Lynskey Custom / Enigma/ Moots

Thanks - it is rad. Researching ti builders at the moment. I am leaning towards DeSalvo.

Yeah it is... there was another that was superb but the owner seems to have let their photobucket account die - it is a Moots Compact SL, painted matte black, THM cranks and forks, modified for di2 and slimmed down to something like 6kg

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Other painted Moots I’ve enjoyed...

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To be honest I’m not up to speed with ti builders on the scene at the moment... I’d always held a Moots up as the bike I wanted more than anything, and being of average proportions meant I could get away with off the peg - my first Lynskey was the best ti bike I’ve ever ridden so if I were buying something new and custom I’d probably start with them, they don’t seem to be as refined as they once were though - I think they’re still made in the states though... a friend who put me on to ti bikes fancied Mosaic, I’d probably consider them as well... and Baum... but that’s been the list in my head for 5/6 years now...

DeSalvo

Also Hampsten, 333fab, Zanconato. All good pricing for expert bike designers/builders IMO.

Lynskey is, has and will always be made in the US. As have Litespeed (used to be owned by the Lynskey family before they sold it off and then started up again five years later). Based in the same small Tennessee town.
Think @t-v is only looking at the custom guys.

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz87/Ruimteaapje/P1010321.jpg

I think if I were going custom I'd get something carbon... it's getting more common to find folk capable of repair... best bike I've ever ridden is my Parlee...

edited as it sounded rude when I reread, wasn't meant to be! do Lynskey still do custom?

I reckon they'd rather fold the business over moving production overseas. Yeahhhh but you know what I meant :-)

Edit: You were too late! Yeah, they still do custom.

My eventual shortlist was Seven, Moots, Litespeed and No. 22. Seven was chosen based on value for money and their fitting process. No. 22 are putting out some amazing stuff but their off the peg stuff is mad expensive, let alone custom. Same for Moots. Price of a Litespeed was too close to a Seven to bother. I didn't include people like Mosaic, Firefly and whatnot because of wait time. Firefly have gotten a bit too wild for me as well. Great if you want a wacky Ti frame but otherwise they're a bit hit and miss right now IMO.

May I ask, ballpark, how much more is a Moots than a Seven? (I do like a Seven) - are Merlin still making frames?

Anyone ridden stainless? Fancy trying it someday...

Or go super flash and check out Prova Cycles in Australia and go for a mix of Titanium and Carbon. Mark at Prova is making the best bikes going at the moment in my opinion, that being said I'm absolutely loving my new Sturdy.

There are lots of options!

Merlin are still making frames but no longer by Merlin themselves:

'John Siegrist, the co-owner of Dean Bikes and the Janus Cycle Group, after buying the rights to the Merlin name from Competitive Cyclist and Backcountry.com, unveiled a new line of Merlin titanium bikes built in Boulder, Colorado'

Arguably just as good if not better if they're being built by Dean. Really like the frames they're putting out. Not bad value, either. Custom geo is the same price as stock which is nice.

No ballpark needed! $3637.69 for my Seven inclusive of the fit, Cane Creek 40 and Enve 2.0. This is obviously custom and 'rider specific.'

A Vamoots is $4400 for non-custom geo and not 'rider specific' with whatever fork they're using as well as a CK inset. I don't know how much a custom Moots is. But the cost difference alone there was enough to make me choose the Seven.

*These prices are post-tax.

Hmm... bit too far to travel for a custom bike...

I’d want a Parlee first though... also like the idea of a Bastion - not seen one I love yet but they’d be on my list for custom, I like a lugged carbon frame...

Ooft, yeah fairplay...

Dean, forgot about them! @t-v got dean on your list?

For what it's worth the list I considered were: Moots, Seven, Mosaic, No. 22, Stelbel, Crisp, Enigma, Triton, Eriksen / Bingham and Sturdy.

I think one of the main price differences with Moots is the tubing they get. I'm pretty sure they're the only manufacturer who gets proper double butted tubing from Reynolds. The others (Firefly, Seven etc) do the double butting themselves.

I'm pretty sure they all make great bikes. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference and price, the different approach taken by Sturdy was what clinched them for me.

Not a problem if you're too cheap to buy a butted frame like I am :-P

This is obviously biased towards Seven's design methodology and frame building but there is some interesting stuff in here about Ti generally:

https://www.sevencycles.com/Webdata/pdfs/Seven's-Titanium-Technology-and-Manufacturing-Methodology.pdf

One day, in the far future when it needs it, my Moots will get a similar paintjob but in baby pink with sparkles. Probably the best spray I've ever seen on a Moots this. Good find! T

Made me think of this Moots build

https://www.bespokecycling.com/build-gallery/moots-routt-rsl-1

All this Moots talk is making me very jealous. I don’t think my cyclescheme voucher is going to stretch. Looking forward to the end result @mattyc

Yeah strong list, I’d not heard of Study until your post in the ti thread.

My mind races when I have too many options so I’d have asked Moots for a price and probably sacked off the idea... as I said I’m lucky enough to find a fit amongst the off the peg options from most builders.

Bikes currently on the list of ‘I’ll have one some day’ are a ritchey logic and a Rossin SLX Strada Pro... and if I’m lucky enough to find a Pegoretti in my size, one of them as well.

Ha aye, I've seen that one. It's well thought out but maybe just that bit too much. Still think there's a lot to be said for Ti frames being bare, simplest and best. Keep on looking at yours, it's stunning. Great choice! T

Reynolds sent me a price list the other day for tubing which includes double butted Ti. I don’t think there’s exclusivity there.

Yeah not exclusive but I think Moots reckon the double butted Reynolds stuff is better quality than the double butting they can do in house so they pay the premium. I think it was in my email conversation with Brad Bingham over a potential frame that he mentioned this (for what it's worth he builds exclusively in straight gauge).