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Looking for new Ti endurance/gravel bike

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Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational) This has to be the most physically intense sport ever invented. It's high speed bicycle racing on a short off road course or riding the off pavement rides on gravel like : "Unbound Gravel". We also have a dedicated Racing forum for the Cyclocross Hard Core Racers.

Looking for new Ti endurance/gravel bike

Old 11-08-19, 09:40 PM
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OP: yes, even with the gravel tires it felt too stiff. Not surprising, though, since all the tubing is 2x oversized and like Mstateglfr wrote, the front end is overbuilt. There's zero fork flex, so if you do end up with a Lynskey, I'd suggest looking for another fork that has some compliance. I hear that there exists a carbon fork or two that might have a bit of compliance. The Whiskey 9, maybe?

If you go steel, I did all the readings this summer on that, and short of a custom frame with old school tubing, the Black Mountain Cycles MCD comes the closest and the price is very good. There's a world of difference between the compliance of the MCD with steel fork and the Lynskey with the Lynskey fork in my experience. The MCD is only 1x oversized (compared to an old style steel frame) which gives it nice lateral flex at the BB and fore-aft flex at the fork/head tube junction.

A 1x oversized ti frame with 1 1/8" steerer and steel fork would be optimal, IMO. The main reason to go ti over steel would be that steel dents more easily.
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Old 11-09-19, 11:49 AM
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@nellborg - I do have a Redshift ShockStop on order, that might help with the stiffness. Most of these aspects are pretty new to me, I never really paid much attention to anything but fit.

@mstateglfr - Thanks for the recs, those look interesting. Could make a nice secondary (or fifth) bike. The Kinesis came up in a few of the reviews I was reading and it caught my attention with it's Endurance background. Looks like a pretty solid mid-range option.

@Sully151 - Chumba's look nice! I have not heard of them before. If I were doing 95% gravel, I think they would be a good choice. I looked into Why Cycles R+ pretty early on but the measurements threw me off. I'm right in between sizes, but I think I will revisit them since this thread has me absorbing all this geometry.

@chas58 - I think I've seen that video before. Those Ritcheys are pretty nice. I am looking for internal routing though.

@gus6464 - I do like Konas but this doesn't have internal routing. Really dig the look though.
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Old 11-09-19, 04:52 PM
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Originally Posted by echelon3
@nellborg - I do have a Redshift ShockStop on order, that might help with the stiffness. Most of these aspects are pretty new to me, I never really paid much attention to anything but fit.

@mstateglfr - Thanks for the recs, those look interesting. Could make a nice secondary (or fifth) bike. The Kinesis came up in a few of the reviews I was reading and it caught my attention with it's Endurance background. Looks like a pretty solid mid-range option.

@Sully151 - Chumba's look nice! I have not heard of them before. If I were doing 95% gravel, I think they would be a good choice. I looked into Why Cycles R+ pretty early on but the measurements threw me off. I'm right in between sizes, but I think I will revisit them since this thread has me absorbing all this geometry.

@chas58 - I think I've seen that video before. Those Ritcheys are pretty nice. I am looking for internal routing though.

@gus6464 - I do like Konas but this doesn't have internal routing. Really dig the look though.


If you do your own maintenance (i.e., cable replacement), internal routing is not a plus. And Kona makes some great steel-frames, with complete bikes that are well-equipped at their price points.
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Old 11-09-19, 04:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Koyote

If you do your own maintenance (i.e., cable replacement), internal routing is not a plus. And Kona makes some great steel-frames, with complete bikes that are well-equipped at their price points.
all depends.... if it's a pre built bike. then all you have to do is chase whatever you pull out. Not difficult at all.
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Old 11-10-19, 11:12 AM
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I used some narrow cable guides to help change some internal cables before. Right now I'm leaning towards the gr300 frameset and ordering an Ultegra groupset online, so I will have to do a complete routing once.
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Old 11-13-19, 03:56 PM
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On nice advantage of Carver is they can do almost anything you want ... for a reasonable up charge, including internal cable routing. I get custom geometry for a $200 upcharge which is really reasonable.
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Old 11-13-19, 10:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Mike_Kelly
On nice advantage of Carver is they can do almost anything you want ... for a reasonable up charge, including internal cable routing. I get custom geometry for a $200 upcharge which is really reasonable.
Thanks for the reply Mike. Which model did you order? Their Gravel Grinder looks pretty good. Did you ask them about the cable routing? How do you like the bike? Interesting that it's made in a Lynskey factory.
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Old 11-13-19, 11:23 PM
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Originally Posted by echelon3
Thanks for the reply Mike. Which model did you order? Their Gravel Grinder looks pretty good. Did you ask them about the cable routing? How do you like the bike? Interesting that it's made in a Lynskey factory.
I chose the All-Road rather than the Gravel Grinder because I could get more custom options on the All-Road. I have a Carver MTB and a Carver Fat bike but I just placed the order for the All-Road. I do not want internal cable routing myself but it is listed on the long list of custom options, at least for the All-Road. I did get custom cable routing but outside, because of the setup on my previous gravel bike - the Cinelli Zydeco which I did not like.

Yes the gravel grinder is made by Lynskey so you get a USA build option but not as many customizations possible as the All-Road.

I also like Carver because they have met the 90 day delivery on each of the previous purchases which is important to me. I have ordered a lot of custom frames over the years from various builders and all have been over 6 months delivery time. I don't think frame builders are a deceitful bunch they simply underestimate their schedule.

The Carvers also communicate really well which a lot of frame builders are not known for. It is important that your builder really understands what you want and is willing to build it.

If you have any questions just email or call Forest or Davis and see if you get the answers you are looking for. They have put up with my questions and crazy ideas. I really need a custom frame so the big geometry issues are much more important to me than the little stuff.

I can't wait to get the new frame.

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Old 11-21-19, 02:15 AM
  #34  
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I have ridden a Ti gravel bike quite a lot and ride a carbon one now. Especially in gravel where horizontal stiffness is key and vertical compliance need is even greater, Ti just cannot outperform a good carbon frame. With carbon an astute frame designer can use different carbon, thichness, weave directions etc. to get completely different performance characteristics of the frame in different directions. With any metal fabricated frame, the options to do this are really limited; you basically have nearly the same flex and stiffness of a tube in either axis. About all you can do is change the tube shape a bit by ovalizing or hydroforming. Hydroforming is limited to Aluminum though. About the only advantage Ti has over carbon for gravel is it will last forever (and it looks better!). That is a nice thing to have admittedly, but for me that alone is not enough reason to shell out the $ for a Ti gravel bike. Probably not what you want to hear if your heart is set on the allure of a Ti frame, but hey, if you post for opinions, you may get some you do not like...

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Old 11-25-19, 09:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Mike_Kelly
I chose the All-Road rather than the Gravel Grinder because I could get more custom options on the All-Road. I have a Carver MTB and a Carver Fat bike but I just placed the order for the All-Road. I do not want internal cable routing myself but it is listed on the long list of custom options, at least for the All-Road. I did get custom cable routing but outside, because of the setup on my previous gravel bike - the Cinelli Zydeco which I did not like.

Yes the gravel grinder is made by Lynskey so you get a USA build option but not as many customizations possible as the All-Road.

I also like Carver because they have met the 90 day delivery on each of the previous purchases which is important to me. I have ordered a lot of custom frames over the years from various builders and all have been over 6 months delivery time. I don't think frame builders are a deceitful bunch they simply underestimate their schedule.

The Carvers also communicate really well which a lot of frame builders are not known for. It is important that your builder really understands what you want and is willing to build it.

If you have any questions just email or call Forest or Davis and see if you get the answers you are looking for. They have put up with my questions and crazy ideas. I really need a custom frame so the big geometry issues are much more important to me than the little stuff.

I can't wait to get the new frame.

That looks like a great bike, should be loads of fun. I didn't see internal routing options, but the all-road model looks like it could be a good fit.
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Old 11-25-19, 09:49 PM
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Originally Posted by dwmckee
I have ridden a Ti gravel bike quite a lot and ride a carbon one now. Especially in gravel where horizontal stiffness is key and vertical compliance need is even greater, Ti just cannot outperform a good carbon frame. With carbon an astute frame designer can use different carbon, thichness, weave directions etc. to get completely different performance characteristics of the frame in different directions. With any metal fabricated frame, the options to do this are really limited; you basically have nearly the same flex and stiffness of a tube in either axis. About all you can do is change the tube shape a bit by ovalizing or hydroforming. Hydroforming is limited to Aluminum though. About the only advantage Ti has over carbon for gravel is it will last forever (and it looks better!). That is a nice thing to have admittedly, but for me that alone is not enough reason to shell out the $ for a Ti gravel bike. Probably not what you want to hear if your heart is set on the allure of a Ti frame, but hey, if you post for opinions, you may get some you do not like...
Thanks dwmckee, I appreciate your opinion and the ones of all those who replied. I currently have a decent carbon gravel bike, but I'm doing a lot more rides on the road. You've offered some interesting points that I'll think over.
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Old 11-25-19, 11:22 PM
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"I didn't see internal routing options"
Custom Titanium - Carver Bikes
Long list of options down near the bottom
"Internal cable routing: up to $120.00 depending on configuration"

Cheers
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Old 11-26-19, 09:40 AM
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Thank you, I was looking at the wrong section (Customize Your Build).
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Old 11-26-19, 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Mike_Kelly
I chose the All-Road rather than the Gravel Grinder because I could get more custom options on the All-Road. I have a Carver MTB and a Carver Fat bike but I just placed the order for the All-Road. I do not want internal cable routing myself but it is listed on the long list of custom options, at least for the All-Road. I did get custom cable routing but outside, because of the setup on my previous gravel bike - the Cinelli Zydeco which I did not like.

Yes the gravel grinder is made by Lynskey so you get a USA build option but not as many customizations possible as the All-Road.

I also like Carver because they have met the 90 day delivery on each of the previous purchases which is important to me. I have ordered a lot of custom frames over the years from various builders and all have been over 6 months delivery time. I don't think frame builders are a deceitful bunch they simply underestimate their schedule.

The Carvers also communicate really well which a lot of frame builders are not known for. It is important that your builder really understands what you want and is willing to build it.

If you have any questions just email or call Forest or Davis and see if you get the answers you are looking for. They have put up with my questions and crazy ideas. I really need a custom frame so the big geometry issues are much more important to me than the little stuff.

I can't wait to get the new frame.

damn 651mm stack with only 367mm reach, how does the bike ride?
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Old 11-27-19, 08:19 AM
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As I noted before it is not finished yet but the geometry is my choice. I have other 62x57 custom frames. After 50 years I now know what works for me and this is it. The trend in the industry has been to increase the top tube length longer and longer over the decades. My hands start going numb with a top tube that is too long for me. So .... That is one reason that Carver is attractive to me. I can get custom geometry for a $200 upcharge.
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Old 03-12-20, 08:39 PM
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Originally Posted by echelon3
I used some narrow cable guides to help change some internal cables before. Right now I'm leaning towards the gr300 frameset and ordering an Ultegra groupset online, so I will have to do a complete routing once.
Hi, did you get the Lynskey? I'm looking at the GR300 right now and I'd love to hear what an owner would say about the internal routing. The position of the entry hold on the bottom of the downtube seems odd and likely to create frame and fork rub, but that's about the only reservation I have. Also, Lynskey's frames seems to weigh more than other ti frames and it may be due to the tubing wall thickness or something. If you got one, do you like the ride feel that ti frames are supposed to have?
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Old 03-24-20, 11:26 PM
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Originally Posted by JZ79
Hi, did you get the Lynskey? I'm looking at the GR300 right now and I'd love to hear what an owner would say about the internal routing. The position of the entry hold on the bottom of the downtube seems odd and likely to create frame and fork rub, but that's about the only reservation I have. Also, Lynskey's frames seems to weigh more than other ti frames and it may be due to the tubing wall thickness or something. If you got one, do you like the ride feel that ti frames are supposed to have?
I did get one, however I have not had the chance to get it completely built up. There are few "minor" issues that have come up, and I haven't been able to ride it yet. The additional weight might be from the internal tube for the routing, as that is what they use instead of a guide.
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