Lynskey Cooper CX / CMT for commuting (all rounder)

[Drizt]

Hi All,

I'm looking to have a bike built up for my wife that will be used as an all rounder and I'm wanting it to be a bike that lasts.

Here requirements are:
1). Hydro disc brakes - I've contacted Lynskey and they can make the necessary modifications to the 2014 model to allow this (no cost)
2). Rack mounts - my wife uses panniers and sometimes carries heavy loads to and from work.
3). Fender mounts
4). Can take a 28-32c tyre under the fenders

Now the Lynskey ticks all these boxes which is great. This morning when my wife was talking to our LBS the mechanic / tech guy suggested not going with the Lynskey as he has seen some quality issues: Rusted bottom bracket section & improperly faced headtube destroying a Chris King head set etc. He was suggesting looking at Salsa but it is my understanding Salsa Ti bikes are built by Lynskey??? Anyone had any quality issues with Lynskeys? The CX / CMT in particular.

I was thinking of going with the new SRAM Rival 22 with Hydro brakes group set. Anyone have any alternative suggestions or warnings?

Any suggestions regarding the build will be greatly appreciated. I've set a bit of a soft target of around $5k spend.

Here are two builds that Bike Pro in Burwood do for a price comparison / guide
http://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/cycloc ... /100268722" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/cycloc ... /100279989" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Edit: Changed - 'out of true piping' to 'improperly faced headtube'

[geoff_tewierik]

Rusted bottom bracket section

It's made of titanium - that doesn't rust.

I'll take a stab and say he saw rust markings from the steel axle from the bottom bracket that had been installed in there.

[Drizt]

He said something about the welds looking a bit dodgy and rusted. I'm not sure, the info is third hand.

[queequeg]

Go the Cooper CX. Unless you are getting a great deal from Bikepro, consider doing the order direct from Lynskey if they are running a special. I got mine online and even
with outrageous shipping costs + GST, it still worked out $1,000 cheaper.

There is no difference between the frame on the CX vs CMT, it is just the components that differ.

If you are considering a rack, Lynskey now does their own Ti rack to complement the Cooper CX/CMT.

The comments about rust are rubbish. Ti does not rust. My Cooper CX has done over 26,000km in some shocking conditions and I rarely wash it. Not a single issue with it. Build quality is top notch.

[gabrielle260]

My Lynskey 29er frame cracked where the seat post enters the frame. I sent the frame back and it was fixed without fuss. The only thing that annoyed me was that the required seat post diameter changed as a result of the fix, otherwise I was pleased with their responsiveness.
I would certainly buy a Lynskey again.
Yes - Salsa's Ti frames were built by Lynskey but I don't know if they still are.
Andrew

[Drizt]

Thanks guys for the responses.

If you don't mind... could you please make some build recommendations?

Groupset ?? (remember must have hydro disc)
front fork (guessing carbon would be a nice touch)
wheels etc ??

[queequeg]

Thanks guys for the responses.

If you don't mind... could you please make some build recommendations?

Groupset ?? (remember must have hydro disc)
front fork (guessing carbon would be a nice touch)
wheels etc ??

The Lynskey Carbon CX Disc Fork is very nice. I have the Winwood Muddy online, which is essentially the same thing (probably made by the same factory in Taiwan). No rack mounts on the forks for obvious reasons, but has fender eyelets. Clearance for large tyres is ample, and you can up to about a 38c tyre with guards. You can run up to a 160mm rotor on these forks.

No idea on a Hydro groupset. I would guess SRAM 22 is what Lynskey offers. Mine is a SRAM Apex Mechanical with BB7 road discs.

[Drizt]

Thanks for the reply

[Drizt]

When you say you got the bike directly from lynskey, was that a fully built bike or a frame set?

[biker jk]

My Lynskey has covered 23,000km and it's as perfect as the day I bought it. Chris King headset was installed without any problem into the headtube. That mechanic sounds like an idiot.

ChainReaction have the Cooper CX frame for just over $1700 but you would need to add GST (no duty since frame manufactured in US and we have a free trade agreement).

[Drizt]

My Lynskey has covered 23,000km and it's as perfect as the day I bought it. Chris King headset was installed without any problem into the headtube. That mechanic sounds like an idiot.

ChainReaction have the Cooper CX frame for just over $1700 but you would need to add GST (no duty since frame manufactured in US and we have a free trade agreement).

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we are wanting hydro disc brakes so we will have to buy a special order from Lynskey (normal price, no additional chargers for the modifications).

[Drizt]

The Ti Lynskey rack looks pretty sweet (although pricy)

https://www.lynskeyperformance.com/stor ... nomad.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[queequeg]

When you say you got the bike directly from lynskey, was that a fully built bike or a frame set?

Full bike, but I had it shipped unbuilt.

[queequeg]

The Ti Lynskey rack looks pretty sweet (although pricy)

https://www.lynskeyperformance.com/stor ... nomad.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I use a Tubus Airy Ti rack. Still pricey at $130, but nowhere as pricey as the Lynskey one...but yes, what a sweet rack!

[Drizt]

When you say you got the bike directly from lynskey, was that a fully built bike or a frame set?

Full bike, but I had it shipped unbuilt.

Thank you. I've sent of an email to Lynskey for a quote.

[queequeg]

My Lynskey has covered 23,000km and it's as perfect as the day I bought it. Chris King headset was installed without any problem into the headtube. That mechanic sounds like an idiot.

ChainReaction have the Cooper CX frame for just over $1700 but you would need to add GST (no duty since frame manufactured in US and we have a free trade agreement).

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we are wanting hydro disc brakes so we will have to buy a special order from Lynskey (normal price, no additional chargers for the modifications).

Some YouTube clips you might be interested in then:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdQrMZozHOw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnKO1frKmqY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Di2 Hydraulic options will mostly likely be available for 2015 onwards.

[queequeg]

When you say you got the bike directly from lynskey, was that a fully built bike or a frame set?

Full bike, but I had it shipped unbuilt.

Thank you. I've sent of an email to Lynskey for a quote.

I'll warn you upfront, shipping from the USA is grossly overpriced. The shipping for the complete bike was $530 (AUD). For frameset only I was quoted $330 (AUD). I found this odd because the heaviest part was the wheels and box of components, so price was probably calculated on cubic volume, not on weight. The box the frame/fork came in was quite big and extremely well packed. Each wheel came in it's own box, then there were two smaller boxes for the groupset and sundries.

even with $530 shipping + $430 GST (No Duty Payable), it still worked out cheaper than BikePro as the complete bike was bought under an online promotion.

[Drizt]

Thanks for the heads up.

[Drizt]

So.... 'apparently' Salsa use to have Lynskey build their Ti frames but no longer due to quality concerns... No idea if this is true or not.

What do you guys think of the Salsa Ti bikes?

[Drizt]

Soooooo.... we went and had a look at the Lynskey at bike pro over the weekend ...... they are gorgeous The lust levels were through the roof

We are awaiting confirmation from lynskey regarding the hydro disc cable routing modifications (hopefully like the sportive disc model) and then we will make our order.

The following has been chosen:
SRAM Force 22 Hydraulic Disc Brake group set
Chris King head set (red)
Chris King bottom bracket (red)
White Industries hubs (Red - CLD or 6 bolt?)
Pacenti CL25 rims
DT Swiss Comp spokes

We need to confirm if the frame size should be a Small or a Medium.


This brings us to a question regarding disc hubs..... We will be getting White Industries hubs and were pondering weather it is worth getting the Centre Lock Disc hubs and using an adapter to mount the 6 bolt SRAM rotors ????? My thinking was that this would allow all rotors to be an option in the future. Whereas if we went with the WI 6 bolt hubs then we could only ever buy 6 bolt rotors. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[AndreB1972]

This brings us to a question regarding disc hubs..... We will be getting White Industries hubs and were pondering weather it is worth getting the Centre Lock Disc hubs and using an adapter to mount the 6 bolt SRAM rotors ????? My thinking was that this would allow all rotors to be an option in the future. Whereas if we went with the WI 6 bolt hubs then we could only ever buy 6 bolt rotors. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

I run a setup like this - Mavic XL center lock wheelset with Hope 6 bolt discs with the adapter. They work fine, except that there is a small amount of movement between the disc and hub, which is especially noticeable at slow speeds. It feels like a loose headset and is really irritating. Given the option I would rather just use the proper hubs - its not like you switch discs everyday, and there are plenty options either way.

[Drizt]

Thanks for the info, that is very helpful.

[AndreB1972]

And while you are breaking the bank, check these out:

https://www.philwood.com/products/bbpages/alobb.php

[sobmal]

From my experience Lynskey bikes are great quality and they stand behind their products, the only issue is that warranty returns are annoying due to shipping times.
Personally I have never had an issue with mine, I have one of their roadies and a couple MTB frames, but two friends have had cracked frames (all repaired/replaced) with their MTB frames, doesn't worry me all that much as cracked MTB frames are just a part of MTB life (In my experience most MTB frames will crack/fail given enough punishment).
I'd buy another Lynskey without question.
Never had an issue with bike pro either.
Those White Industry hubs should last a long time as well, very nice hubs.

The CX will be a nice commuter for sure.

[Drizt]

Thanks for the very helpful info.

My wife ordered the sportive disc with SRAM force 22 hydro disc group set. H Plus Son Archetype rims (32h) with white industries centre lock disc hubs (red) and DT Swiss Comp spokes. Added some Chris King head set and bottom bracket in red to match

After spending an hour with Andy from bike pro doing a fit up and talking through her wants she decided on the sportive disc. I'm glad she made the decision herself as that takes the risk of disappointment away from me

Just awaiting the build by bike pro.

I'm now looking at getting something similar myself (will wait to thoroughly test out my wifes new bike first). I actually wanted a Sportive Disc as well but not sure we should be 'that couple' with matching bikes. Looking into the Kona Rove Ti frameset and building it up with similar spec's. Anyone have any thoughts on the Kona Rove Ti ?