IB15: Lynskey throws back with classic road, jumps forward with long travel enduro titanium mountain bikes

WoW. Why don’t they just stop making full suspension bikes all together? Riding a $12K full suspension specialized Carbon Sworks isn’t an abhorrent combination of wealth, stupidity, and a lack of understanding of the bike you ride? Or is it just the people riding Ti FS.

So, the people who make Ti bikes only aren’t allowed to make FS bikes. Interesting point of view, if by interesting one means myopic.

Maybe a person that buys a Ti FS bike wants something that is long lasting and not easily damaged such as soft alloy and carbon.

@fergus. Spot on. I remember buying my first Merlin road bike years ago. I bought a carbon road rig a few years after. It was warrantied twice. So was my next carbon bike…..Ti is timeless and takes a beating. Plus most have a threaded BB:-) I have so many people ask me on group rides if my 10 year old Ti bike is new that I stopped counting.

Won a few national TTs on that frame over the years, awesome bike, raced today on the road frame they built me probably 9years ago and will be MTB racing tomorrow on my Pro29, want an FS but at the time time they couldn’t do a custom get version

Just to add there are lots of crappy TI, carbon, steel and aluminium frames out there as well as lots of great ones. The material doesn’t make the bike, how it’s used does.

I think if you have to ask why a FS bike should not be made of Ti, then you are not understanding Ti… or probably what an FS frame is supposed to do in relation to the suspension.

Of course, if you can, you can and all props to those who can but it does not mean that you should.

Ti=dent resistance. I’ve crashed my road bike a bunch and am never careful with it when I lay it down, pack it etc. Sure, a Ti FS bike may not behave exactly like carbon or even be as light as aluminum but it will very likely last longer than you will which is great!!!
That said, outside of one Ti Lemond, all the cracked Ti bikes I’ve seen have been Lynskeys. Not a ton but still worrisome when I’ve never seen a cracked SEVEN, IF, Sarotta, MOOTS etc

With the right combination of wall thickness and tube diameter any metal tube can be made to have the desired stiffness properties. For ti that might mean it’s properties are not used in the most efficient way, but who says the potential buyer cares? The ti frame might come out weighing a pound more than an equivalent stiffness aluminium bike but many buyers won’t worry about that. Too many arm chair experts around here sometimes…

Personally I quite like to see the hand workmanship that goes into the fabrication of a ti full sus frame. This new Lynskey is quite appealing in that regard.

@myke, the first bike was a carbon trekSSL, a “hand made” bike from a small company in Wisconsin. At the time is wasprobably one of the better carbon frames you could get. Great bike. The dropouts came unglued from the frame. Twice. Both frames that I received in warranty had this happen. The other was an SWorks tarmac my wife bought for me (big birthday) that had a dysfunctional BB. Warranty issue. I’m not a hardcore “ti” guy. I love carbon, I just don’t like all the issues that CAN come along with it but I deal with it:-)

the rear triangle becomes the “problem” in titanium f/s suspension design. There needs to be a certain amount of rigidity created in the rear suspension, torsion and otherwise. And what lynskey is trying to pull off with their design, makes torsional rigidity that much harder to execute in ti.

Lynskey as a ti bicycle company is “trying” to offer up a valid all ti f/s mtb. If that is what a rider wants, there it is. But if coming off/from a premium aluminum or carbon f/s – the ti lynskey will be disappointing (rear triangle twist and/or design). IMO

@Sean P neither would be considered premium carbon. Trek has known failure issues with their OCLV and specialized is extremely mass produced in all models.

@aaron- kind of agree, in general

@Ben- Disagree. Material determines design and “how it’s put together.” cheers

I am a lover of titanium. More than most. But I am in the camp of don’t bother making a Ti full suspension bike.

There are many reasons for doing it, probably more for not doing it. Proof will be in how many they sell. I will leave it with that.

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I get the knock on Ti FS. Yep, it doesn’t make too much sense, especially considering the flexy FS failures in the past. But, I bit the bullet and bought last year’s 29er model about a year ago. I’ve ridden it for a season, and compared to the ventana el Rey that I had before it, I haven’t noticed much more flex. It’s there a bit, but it’s there predictably. I liked the lifetime warranty, have wanted ti since I was a kid, wanted US made, and like the low maintenance and worry free riding that it comes with. And not having to worry about rock dings is a nice plus.

I’m in DC, so I typically head out to the Watershed trails in MD, which are very rocky, and fountainhead trails, which are rooty and flowy. I looked at the sc tallboy, but just found this to be a better deal. They’ve updated the rear travel for the summit, where mine is a single pivot. So far it’s performing great for both small bump compliance, and feels pretty bottomless for large hits.