Mmassey338

Yes, they replaced the whole top tube, and seem to have done a good job, but I’m not happy about an extra seam.

kanonengedonner

so they replaced what 20% of the bike and added 5 welds or so? ... but they didn't want to provide a new frame!
i am sorry, but that's a dick move.

Mmassey338

I agree 100%, and this is the first time I’ve posted about it, but it won’t be the last.

chas58

I really, really want to like Lynskey. Maye its my Tennessee heritage. But I hear way too many stories of cracking like this - and I never hear that about other companies.

These days, I'm not really sure what the advantage of Ti is over a good steel frame. Ti is not the light weight solution. And with the speed of obsolescence, it will never be a forever bike (besides, my 30 year old race weight steel bikes are doing great). I see so many expensive Ti bikes on craigslist that I wouldn't touch with a 10ft pole because the components on them are obsolete.

kanonengedonner

ok, so if Lynskey is bad ...do we have a good alternative with internal cabling and similar pricing in the US?

softreset

While Mmassey's experiences really stink. I agree that this "repair work" seems like a "get this off the bench" approach. I still don't think it's fair to eliminate Lynskey, though. I'm not just saying that as someone who has $5000 on the line with them. You also have to consider 'law of averages' given their popularity. Think about how many bikes they've made that are out there, with zero issues (or some with even worse issues, to be fair). I can give ya horror stories from BMC, Giant, Trek, Pinarello, Colnago, and Shimano. I was only at a store part-time for 3 years and I have enough disaster stories to last a lifetime of catastrophic failures, ambulance rides, and cold shoulders from lawyers. Heck, I think of the stories, I'm not even allowed to discuss.

The point is, you're always going to find problems with anything that's produced. Lynskey probably has the largest (or one of the largest) samples. There's also the consideration that most people don't tell their story unless they have a problem. After 20 years in the customer service industry, that I can definitely confirm.

shelbyfv

I'm another satisfied Lynskey owner. They are popular around here among those of us who still ride other than carbon. Maybe less so than Moots, FWIW. Anyway, that repair posted by M338 is disturbing. I don't know how Lynskey could think that would be acceptable to a customer. I wonder if there is more to the story? Maybe they decided it was impact damage, not a manufacturing defect? That repair looks more like a "goodwill" fix than a legitimate warranty repair. Unfortunate for sure.

Chi_Z

You can get a full custom ti form walty for under $1000. Custom is super important for alloy frame because tube diameter determines the ride quality. You want tube size proportional to your weight. Any stock frame will assume the rider weights 300lbs because lawyers and the frame will be way overbuild for some and rides like trash. But in all honesty, titanium is overrated as a bike frame material. It is not that much lighter than steel but much easier to screw up the manufacturing process. If you want a durable bike, steel is still the best material.

Mmassey338

No. Lynskey is the budget US titanium bike builder.
They did repair my bike, even though it’s not to my satisfaction, but I bought a budget bike, so I got a budget repair.
I’m not sure how the higher end companies would have handled this, but Lynskey is up front about repair or replace at THEIR option.
I just expected a better repair. This is like getting your car back from the body shop with a weld down the middle of the hood. Functional, but looks like crap.

Mmassey338

They never said they thought it was impact, and I sent them many pics.
I asked a few different people there why it cracked, none offered any ideas, which to me means it may happen again.
It may make you feel better to think there’s more to the story, since you bought one too, but there isn’t. At that point the bike had only been ridden on pavement, and it’s never been crashed.

shelbyfv

Nope, don't feel good about this at all. I agree it's crappy service. I expect they would have been quick to say if they suspected impact. Thanks for clarifying.

tdilf

Agreed. And now if you want to sell the bike it does not have much value (in my opinion).

pipeliner

As an experienced tig welder who welded pipe and tubing (but not titanium) professionally for years, I wouldn’t worry much about that repair. Judging from the original cracking, I would bet they have some experience repairing those. The fact that it cracked through the weld and two different pieces of tubing tells me there is an issue unrelated to the weld itself. The repair is likely much stronger.

Really odd looking break to a guy who has seen all sorts of weld joint failure. I just don’t see any way that could be from abuse or rough use. I don’t know much about ti tubing but if I had to guess, that looks like an issue with the tubing itself. Is there inferior base product source there? Low quality tubing...

Mmassey338

Thanks for your input. I know nothing about welding, but it looked odd to me as well. I still find it puzzling/troubling that Lynskey couldn’t or wouldn’t tell me what caused it.