Titanium still has the air of the exotic to me, more so than any other frame material. It’s hard to put my finger on why… maybe it is the enduring air of exclusivity, the supposed mystical ride quality, or maybe just that it can be left in its natural state – no paint, just stealthy battleship greys.
The Lynskey ProCross is the more expensive, racier of US builder Lynskey’s cyclocross offerings. The disc-specific frame is dominated by the huge Helix downtube, and equally enormo toptube. In fact, everything about the design screams stiff, fast and uncompromising. I’m not expecting much in the way of noodly handling or the fabled Ti springiness.
The frameset is nicely mirrored by the no-holds-barred build that Hotlines have chosen. I’ll give a full run down of the build once I’ve had the chance to put in some miles, but highlights include the Lynskey-branded Ti seatpost (£169.99) and stem (£250) as well as DT Swiss RC38Cdb Spline carbon wheelset.
I’m going to have to pull my finger out to do it justice. Anything other than a balls-out, sweat-drenched effort that leaves my lungs on the trail and my legs useless lumps will feel like I’m selling the bike short. Keep your eyes peeled for Ridden and Rated reviews in the coming weeks.
Wish me luck, I’m going in…
Price: £1799.99/$3395 frame, £199/$299 fork
