alan s 

My new commuter bike finally arrived!! 2015 Lynskey Urbanskey with Ultegra and hydraulic road disc brakes. Only had time to ride a few blocks in the rain last night to make sure everything works, and so far so good. Fenders and rack will be installed next. Looking forward to the maiden voyage later this week.

modernjess

Oh my, That is beautiful and a great choice all around. Congratulations.

alan s 

Thank you. Also wanted to give a shout out to Adrenaline in California. Great shop to work with if you want to go with a custom build.

scroca

Nice. I bet that will be fun when you get to use it for real.

fietsbob

never lock that on the street.

alan s 

Fortunately, my work recently installed a secure bike area in the parking garage, so I feel OK riding it to work. A bike thief would need to get into a secured parking garage, into a secured bike storage area and then cut two locks. Anyone determined enough to do that will have a nice bike.

CenturionIM

Too much bling for a commuter in my humble opinion.

But then, you can never have enough bling. My bad.

RidingMatthew

1st that is awesome looking.

2nd where do you work? just kidding.


3rd. you are DC but you give a shout out to Adrenaline in California. I am confused could you clarify your process for ordering this custom bike?

4th what are you doing with the Troll?

alan s 

This is a stock frame with custom components. Hope I didn't confuse you. You can buy direct from Lynskey if you like their builds or any other dealer. I felt pretty comfortable doing this all online and over the phone, but I wouldn't recommend doing it that way if you don't know pretty much what you want. Adrenaline builds a lot of Ti bikes. I called them, placed the order, and they delivered by UPS. If I wanted a custom frame, that would be a different matter.

The Troll is continuing duty as a commuter and touring bike.

spare_wheel

I just emailed this thread to gpetersen@rivbike.com for feedback.

alan s 

I'm sure this will meet with his approval. I'll be wearing tweed, of course.

KenshiBiker

I approve of this thread .

This is almost exactly what I'm looking for as an ultimate winter commuter. I'll have to check out Adrenaline as well.

alan s 

Just saw the thread you started. In my opinion, there are several excellent US Ti frame builders you should consider (Moots, Seven, Lynskey and others). If you haven't already found the Lynskey videos on Youtube, and are thinking about going with Ti, you should take a look, particularly at the videos produced for the 2015 model year. They not only cover each frame model, but go into great detail on the manufacturing process, which is very enlightening. Personally, the videos sold me on Lynskey. Also, you should contact the sales department at each company and ask lots of questions. Don Erwin at Lynskey is very helpful.

downwinded

That's a great looking bike! I'm sure you will enjoy it. We need more pics after you get it on the road.

jeffpoulin

If you're going to build your own commuter, might as well do it right. Nice bike!

Am I mistaken, or is the saddle on the floor in the first picture not the same as the saddle on the bike in the other photos?

alan s 

The stock saddle that came with the bike is a Ritchey, which turns out to be pretty decent. The other saddle on the floor is a Brooks Cambium C15. The Cambium has pretty good reviews, so I'll try it out at some point.

Here are a few pictures from this morning's ride to work. I managed to get the rack on last night, but not the fenders. All the holes are taped up to keep out the grit. The bike rides really nicely. I'd say the Ti feels better than steel, more like carbon fiber. Of course, the fork is CF. The rear end is plenty stiff, with no brake rub climbing out of the saddle. The brakes are totally awesome.

RoderWrench

That is freakin beautiful! If I ever decide to spend bigger bucks on a new bike, this would be the way I'd go.

md11mx

Just say WOW!
Cheers,
David in Alaska

HardyWeinberg

Very cool. What is the width of the rims, and what size tires can you fit in the frame/fork? I am really digging 35mm tires on wide-ish rims with full fenders on my crosscheck but sometimes I wonder about the same wheels/tires w/ a lighter frame...

alan s 

The Stans Grails will take a 23 minimum and I'm not sure on the maximum width, but it is greater than will fit the frame. Super versatile rim. Can also run tubeless. Here's a link to the specs: Grail. Currently running Schwalbe Marathon Supremes in 28, and there is tons of extra room. I think the frame is supposed to fit up to 35 with fenders, and a little wider without, maybe 37-38. I'd guess a 40 or slightly larger road tire would actually fit without fenders. The frame is identical to the Cooper CX, but with road cable routing, so the suggested tire widths are for CX tires with some tread, if you follow.

bmthom.gis

That looks like a Cambium sitting on the floor, and not attached to your bike. You need to switch out those saddles! Nice bike.

alan s 

OK, you guys are already complaining about too much bling. Not sure if it wouldn't just get lost in the glare. But yeah, it is a Cambuim C15. Give me some "tweaking" time, and it will make it on the bike.

gregjones

Let me know when you do. I've been wanting to try a Ritchey. Assuming that you like the Brooks.

VERY nice ride.

alan s 

Rode the bike to Mount Vernon after work on the twisty, hilly Mount Vernon Trail. Very impressed by the handling and responsiveness. Still getting used to the bike, and not pushing it too hard yet. Can't get over the braking performance. The MVT has some steep hills with sharp turns the closer you get to Mount Vernon, and it never felt like I was reaching the limits of the brakes. The bike soaked up the tree root ridges like CF.

alan s 

Done.