel worked with me and was great. That was a huge selling point for me with them).

My vote - Lynskey for an all-around bike. Go Cervelo if you think you're ultimately going to be using the bike for races and hard training. Frankly though, you can't go too wrong on this one, no matter which way you choose.

Have fun and pedal fast!

eggnumber41679

The frameset itself is shockingly inexpensive: $1200 MSRP. That includes a 3T Funda Pro carbon fork.