Looks Like Lynskey has a new offering- the GR 250. Close to the Cooper CX with more tire clearance, longer head tube and a bit more slacker. Good times to be in the market for a new gravel bike!
This bike is sick! I did 185 miles of hard pack and gravel in one day this past weekend. The clearance for 27.5 2.1 tires makes for an incredibly comfortable and stable ride.
I highly recommend pairing it with a Lauf Grit fork. You lose the ability to run 700cx45 tires, but being able to run 2.1 XC tires (54mm) more then offsets the need for fat 700c tires.
I don't care how well Lauf Grit works...if it even does...but I'd rather walk than ride that abomination. But hey...to each their own.
The frame on the other-hand...I'm drooling over that. I contacted Lynskey about adding sliders which they said they could but for an extra $500. Unless it's on a good sale...that pushes the frame into custom frame territory. So I'd have to decide on Lynskey vs. other builders. But I've already decided that my next bike WILL be a Ti frame. Just not sure from who.
Yeah, the aesthetics of the Grit aren't for everyone. The ride it gives is pretty nice. I did a double century on hardpack and gravel last month and the suspension was a deal maker.
Lynskey has several options for customization. It would be worth comparing the pricing for a customized Lynskey vs a "custom" frame. I'm not sure what limitation Lynskey has for customization.
I don't care how well Lauf Grit works...if it even does...but I'd rather walk than ride that abomination. But hey...to each their own.
Some of us were dealt a poor hand from the gene pool or maybe had a few too many crashes to enjoy the "rigid" lifestyle. I was ready to give up the gravel scene due to my body ailments. Mine was neck related and I met a guy who almost hung up the bike because of the major hand pain/numbness he experienced. The Lauf pretty much eliminated the constant jarring and I am like a little kid with a new toy. I still have to pick a good line through serious ruts and drops but normal trail chatter is a thing of the past.
OTHRider wrote:I don't care how well Lauf Grit works...if it even does...but I'd rather walk than ride that abomination. But hey...to each their own.
Some of us were dealt a poor hand from the gene pool or maybe had a few too many crashes to enjoy the "rigid" lifestyle. I was ready to give up the gravel scene due to my body ailments. Mine was neck related and I met a guy who almost hung up the bike because of the major hand pain/numbness he experienced. The Lauf pretty much eliminated the constant jarring and I am like a little kid with a new toy. I still have to pick a good line through serious ruts and drops but normal trail chatter is a thing of the past.
Yes, a VERY nice Lyskey.
I get that. But there's other suspension options out there other than that thing. Personally...if I was forced to ride front squish...I'd probably opt for a lefty setup like on the Canondale Slate. Or I'd do a monstercross bike with front suspension of my choice...again, probably a Lefty. I'd do whatever I needed to do to avoid running the Grit.
PlayingMuted wrote:Lynskey has several options for customization. It would be worth comparing the pricing for a customized Lynskey vs a "custom" frame. I'm not sure what limitation Lynskey has for customization.
They go from Pro Custom for $800 which is some geo changes and maybe adding some mounting spots and stuff like that to an already available frame all the way up to full ground up custom. I was quoted $500 just to add slider dropouts so I had the single speed option which puts the frame up to $2700+. For that kind of money...it really opens up some options to consider other frame builders. Not saying I wouldn't go with Lynskey...they do have some really good sales a few times a year...so maybe if I'm ready to buy and the timing is right...I could get a much better deal than the $2700 for the frame only. It will probably be a few years before I'm ready to make that jump anyways...unless maybe I decide to sell my Jamis Renegade but I'd probably lose too much $$$ on it so probably not worth selling at this point.
I get that. But there's other suspension options out there other than that thing. Personally...if I was forced to ride front squish...I'd probably opt for a lefty setup like on the Canondale Slate. Or I'd do a monstercross bike with front suspension of my choice...again, probably a Lefty. I'd do whatever I needed to do to avoid running the Grit.
Is your main issue with the Grit the aesthetic or the performance? I get the aesthetic part. I'm not so sure about the performance part.
The guys who designed the Grit used to work on prosthetic blades for amputees. That meant little room for failure and a need to appropriate modulation of energy absorption and output.
Here are my personal experience front suspension observations:
Rigid:
Dependable, tried and true
You feel the chatter for better or worse
Suspension Stem:
I tried the StaFast stem and the handlebar dive was unnerving
Fork tube needed to be cut to a specific height limiting the use of spacers to change the bar height based on ride length.
Left Oliver:
Couldn't find one sold separately
Allows for custom dampening and rebound based on rider weight
Has a fork lockout
Requires Cannondale specific lefty hub.
Lauf Grit:
Looks funky
Isn't noticeable on chipseal or street riding
Eats up off-road chatter
Leaf springs live up to hype in reacting to road imperfections incredibly fast
Uses standard thru axle hub
No Maintenance
Weighs less than the Oliver
Can't turn off suspension (only during very steep out-of-the-saddle climbing was this noticeable)
Can't tune suspension.
Non-standard 47mm offset
$$$$ Spendy
I'd welcome your personal riding experiences regarding your comparison of the Grit, Lefty Oliver, or other suspension options.
Are your performance observations based on reading or riding?
I think a lot of the "ugly look" is wearing off. Up at Rebecca's P.I. I was probably asked about the fork 50+ times. Even on my local loop, I am approached by riders interested in the fork and how it works (and it is about 99.9% mountain bikers). I'd let more roadies try it out but I use SPD's for pedals.
Thank goodness for creative & persistent people who make my life better.
Nubster wrote: The frame on the other-hand...I'm drooling over that. I contacted Lynskey about adding sliders which they said they could but for an extra $500. Unless it's on a good sale...that pushes the frame into custom frame territory. So I'd have to decide on Lynskey vs. other builders. But I've already decided that my next bike WILL be a Ti frame. Just not sure from who.
What do you like about Ti?
Its interesting to see Lynskey frames on Nashbar for about $1500 (on one of their frequent 25% off sales).
I had three Lynskey frames (29 MTN) and cracked all three. Customer service was poor every time with hassle.
My personal experience with them has not been positive.
There are many other frame/bike builders who do a better job than Lynskey. When it breaks (not if), you'll be sorry you didn't spend time/money/research looking elsewhere.
Why not go for the Carver bikes gravel frame? Very similar (sliding dropouts), 700 bucks cheaper, and made by Lynskey! Both the Carver gravel frame and all road frame look really good.
Black Sheep, Moots and Dean are three long time Ti builders out here in Colorado. All make a range of bikes and if you've got $$$ to burn they'll do all sorts of custom work.
From what I've seen, a Ti frame will come in 2 to 3 pounds less than a comparable steel frame. I've had several Dean bikes over the years - a few road and one CX. I'm down to two - my beloved "flexible flyer" road bike which has a very light weight butted tube set. It's comfortable because it's flexible, but it's also more susceptible to shimmy.
Conversely the Dean CX bike is stiff - yes even compared to my Tarmac carbon frame. These are old school frames - no disk brakes, PF bottom brackets or through axles. They ride great and just keep going and going. No plans to sell either of my Ti bikes but I also enjoy my other steel and CF bikes. Variety is the spice of life!
I ordered a GR250 complete bike from Lynskey about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Every couple days I checked my account to find - Order Status: Awaiting Fulfillment. After 10 days of not hearing anything from them, I contacted them to find out when my bike would be shipped. They estimated it woud be be sometime the next week (this week). About 2 days later, I got an email saying they were out of the 3T forks and offered an upgrade to an ENVE CX fork for $150 ~ or wait 6 wks for the new Lynskey carbon forks - they weren't getting anymore 3T's. Well, the ENVE forks have 12mm axles - that's odd? and not what I want. Not too happy w/ Lynskey right now.
I ordered a GR250 Mid Jan and got it last week. It had everything I ordered and is quite the machine. It's worth the wait. Communication was good thought Alex who handles customer service is a bit too laid back. Makes you wonder about the build.
DerekJ_MI wrote: ... Communication was good thought Alex who handles customer service is a bit too laid back. Makes you wonder about the build.
LOL - I wouldn't worry about the build. For better or worse that's just typical of the bicycle industry. My first full custom bike was promised in 4 to 6 weeks (it was a team bike). Ended up taking almost 6 MONTHS!!! Still love that bike (a Dave Moulton Fuso). Custom builds with Dean bikes and team kit orders (again custom) always took much longer than promised. People in the bicycle industry are largely there because they love the sport - lots of passion and almost always have lots of pride in what they do. Yeah, I'm confident they did an excellent job on your bike. Enjoy!!!
DerekJ_MI wrote:I ordered a GR250 Mid Jan and got it last week. .....
Is there something custom about your GR250? It sounds like you got a pretty standard bike for it to take so long to be delivered. Well, a very nice standard bike!
Thanks Greg and all. I'm still curious to what if anything makes TI different than steel.
My steel frames are 3.9 lbs, so I'm thinking TI is not 2-3lbs lighter. Carbon is about 2lbs lighter (although if I want steel feel and light weight, there are plenty of places other than the frame to save a couple lbs.
I kind of like my aluminum cyclocross, it is more responsive than my steel bikes, but I am so curious what the TI version would be like or what a Lynskey cyclocross would be like in comparison to my steel or aluminum bikes.
