8 August 2008 - 0:21Fixie Lynskey
Well, here it is. I guess that one close look at yesterday’s rear hub shot would have been the dead giveaway.
It is indeed a fixie. Not for the faint of heart.
The bike weighs in at 20lbs without pedals. This may seem a little heavy, but the hubs are not the lightest around. Durability is the key word here. Fixed bikes see more torque than a singlespeed, there is no coasting. You are always going. So we built this thing up bomber tough.
The build:
Medium Lynskey Pro 29er frame. Custom anodized red 32° Phil Wood Fixie/Free rear and KiSS Off Disc front hubs, laced to Stan’s ZTR Arch rims with DT Competition spokes and DT alloy nipples. Kenda Nevegal tires (also not very light), Stan’sed of course, White Industries ENO cranks, Ti Phil Wood BB, Bontrager carbon Switchblade fork, King headset, Easton EC90 seatpost and bars, EA 70 stem, a single front Avid Juicy Carbon brake with 185mm rotor, and Ergon grips. Gearing is 32-20.
I can’t wait for a first ride report.
Something else showed up today that was pretty cool, our new 1st edition “premium” bike 29 T-shirts. The logo is our new crest design and it’s screen printed on American Apparel t’s, the color is called “army”, and it looks wicked cool. They will cost $20, and will be on the website soon.
1 Comment » | Tags: 29er, Lynskey
11 Aug 2008 - 0:34
THE MAGIC CARPET
They call that frame Pro 29. From a racing perspective it might make sense but from a description perspective it does not mean anything.
The best name for this frame should be the MAGIC CARPET. I rode for 3 hours on Saturday and another 3 hours today at the Kingdom trail to make sure that I was nice and tired and see how my body would take the pounding. I usually can ride 3 hours back to back at the end of the season. This frame is so freaking smooth that it’s ALMOST cheating if you love riding hardtail Usually my lower back take a beating with the Scandium frame after 6 hours of riding. I am now sitting here typing this report and I could go on another ride for another 3 hours.It is hard to explain the feeling and this is why my best word was MAGIC CARPET. I simply felt floating over roots and rocks.
Their is a lot to talk about since I went from a Scandium 26 to TI 29er. My handle bar are wider on the 29 er just to make sure that the bike would be sloppy at first and give me the option to shorten the bars to make the bike more responsive. Well I discovered that the bar being wider allows me to relax much better and consequenlty climb with MUCH MORE ease. To my great surprise I actually could not see a difference between the 26 and 29 er as far as tight turns are concern. I was told that 29 er were more difficult to deal with on tight single track( WRONG) Is it the TI frame or 29er, I am not sure since I never really rode other 29er before ? The combination of the TI and the big wheel made me climb so much easier.The flex in the frame is so sick that when i picked up the Bike at George’s shop I could flex the frame from a stand still position enough to make the chain skip. We were both surprise and worried and of the actual outcome on the trail especially in high torque situation like a steep climb
Ho men this crazy flex on the trail translate in SUPER SMOOTH ride and my chain never skiped once. I guess the tork on the pavement from stand still position is not relevant when you actually ride the bike in the woods
Riding Fix gear I also shorten my crank to 170MM from 175. I could handle way tighter turns. I have a feeling that the combination of bigger wheels and shorter crank made this possible.
All in all, I should have bought a TI frame a long time ago.Is it worth the money? YES especially if your looking for long ride and doing endurance racing.I have always hesitate to try to do a SOLO 24 hours on my Fix gear. Now i have the proof that it is possible. I am now on a mission
For the one of you that think that it is crazy to spend that kind of money on a frame, try to think that you are not buying a frame but a MAGIC CARPET… Dream on
Dan Des Rosiers