Ok the deacon needs to discernment and I figure the Lord calls this mammon. I am looking at either a Lynskey 250 in a large frame in a large with Shimano 5800. The price is good right now and all the indications are this is a top company they have been helpful on phone or email

But we have the Bikesdirect Motobecane Le Champ Ti with Shimano 6800 for less cash and the better group. To the the group at Lynskey it is $3350. BD bike looks really nice I actually like the looks better less sloping TB and no concerns I am a wrench can deal with any build or what is needed. The Lynskey may be a better from overall but not really sure. I had a brother deacon former racer cat 1, who said he had a Moto Ti and it was fantastic save the money over Lynskey. He did get a different model one with disk brakes.

So give me some stuff and lastly if I go with the BD I am 6"2 and should I get a 56 or a 59? Normally I ride a 59-60 35 cycle inseam but I am 55. It seems the price is about $600 more for Lynskey and getting 5800. Help

Well, my Lynskey R265 is a wonderfully built bike. Rides really, really well. I just found that I still prefer my steel rides for whatever reason so am selling my Ti.

I've had a few friends buy BD bikes. They have been happy with them.

Can't advise you re: which brand to buy. Whichever, be sure to nderstand the geometry chart. bad tends to call the short seat the bike size rather than the length all the way up to a horizontal top tube. So a smaller nominal size is actually bigger than it seems by as much as 4 or more cm. Just be sure you know what the measurements mean.

If you want custom, Merlin and pbk have the Kinesis ti frame for $1600. Fork, headset and seatpost clamp included.

Help me out not sure what you mean on sizing?

They look good but I do not know enough about them. Threaded BB it seems that is a must and I can get only a frame set Lynskey too.

I have a 2010 Motobecane Le Champ Ti. About 8,000 miles on it right now. If you're OK doing some of your own wrenching, or know someone who can help, it's pretty hard to beat the deal offered by BD.

The frame is made by Ora Engineering, and it is a decent quality frame, from what I can tell. The welds on mine and the others I've seen are well-executed. Not as pretty as, say, the welds on a Moots or Seven, but comparable to the Lynskey welds in appearance. (Some of the pics in that thread are no longer linked, unfortunately.)

In my experience, the assembly of the BD Motobecanes sometimes leaves a little to be desired. On mine the BB cups were assembled with a token amount of grease. It wasn't a problem because I caught it pretty early (before they seized), but standard operating procedure is to assemble aluminum BB cups to a Ti frame with some Ti-Prep anti-seize compound. The crank that came with mine was supposed to be assembled with a small washer to keep tension/separate the crank from the BB cup, and the washer wasn't installed.

Regarding the components on mine, I have eventually replaced the wheels, the bars, the stem, the saddle, and the crankset. I'm a clyde, so the wheels were replaced for that reason. The other things, as it seemed good to me. When I got a deal on something I wanted.

I really like the bike, and it is one of my best purchase decisions. I would buy it again. Maybe sometime in the future they will offer a Di2 Motobecane (they offer one with SRAM electronic shifting now), and maybe I'll upgrade.

I went through the same decision back in 2012. Lynskey won because:

1) My vanity wanted Lynskey on the tubes more than MB
2) They were FAR more responsive to my pre-sale questions
3) if memory serves me right, the build time for Lynskey was 6-8 weeks. BD was out of stock until the next years bikes showed up on the boat. It was a long time ago, so I may be off on this one.

I love my R230. If I were to be buying now, knowing what I know, it would still be a tough call. It's nice to get upgraded components for less money. I think I'd still buy the Lynskey again, though!

Yeah, I have to mention that the buying process with Lynskey was outstanding. Lots of responses from them quickly as we sorted out the proper fit and such. I sent them the specs from my fit and they were able to size the bike with the right components to meet those. The originally ordered wheels were out of stock when they were finishing the build so they said I could wait or take an upgraded wheelset free of cost. I also asked about a military discount which they do not have but they did upgrade the finish on the frame for free instead. I never felt any sales pressure with all the correspondence either. All and all a pleasant experience. The bike arrived well packed and with barely an assembly needed. Didn't need to tweak brakes, derailluers, or anything else out of the box. It all just worked.

I have owned... a number of Lynskeys. As for road, an R230, which I LOVED but sold knowing I would be getting a bike with disc's. So, now I have an... R14o or 150 disc (honestly can't remember which). Love it. I do think the curved seatstays add a bit of compliance and a very VERY slight springiness when out of the saddle that I enjoy very much. Doesn't rob power, it seems to come back at you. Lively is the best descriptor I can muster. I have always been tempted by BD, but vanity has always won out, and for that I honestly have no regrets.

I got my R240 frame around this time last year. One year and 6k miles later I'm still as happy with it as the day I built it up. They're great bikes and the lifetime warranty was a nice selling point for me.

I've got a custom Lynskey that I spec'd as the ultimate gravel bike in 2015 -- but which is also an outstanding road bike. (Since then, they came out with the GR250 using almost all of my tube set and custom geometry specs.) The craftsmanship on this frame is absolutely beautiful. The attention to detail is something to behold. I presented them with geometry / clearance challenges that weren't being met in any of their stock bikes then, but their solutions were as polished and perfect as if they had been building bikes by these specs for years.


The craftsmanship and attention to detail come standard on the "standard" bikes, too. I have a good friend who rides a Helix Sport and another who rides a Sportive Disc. We are all very happy with our Lynskeys. (The Lynskey seatpost is a good option to buy with the bike. Excellent seatpost.)


My Lynskey will stay with me for life. These bikes are lifers. Mine shares the garage with a BMC TeamMachine SLR-01 and the Lynskey gets used for a little more than half of my road miles.

You might consider the 150. You can upgrade to Ultegra as an option. The 150 is smaller diameter straight gauge tubing, as opposed to the oversized butted tubing on the 250. I've had a Peloton (150 predecessor) for several years and discussed this with Lynskey at the time. IIRC, the 150 will be lighter because of the smaller tubing and will have a more compliant ride. I specifically asked them which bike would ride most similar to steel. Anyway, they are a great company to deal with. Bikes are made in USA, if that matters.

Here's my Lynskey. Great bike for any surface:

You did not post what your budget is. I would advocate for the Lynskey, however I do not own one. I ride an older Merlin, also a US made Ti frame. Where as I have heard positive things about the MotoB branded Ti bike, Lynskey is a family company who will be there to respond to questions pre and post purchase.

The budget it not such an issue just have to be practical I am runner first. I do ride a lot at times and am a good mechanic, build my own wheels. Cheaper to just buy a whole bike. I have wonder on options as Lynksey has $650 upgrade to get Ultegra. So Moto Ti is $2199 with full Ultegra and the LynskeyR250 is $2750 in 5800.

I have 6700 on my Wilier right now and it shifts great but I did have dial it in at first and I use the super slick 6800 housing. All I here is how well even the 5800 shifts compared to my 6700 so maybe I would be totally happy. My other Moto has Dura Ace 7800 and it of course is super smooth. I hope to get some more feedback from the forum I find real riders give the best information.

If I could offer one opinion, I would advocate to focus on the frame, fork, headset and overall geometry of the frame. All of this stuff about shifting quality, albeit important, to me is secondary to your choice. I am a Campy rider and don't care for the light buttery feel of Shimano but that is all personal and subjective.

Heck, if budget is not an issue, go with the Lynsky Helix frame or even a Moots RSX.

NOTE: Add 20% to either bill COD or you don't get your toys. Merlin and PBK use UPS/etc which means import duties and brokerage fees all but certainly.



At which point, get a Lynskey TBH. I'm thinking of spec'ing one out too TBH.

If you have 6700 now, IMO 5800 will be a HUGE upgrade in feel, although the branding isn't as cool

HATED 6700, LOVE the 5800 on my R150 (using the 685 shifters/hydro disc, the 105 level had flat mount as the only option).

I was surprised at Lynskey's charge to upgrade to Ultegra. An entire groupset is less from Ribble. This may be a case where it is better to get a frame and equip it as you like. The UK prices for components are a consideration. I bought the frame and fork and was able to put on just what I wanted.

If I were in the market for Ti and budget was not an issue I'd buy one of these in a second:

Passoni - Costruzione biciclette da corsa di alta qualità

The deacon is not rich budget only means that in the price range I am ok. Not going to spend the $5k needed for a Moots or the top dog. So budget is $2200-say $3600. The engine still has it limitations and they do not supply that with the bike. I am not slow for a old guy but I know my limits. This bike I am sure is not any faster than what I am riding.