Lynskey Pro29 Review/First Thoughts

I finally got my 2010 Lynskey Pro29 assembled. This will probably be a somewhat detailed review so I'll start with a brief summary. I use the word "review" loosely because this is more like my first impressions. Since several of you have sent me questions about the bike and it handles I figured I'd discuss my first impressions. I've put about 40 miles on the bike - a 4 mile race, a time trial, and a couple of practice laps of both. In addition, I did another 15 miles of test rides and tuning rides.

In summary my build is stiff, light, and extremely responsive. I built this bike as an XC race bike and It has meet all my expectations. Power is efficiently transferred to the back wheel from the cranks. On the tight single track and twisties the bike sticks to the trail and simply goes where you point it. Even at speeds of 15+mph this bike can cut up the trail as if it were on rails. Ride wise it's not rigid single speed rough, but it's not full suspension plush - it is a hardtail setup for XC racing. My build as it sits in the pictures is 25.0lbs. The most impressive part of this whole build is how extremely responsive the bike is.

Before I get too far into this review, I would like to thank 3 different groups of people. First is Mike Viertel from Lynskey Performance. Mike has been nothing short of excellent in dealing with me and all of my questions. He even sends me follow up emails to make sure all is well. Not only is Lynskey made in the USA but they know what customer service is and they make sure to take care of their customers and potential customers. The next is Adam and Planetary Cycles here in Houston. Much like Mike, Adam took care of me from ordering, to fit questions, to advice, to picking up the frame. It was worth the drive across town to visit their shop and get the frame. On my first visit, the crew were BS'ing , joking, and talking to me like I was a lifelong customer. It was an atmosphere you work years to establish with your LBS and I had that feeling on my first visit. I'll definitely be a return customer to Adam and the crew at Planetary. Also, Adam not only sells Lynskey, he rides a sweet Ridgeline SS and a Lynskey road bike too! Lastly I'd like to say thanks to the guys over at Push. You guys simply rock! Anyone who knows anything about the guys over there at Push know they are 2nd to none! Thank you all for your efforts in getting my fork back to me!

Background
I'm 6'3 218lbs at 11% bodyfat. Last year I got back into mtn biking after a 5 or 6 year hiatus. I've always been a decent weekend rider so I thought I'd kick it up a notch and commit to racing 2 races in 2010. So I got a coach, a road bike w/ power tap wheels, and I started training. Mtn bike wise, prior to the Pro29 I had (and still have) a tricked out rigid Haro Mary SS and a Turner Sultan setup for AM/Trail riding. I did my first race in late February on the Sultan. While the Sultan is an AWESOME bike, its 32lbs of total weight, 135mm front fork, and 4.5" of rear suspension didn't make for a very efficient race bike. My Sultan was not built with racing in mind, rather it was meant to ride trails and have fun. At 10mph or below it does well on the tight tree lined single track but at 12+ it gets increasing difficult to keep it on the trail. The Mary has similar weight and purpose issues.

I wanted a light hardtail that has very stiff and responsive and that could handle my 218lb body. I thought about carbon BUT I just don't know about carbon and 218lbs of rider. It's not just my 218lbs that left questions for carbon; it's my riding style which could probably be best classified as "bull in a china cabinet." I attack roots, drops and everything else that gets in my line. I'm not without my share of wrecks and I don't want to worry about leaning my bike against a tree or lying against a picnic table or anything else. This led me to the topic of finish. I realized I wanted a finish that was very durable and very low maintenance. This is where I decided to get a titanium frame.

I looked at several ti frames out there. Some were pleasing to the eye, most were blah. Some had builder lead times of months. And then Guitar Ted posted a blog entry about receiving t a new 2010 Lynskey Pro29er to test. I had heard about Lynskey before but I remember reading a review from GT that said the 2009 Lynskey Ridgeline was a little flexible in the back. Even though the Ridgeline had great reviews I knew that flex was something I did NOT want and ruled it out. But there it was on the blog site, a twisted frame 29er - VERY cool aesthetically so I went to the Lynskey website and read about this new frame. After a little more research and a chat with Mike, I knew this was the frame I was going with.

On a sidenote, on the power meter I make 990watts for 30sec, 1428 watts for 5sec, and can hit peaks of 1550+watts. I'm a big guy so I can make big numbers when I jump on the pedals. I wanted a frame that would transfer that power to the back wheel like my road bike. This was just one of those things that was a big deal and a requirement for me. Plus, I figured if a frame was stiff enough to efficiently put power to the rear wheel, it would be stiff enough for handling purposes.

My Build
- Large Lynskey Pro29
- Pushed Reba Team Shock w/ maxle
- DT Swiss 240 hubs laced to Stan's Flows
- SRAM XO drive train
- Thompson stem and post
- Monkey light XC riser bars
- Formula Oro K24 brakes 160mm
- Race Face Dues 1x9 cranks

While I wanted a light race bike, I didn't want to get too carried away with weight watching. I'm not a 150lb XC racer and I flow like a bulldozer so the Stans Flows wheels are probably going to stay. I LOVE the 20mm thru axle and it's the standard for all my bikes now. The parts were a combination of new parts and parts I had, many were parts I (or my buddies) already had. I figured before I got to crazy with new parts and weight conscious parts I should probably raise my riding skill level up a little. As the bike sits now, I've got quite a bit of skill growing to do before lighter parts will make a difference. Also, I went with a large frame because I have shorter legs for a 6'3 guy. My inseam is 33.75. The Large fits me just fine!

There is one new part that is not listed that I did order and will hopefully soon be here. I ordered a pair of Lightning cranks for this bike. The Dues cranks were intended for my SS and I really need to put them on the Mary so instead of ordering a new pair of cranks for the SS, I got some high end cranks for the Lynskey! Rotational weight is always a good thing to cut especially on an XC bike - atleast that's how I justified the purchase.

The Ride
I exchanged emails with Mike after I got the bike together and my term I used to describe the bike was "tight". Everything on the bike was tight. The steering was tight, the power transfer was tight, I just don't know how else to describe it. The first time I took it out for testing we went over to the freeway overpasses. We use the dirt/grass sides of the overpasses to climb for training, bragging rights, and just general insanity. On the Lynskey I was breaking the back wheel loose with every chomp of the pedal which is not something I was used too. I shift my weight back and the tire stops spinning but the front tire starts coming up. I shift my weight forward and back breaks loose. Very strange. What I found is that the "zone" of weight shifting was very "tight". Where on previous bikes I shifted my weight maybe 3' forward or back, this bike only needed a 1-1.5' zone front or back. It was considerably smaller. Basically I only need to make slight movements forward or back to properly transfer my weight. VERY COOL and I've never experienced that on any of my previous mtn bikes.

Riding across the fields and right of ways was blah. It wasn't as jarring as the rigid it wasn't as plush as the Turner. It was just blah. I don't know how you would get a better rating or description that that.

Standing starts was freaking great. Everything I expected. When I jump on the pedals from a standstill this bike responds by punishing the drivetrain and wheel. This thing feels like everything I put in to the pedals is transferred straight to the rear tire. I don't know how any frame manufacturer could improve on this.

My first Race
I'm kind of torn to mention "racing" since this is my first season to race and my race yesterday was just my 2nd race ever. The local series I am racing in is a series of short 4-6 mile races at the various trails around the city. The series race has an initial 1-2mile Time Trial and then a series of elimination heats that are based off your class. Your class is determined by your TT results. USA cycling licensee makes no difference in this series. We have licensed Cat1, Cat2, Cat3, and rec riders who participate in these races. Because of their distance, they are VERY fast and typically the courses are very tight, twisty, and lined with trees.

I was eliminated in the first heat yesterday. Not impressive in the debut of the bike but I'm a beginner and time trailed 9th of 77 riders SOOO, I guess you can say I can turn the cranks. I was put in the Cat1 class and my peer racers in these heaps were licensed Cat1 and 2 riders. So before you think my racing review hold no credibility, put it in context. I'm truly a beginner racer racing short distance races with guys who are considerably faster, lighter, and more experienced than me. With that being said, I'm kind of hanging with them. As stated above I was eliminated in the first heat but still managed to turn the 10th fastest lap of the heat so I was getting it.

While my goal was to get in the top 10 on the time trial, I knew I didn't have the base to run with the top 10% of the field. My time trial threw me into the shark tank with 4 other riders. My goal was to get 3rd off the hole shot and then just try to hold on as long as I could. The race started and I got a really good start and clipped in right away. 30yds in I look to my right (I was on the far end) and nobody was there. I figured if I had the hole shot I might as well get on it and beat the guys to the single track section. I was flying when I hit the single track section and new the guys would be on top of me in no time. That adds a LOT of pressure when you have some licensed Cat1 riders riding your back wheel through the single track. The bike handled beautifully. I was moving through the trees and would just point the bike on my line and it was there. I would come off a turn roll the pedals twice, come back to speed, and setup for the next turn. Eventually the guys caught me and passed me when we got to the opening. In the end, I was 30seconds too slow and was eliminated. I probably shouldn't have jumped out in the front like a madman but it was there and I did it - lesson learned.

After the race, the guys told me that I shot off like a rocket from the line. They said I was flying and had excellent bike handling skills. While I can ride fairly well, I know that I would not have been able to keep my turner or any of my other bikes (current or past) on the trails at those speeds. I give the Lynskey a lot of the credit. I didn't wreck or wash out yesterday. Above all, as I continued riding the bike I continued to get more confidence in the bike. I think I can push this bike a lot harder than I did yesterday and I think I will as my skill comes up!

Summary
This bike is simply awesome. It meets and exceeds all my expectations. It's stiff, it's efficient, and it handles like you expect a race bike to handle. I couldn't be happier or more pleased with this build!