Lynskey Introduces UrBANskey, Commuter Smarts with Road Bike Speed

Nice looking frame , but I agree that a 66 mm BB drop is tall for a road bike.

Yeah the bb drop really would be better at 75mm. My Civia Kingfield has that, it’s awesome for many reasons, not least stopping at lights and keeping one foot clipped in and one foot on the ground. There is no reason for this bike to have such a high bb.

Also with a carrier that high above the rear wheel the bike would handle crap with any weight on it.

I can see where Lynskey are going with this bike but feel they just haven’t got it right.

@every BB argument above
1) BB height from the ground and drop are two different things, you realize that right?
2) you are arguing over +- 7mm, or a touch over 1/4″. Are you really astute enough to notice the difference? It’s a cx bike adapted, what would you expect???

@MissedThePoint: I’ve been riding a previous generation Cooper CX as my commuter in SEA, DC and NYC. No issues with theft. Like anything else, a good u-lock, good locking technique and a good lockup location (avoid repeated lockups)… You don’t have to have the impossible to steal bike, just the one that’s harder than the bike next to you. The bike is actually pretty unassuming if you get it done with a basic etched finish.

For the BB height: the bike is actually pretty stable. It won’t take a massive load (a couple of fully loaded Ortliebs is about all I ever take). I agree with the qualms about their rack. I opted for a Tubus Airy Ti rack, which fits really well.

For the fenders: totally agree there. The demo bike should’ve had a fender set. But the eyelet setup they have works pretty well for full coverage fenders on the actual bike. Just get a Problem Solvers spacer so you can get around the rear disc brake mount (true for pretty much any disc brake bike with fenders).

For the head tube and fork choice: they went with a 44 mm tube so that you can choose either the tapered carbon forks, or you can go with a straight steerer fork. A standard 1 1/8 head tube doesn’t give you that choice. Personally, I went with a Wound Up fork over the three OEM choices, and I’m glad I did.

My two complaints about this model: I think the name isn’t very good (especially their insistence on capitalizing the BAN in the middle), and I don’t like the ascetic of the riveted 3D printed name badges. Their old stickers were delicate to say the least, so I know why they switched. But I still think for a bike that’ll take abuse, a brushed finish with etched details is the lowest maintenance option.

They made some odd choices, but to me the worst was the seatstay-mounted discs, which require the high and unstable mounting of the rack. That also left the bike with cable routing under the top tube – using cable ties – not something a crosser would appreciate. Also not cross-friendly is the riveted-on name plate.

I commute on a Cooper CX through the winter in Toronto. I don’t run fenders in the snow because it packs up and that bugs me more than any spray. I don’t run a rack because of the snow and road crud. I like the CX higher BB and clearance plus the better steering position for slippery, tricky situations, easy to hop a curb or negotiate a snowbank. I don’t find it a problem on clean days as I can still comfortably hold road cruising speed. Never felt it was anything other than a great tool for the job I had at hand, my set of criteria. That’s the point.

Man, you guys are a bunch of A*^% holes, you never have anything good to say about anything. It is a sweet bikeand guess what: if you want a specific road/cross/tour/mtb lynskey makes that too. The post specifically says it is a commuter based on their cross platform, so guess what? It is going to be mostly cross with a few commuting conveniences. A lot of people only have 1 bike so buying a platform around your most used but could do some other things is pretty nice. For all of you thatcan clearly critique and buy 6 bikes for every sub-specialty go ahead and quit picking on the do it all bikes.

At the end of the day it’s still a Lynskey.

@Will

The geometry of this bike is really just OK for a cross bike and TERRIBLE for a commuter. I’ve ridden a lot of bikes over my many years as a bike shop employee. I wouldn’t be happy paying for a bike like this(I’m a huge fan of titanium).

Most would be better off cross racing a slightly higher BB than normal touring/road bike vs. commuting with a SUPER HIGH BB cross bike. Hell…a lot of brands are beginning to lower their BBs on the cross bikes. Few people jump barriers anyway and with the trend to go to a single ring up front…bashing a chainring is less of an issue. As for striking a pedal…you’d have to have a hell of a lot of confidence to pedal into a corner with enough lean to strike on a cross bike. If you have a lower BB…you’d likely be able to hit the corner faster and coast through with the lower center of gravity.

Wow, the haters really popped out of the woodwork. This bike ticks all the boxes for me… except price. Hopefully bikesdirect.com will come out with a Ultegra version for $2,500. 🙂

I’ve been an Urbansky for years build up as a mtn bike for commuting and city touring, excellent ride.