I have a single speed itch to scratch. I can pick up a Lynskey Pro 29 frame for a good price.

But is it a good idea or not? As you know, I like titanium, but I don’t want to blow a huge amount of cash on this one.

Will it break? You hear so many horror stories about Lynskey, but not many people saying ‘I have had one for years and it has been great!’ How good is their warranty if something does go wrong?

Is the the twisty tubing just a gimmick? Anybody got real world experience of it?

Any other suggestions for a decent priced titanium frame with single speed capability (sliding dropout or EBB)? Most seem to be made by Lynskey anyway.

Would appreciate some balanced thoughts from people who have actually ridden and owned a Lynskey of any sort, but specifically a Pro 29, or something with the twisty tubes.

Thanks!

Will it break? You hear so many horror stories about Lynskey, but not many people saying ‘I have had one for years and it has been great!’ How good is their warranty if something does go wrong?

In my sixth year on a 456Ti, still my only bike and ridden 2-3 times per week. My only experience of post-purchase was returning it when I crashed and bent the (built-in) hanger. While I could get the hanger in the right position, I couldn’t squeeze the drop-out back for the axle. Lynskey repaired it with a new chain/seat stay. Took a while and only cost postage/insurance.

Pipedream Skookum?

Justin burls?

My Twenth anniversary Marin Team Titanium was made by Lynskey and is still going strong after 7 years. Several Mountain Mayhems, mtb marathons, regular at Afan (and shows a few fully’s a clean pair of stays 🙂 ) Cwmcarn, Cannock and used with a burley, etc etc. I switch between Pace rigid and a pair of RS Reba Worldcups. It’s been brilliant with no faults at all.

But as much as I sing it Lynskey’s praises I really don’t like their twisty frames. I’m too much of a traditionalist!

Get in touch with Justin Burls, tell him what you want and get a price.

I genuinely don’t like cleaning my Ragley because it gets ridden quite often, reasonably hard, sooner or later I’ll probably find a new sticker… But not yet. When it does I imagine I’ll get enigma to stick it back together. And it is bloody brilliant to ride so all things considered, it’s not too bad being a Lynskey owner 😉

I’ve had a Ridgeline 29 for the last year and it is still in one whole piece. Nothing bent or cracked thus far.

I bought one and the size/geo didn’t match the website, or their own emails.

Ended up losing £400 by having to sell it on.

Hopefully they have learned how to use a tape measure these days.

Salsa El Mar Ti? (Not sure who makes Salsa Ti frames or price but it’s just a suggestion.

Is it a new one ? I’ve got a 2 yr old pro29 sl, 27.2 seat tube. I had a hairline crack develop in the seat tube about a year ago, the insert didn’t appear long enough and was stressing the joint. Back within 3-4 weeks as good as new with new decals, all welds checked and a longer insert.
No issues since, this is used geared and SS. I weigh around 84kg and it’s been raced xc, been round Dalby red in 1:40 and generally used hard and whilst not the lightest frame it is strong and comfy. Wouldn’t be without it.

Older Ti Salsas were made by Lynskey. The new ones (with the alternator dropouts) are made in the far east. The price went up so I don’t think cost wanna factor in the decision to switch production.

Hellishly expensive though. You can get a full custom frame for less than the trade price of a Ti El Mariachi frame.

I have a single speed itch to scratch. I can pick up a Lynskey Pro 29 frame for a good price.

I have a mate who has a Ridgeline, he rides SS, quite strong. He finds it noodly, chain can drop under power, and currently there is an annoying ting ting noise he things is coming from the sliders.

I just bought a Canfield Nimble 9 that I will run SS, only one serious ride so far but it scratches that same itch for me. Not ti tho, 4130 steel.

I’ve ridden USA made Ti frames for over 20 years, without any problems. Are the cracked frames we regularly see on here ridden by useless lardarses I often wonder.

Neither of my lynskey built frames cracked. One of my non-lynskey ti frames did. My lynskey built soda was beautifully made, and the Planet X was pretty good too. I think you’ll be fine – but I’d go for the salsa personally, as I think it’s prettier.

I’ve had my twisty Pro26 for 3 years and absolutely no problems with it.

Currently riding a cracked Lynskey road frame. Crack has appeared on the side of the down tube where it meets the head tube. I believe the problem comes from the cable stops, which are welded on the head tube. These welds overlap with the DT/HT weld, and is where the crack has appeared. Lynskey offered to repair it for US$150 (+ shipping of course). I’ve been monitoring the crack for a few months and it hasn’t propergated any further, but I’ll get it welded up locally at some point.
Love the frame (prefer it over my previous TCR), but I wouldn’t buy another high(ish) end ti frame. Think I’d opt for decent steel or cheaper disposable carbon jobbie next time around.

My Lynskey-made Ragley Ti cracked the downtube just below the headtube after a lot of riding, I believe Ed Oxley’s went in the same place. Lynskey repaired it under warranty through Hotlines, but I wasn’t very happy with the look of the frame as they returned it – curved downtube, just looked aesthetically wrong and out of proportion and I wasn’t happy with that on a £1200 frame.

Eventually, after some e-mail exchanges with Hotlines, I emailed Mark Lysnkey direct and told him how unhappy I was with the frame as returned. To his credit he not only explained why the frame had cracked in the first place – the downtube joins too far up the headtube to give adequate clearance for the forks – but also asked what would make me happy with the frame.

The end result is that I now have a Ragley Ti with 44mm headtube and an oversized curved downtube. It looks brilliant and in proportion again and rides as well or better than the frame in original spec.

I think that’s ultimately pretty good customer service and I’d happily buy a Lynskey-made frame again, either their own brand or one produced for someone else.

Don’t know anything about the twisted tubes, but it amused me that they apparently created them by accident then found that people liked the look and they were – allegedly – stiffer too.

My Lynskey built Ragley Ti broke (well developed a small crack).
Lynskey fixed it no quibble, in a reasonable time and did a fantastic job on the repair. As Northwind has testified these frames urge you to ride them hard but despite the continued abuse mines been fine ever since I had to have it repaired. So IME their warranty is great if you should ever need it, despite the problem I had I would definitely buy a Lynskey built frame again…… in the unlikely event I ever felt the need to replace the Ragger.

ridden by useless lardarses

I’d like to think it was my general gnarr that caused the crack but you may have a point there oldboy 😉

EDIT – Hi badlywireddog *waves* was typing while you posted 😆

I’ve ridden USA made Ti frames for over 20 years, without any problems. Are the cracked frames we regularly see on here ridden by useless lardarses I often wonder.

Yeah, like Ed Oxley…

Couldn’t resist. Here she is basking in the beautiful Dartmoor sun yesterday evening after being rattled down one of the roughest and rockiest descents in the area with complete confidence a year or so after being repaired.

sorry about the shoddy quality of the phone pic!

Get in touch with Justin Burls, tell him what you want and get a price.

Careful now or well have matching bikes.

A useless lardarse on a Lynskey, yesterday.

My Ridgeline cracked after 11 months.

It came back repaired with a thicker walled section of seat tube, which is how the new ones come now.

Interesting that yours cracked at the join, rsvktm, as I thought this was a cure.
Mine’s holding up OK so far, but then, since I bought my Qoroz, the Lynskey is not getting so much use.

As for the twisted tubes, they look like just a gimmick to me. Is there any independent proof that they are better?
I can put up with the constant questions about my belt drive, Rohloff hub and Lefty fork by explaining the advantages.
I think if I had people asking me why my frame tubes were twisted all the time, I’d have to admit “Er… I don’t know”.

Regarding the crack, seems that in my case the insert was a little short. The new insert sits well below the weld now. Mine has seen a few thousand hard miles since with no issues. Don’t know if twisty tubes make it stiffer but the bike works for me and I like the look now.

Itch scratched.

Thanks for the opinions. I went for a Lynskey 29 Pro SL with the sliding dropouts.

Just gathering the parts now. Niner RDO forks (with the 15mm Maxle) should be light and do a good job of rattling the fillings out of my teeth, but I wanted something single speed, pure and simple, so they fit the bill. White Industries ENO cranks on a square taper BB. Hope Trials hubs on Stan’s Crest rims. New 9000 series XTR brakes. Full Thomson finishing kit including the super wide flat carbon bars (which are a surprisingly hefty weight). All topped off with a classic 1990 Flite saddle. Classic, simple and built to last.

The frame has arrived, and I have to say it is fantastic. OK, compare to Moots, Seven etc it is not quite as pretty, and the welds aren’t quite as good, but it is literally a quarter of the price for something US made in titanium with a lifetime warranty (which I hope I won’t have to ever need).

It is the 2013 model, so it gets a 44mm head tube (which I prefer to the 2014 tapered, internal only version), and a standard threaded BB (again, preferable to the 2014 PF30 version). The twisty tubes are interesting to look at, and not nearly as ugly in the flesh as they appear in photos. They seem to have addressed the previous weak points where frames have failed. The seat tube is already reinforced and has the separate thicker tube welded at the top and the longer insert. The head tube junctions are nicely reinforced. And the welds look tidy, if not perfectly laid down.

I have changed the cheap looking Lynskey dropouts for black anodised Paragon dropouts with post mount instead of IS brake mounting. Paragons are nicer than Lynskey’s (which I think are made by Paragon anyway), and less than half the price. Plus the post mount brake mounting looks much neater, and I prefer the look of the black version. I also went for the Paragon adjusters, which use Allen keys rather than spanners to adjust, so should be easier on the trail. Who carries a spanner with them?!

Very keen to get it built up and ridden, but this was a bit of an under the radar purchase from Mrs Solarider, who despite not knowing one end of a bike from the other will definitely notice the appearance of this one. Everything else in the bike locker is dull grey titanium too, but nothing else looks like it has been wrapped around a lamp post! I think the twisty tubes might be the giveaway here!

My Seven 29er single speed is one of the few bikes that I regret letting go, so hopefully this will rekindle some of that feel without the cost. And should I feel the itch again, I can always buy a Seven frame, and the parts are worth swapping over.

Will post an update when it is all done.