Home > Event Coverage > Interbike

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

35 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

2016-Lynskey-Legacy-classic-titanium-road-bike01

Lynskey’s mostly moving forward, with surprisingly long travel, endure-inspired Boost mountain bikes and creating lots of new road disc brake options. Basically all models except the 460 crit bike get disc brake versions. Well, that and this new Legacy road bike that’s shaped like the classics.

The Legacy is a new throwback bike with old school road geometry and lines, like a level top tube, matched or closely matched seat tube and top tube lengths (the 56 has exact matches). The point? to celebrate Lynskey’s 30th anniversary, a milestone decorated with special dropouts and other features…

2016-Lynskey-Legacy-classic-titanium-road-bike03

2016-Lynskey-Legacy-classic-titanium-road-bike04

2016-Lynskey-titanium-FIST-triathlon-bike01

Their new TSL 3.1 triathlon bike gets Dan Empfield’s FIST (Fit Institute SlowTwitch) approved geometry with a 78º seat tube and adjustable dropouts so you can tuck tires as small as 23mm up super close to the seat tube. That means It’s aimed at long distance racers that want a more comfortable ride compared to a stiff carbon frame. Top tube is somewhat flat, and they’ll add mounts for any bento box storage. In front of that is a 44mm head tube so you can run straight or tapered steerer.

2016-Lynskey-Summit-29er-long-travel-titanium-mountain-bike01

Long travel titanium mountain bikes are a rarity, but Lynskey’s expanding and updating their line with just that. All full suspension bikes and high end hardtails are now Boost 148 rears.

2016-Lynskey-Summit-29er-long-travel-titanium-mountain-bike02

The Summit 29er FS bikes now have a longer 140mm option (up from 120), and the 27.5″ gains a 165mm travel option (up from 140). Shorter travel options remain, too.

2016-Lynskey-Summit-29er-long-travel-titanium-mountain-bike04

2016-Lynskey-Summit-29er-long-travel-titanium-mountain-bike03

Front triangles on the longer travel bikes are similar to before, but get revised BB sections to work better with the Boost rear end.

LynskeyPerformance.com

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

35 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Chainwhipped
Chainwhipped
8 years ago

Love their frames. I really do. Just keep Ti out of suspension bikes. Aluminum. Full suspension mountain bikes are made out of aluminum.

Rigid bikes made out of Titanium are fantastic when they’re done well. Nice riding, long lasting tools. Full squish Ti is not a tool. It’s a conversation piece that shows an abhorrent combination of wealth, stupidity, and a lack of understanding of the bike you ride.

Sean P
Sean P
8 years ago

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.

Mike D
8 years ago

I came here to comment, but @Chainwhipped pretty much covered it! All the things you said, I second them.

PsiSquared
PsiSquared
8 years ago

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.

Mike D
8 years ago

So, if by ‘not allowed’ you mean “should not”, then yes, you are spot on.

But heck, last I checked Tennessee was a free state, they are ‘allowed’ to make whatever they want!

fergus
fergus
8 years ago

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.

Cryogenii
Cryogenii
8 years ago

Why hate on someone just because their ride costs more than yours. Some rich guys are also good bike riders. Wealthy people ride nicer bikes. I been mountain biking a quarter of a century. My first bike when I was a kid cost a couple of hundred pounds, now they cost many thousands.

Sean P
Sean P
8 years ago

@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.

PsiSquared
PsiSquared
8 years ago

I’m still trying to figure out what faulty logic leads to the conclusion that one should not buy or make Ti FS frames.

Ben
Ben
8 years ago

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

Timmy Tams
Timmy Tams
8 years ago

PsiSquared and others: The lovely flexible/absorbant nature of Ti which makes it such a great material for road and hardtail frames also makes it a terrible choice for full suspension, where you need stiffness above all else. This is the same reason that steel full suspension is practically non-existant except for heavy duty DH/freeride/slopestyle bikes. You can certainly build a good ti or steel full sus but you’d have to make it so oversized/heavy that you remove any of the advantage of making it in titanium in the first place.

Ben
Ben
8 years ago

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.

WannaBeSTi
WannaBeSTi
8 years ago

Obviously Mark is trying to throw some old bikes (Litespeeds) at the wall to see what sticks.
The Legend is the old LS Classic, the tri bike is the old Blade/Saber/ Ti-phoon, the FS is the old Owl Hollow. The Legend will sell, the tri bike is meh, and the FS is a bust. I’ve heard people from Litespeed laugh at how poorly they executed a ti FS bike…and that was during Mark’s reign! So what is he doing now that will make his design a success, other than throwing a bunch of modern design at them? Like previous Ti FSs, the swingarm will yield as much lateral flex as it does vertical.

Antipodean_eleven
8 years ago

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.

Ben
Ben
8 years ago

The tri bike is not a saber or blade, I’ve had both and the Lynskey is very different in just about every way from tube shapes to stiffness.
And why does everyone think TI is flexy? It can be just like steel or carbon can be but doesn’t have to be. I’m 6’7 88kg and I don’t find them flexy.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
8 years ago

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

Myke
Myke
8 years ago

@Sean P did you buy a equally nice carbon frame? Or mid grade mass production carbon. You hardcore ti guys always clump all carbon into a load of crap! Why knock it if it’s your fancy?

The Boss
The Boss
8 years ago

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.

quickgeezer
quickgeezer
8 years ago

A titanium frame (steel too) can be designed to be squishy or to be stiff as hell; I know, because my (road) ti Seven is pretty stiff where it needs to be for power transfer and handling, but I certainly could’ve had it softer and theoretically more comfortable. It’s pretty comfortable anyway, and it’s great having a frame that’s basically bulletproof, and definitely rustproof. It’s self-contradictory to think that no ti full-suspension bike could possibly make sense, while also believing that the material counts less than skill in designing and executing the frame.

Sean P
Sean P
8 years ago

@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:-)

badbikemechanicx
badbikemechanicx
8 years ago

@seanp HAHAHAAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH truth

aaron
aaron
8 years ago

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

Ben
Ben
8 years ago

Not true at all, a so called premium carbon full suspension bike we had as a demo was probably the most flexible bike any one in the shop had ridden, it was truly terrible. Which again proves my point about the material meaning nothing but how it’s put together

Myke
Myke
8 years ago

@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.

Sean P
Sean P
8 years ago

Myke, you’re 100% correct. My mistake. You win.

K11
K11
8 years ago

@aaron- kind of agree, in general

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

myke
myke
8 years ago

@Sean P its not about being right its about being aware there are just a good of carbon options as Ti. the notion that one is better then other is the stuffing in fouls turkey.

matt
matt
8 years ago

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.

TKD
TKD
8 years ago

Isnt all this arguing a moot point? Who cares WHAT it is made of, its made by Lynskey. Nuff said, arguments over.

crackedframe
crackedframe
8 years ago

(deleted)

FaT-tOnY
FaT-tOnY
8 years ago

Thumbs up to Chainwhipped – spot on

Ian
Ian
8 years ago

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.

david
david
7 years ago

Ian, I am on a large 2011 Ellsworth evolve 29er fs, and I am considering moving to a large lynskey fs 29er I ride Alafia and boyette as well as fats in sc and Elijah area trails. what area are you riding in? what other fs bikes did you consider? How does the rear travel feel for both small bump compliance and large hits? thanks. David

Ian
Ian
7 years ago

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.

Byron
Byron
4 years ago

I’ve have a chrom bike in the beginning, solid it because we both came in at the same weight class. Bought an aluminum bike, broke the frame and other some other parts, damn I wish I could afford a ti mtn bike.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.