Originally Posted by
hoovbikes
Thanks for the opinions everybody. As it (never) happens, shortly after posting this I miraculously stumbled upon an insane deal on a 2018 Lynskey Cooper CX frame (probably the bike I was most lustful for out of the lot) and snatched it up instantaneously. I am suspiciously yet presently surprised to say that it seems like I might be coming out with the best of all worlds in the end- a brand new high quality Ti frame from one of the most reputable builders in the country at a price point closer to that of a quality steel bike. Still have some research to do on the build front but in the end I think it's going to be sick and definitely should satisfy the OCD a-hole who's been yelling at me from inside my brain for too long now. . .
Congrats - I think the Lynskey is a great choice. My experience is somewhat similar to yours in that I also jumped on good Lynskey deal through their auction site. In my case though, the frame was an Urbanskey, very similar geometry to the Cooper CX, but with rack & fender mounts.
I was looking to build a versatile, all-around bike and am pleased to report that's what I wound up with. The build is largely Ultegra 8000 - the brakes & levers are series 685/785 disc - with a Hydra/Sapim Force/Bitex CL wheelset with 12mm TAs. I used Cane Creek 110 headset bearings (Lynskey will press the races in for you if you buy the bearings from them) paired with a TRP Cyclocross carbon fork, similar to the Enve but less expensive and with internal brake line routing and mudguard mounts.
The bike ticks pretty much every box on my list and is a joy to ride; nimble and quick but stable at high speed. It performed flawlessly during RAGBRAI last month, including on the optimistically named 20-mile gravel route, where gravel was in short supply but sand, including deep sand that was a challenge even with 32mm Gravel King tires, was not.
In any event, I'm happy to provide more info about my build (my only regret was not springing for White T-11 hubs for the wheelset) so feel free to PM me,