Lynskey Ridgeline Review (Sort of)

This is probably useless and boring to you but I figured maybe someone will get something from it.

The Sultan is an absolute blast to ride. It excels in certain places (see Syllamo's Revenge, Middle Fork rides, etc) especially long rough rides when I'm looking to stay comfy all day. The rigid singlespeed is also a blast to ride, for some of the opposite reasons of the Sultan. Going back and forth between the two ends of the spectrum is always fun, as when I get on the other bike I appreciate its positive qualities because they stand out. Ride the Sultan for a while, then get on the SS, damn this thing climbs, gives great trail feedback, I can really stand and stomp, handles quickly. Then jump on the Sultan, damn this thing is comfy, I can really sit and spin through anything, bomb downhills without a care, climb anything techy.

I started thinking that maybe I could build something in the middle of the spectrum that would do everyhing in the middle well and cover both ends
(Sultan <------> Rigid SS) almost as well. My approach of course was a 29er hardtail with a three inch fork set up with a 1x9 drivetrain.

So I had to find a frame. At first I was looking at a Salsa Mamasita and a Niner MCR9. Mamasita is a super light scandium race frame with a carbon rear end. Stiff, fast, light. MCR is Reynolds 853 steel. Comfy, light for steel. For whatever reason I couldn't decide which way to go. Then I remembered a frame that had really struck me a few months back. The Lynskey Ridgeline. Handcrafted titanium frame made by a guy who (founder of Litespeed) knows a bit about that. Normally they charge a lot (everyone does) for a custom ti frame, but decided to build a frame in bulk that did not have custom geometry but still took advantage of the good tubing, manufacturing process, and tricks of the trade, applied to all of their custom frames. I guess the result could be called a budget ti frame. After doing a lot of research on experiences with the Ridgeline, talking with a few owners, and other obsessive stuff, I decided to pick one up.

I pulled the parts off of the Sultan, changed the fork travel to 3 inches and painted/striped it, and put it all on the new frame. Here's the build:

* Frame: Lynskey Ridgeline 29-VF Medium
* Fork: Fox F29 RLC
* Brakes: Avid Juicy Ultimates
* Shifter: X-9
* Cranks: XT M770
* Chainguides: Blackspire Litegod and N-Gear Jumpstop
* Rear Derailleur: X-9 Medium cage
* Pedals: Crank Brothers Candy 2Ti
* Stem: Easton EA90 0 degree 90mm
* Handlebar: Easton Monkeylite XC
* Seatpost: Easton EC90 Zero 400mm
* Saddle: Specialized Phenom SL
* Bottom Bracket: XT M770
* Chainring: Blackspire Mono Veloce 34 tooth
* Cassette: Sram PG-970 11-34
* Headset: Chris King Black
* Grips: ODI Ruffian
* Front Tire: Maxxis Ignitor
* Front Rim: Stan's Flow
* Front Hub: Chris King ISO Disc Black
* Rear Tire: Maxxis Ignitor
* Rear Rim: Stan's Flow
* Rear Hub: Chris King ISO Disc Black


I've got about 100 miles on the new Lynskey now.........


So, reviews can be somewhat ambiguous. This bike rides great, it's smooth, it's fast, it handles great, whatever. That doesn't really mean much. It also doesn't mean much when someone sets out to review a frame and ends up talking about how all of the components affect the ride.

This will be more of a comparison of the new Ridgeline to the Sultan and the rigid SS (Redline Monocog Flight with the same wheels, crank, but White Brothers Rock Solid rigid fork). I'll leave the components out except when totally necessary (you'll understand).

Also trying to filter out any of the new-bike-of-course-it's-better type thoughts.

First, the fit. Totally unique to an individual. I had the Sultan and the SS set up to fit exactly the same, exactly where I liked them. Of course the goal was to mimic that fit. I always start with my saddle position relative to the center of the crank (assuming same crankarm length, all here are 175). Then from there I dial in the reach and bar height using tip or center of saddle (depending on if the saddles are the same, here they are) to the center of the handlebar. Stem rise, length, and spacers are adjusted to acheive the correct bar placement. Looking at the geometry of the Ridgeline I knew I was going to need a 90mm stem vs the 100mm on the other two bikes. I'm more than happy to run a 90 as I believe it will quicken up the steering a bit. When I built the bike and measured that was the case so I put on a 90. So, the bike fits exactly like the other two.

Handling. The head tube angle on the Turner is 71 degrees as well as on the SS, but that's based on the original fork with an axle to crown measurement of 474mm and an offset of 47mm. The White Bros is 465mm and 42mm respectively. So I guess that makes the head angle about 71.5 degrees or so? (steepens it a bit) The Lynskey HA is 72 degrees based on an 80mm fork. Chainstay length is identical on the SS and the Lynskey, and .7 inches longer on the Sultan due to the suspension. The Lynskey handles very well, a bit better than the other two. It makes the SS feel quick, but wandery. If that makes sense. Steering inputs take a moment to catch on, but when they do they come quick. The Ridgeline handles quickly and precisely. The Sultan is just a bit slower, but it's supposed to be that way. We can't forget the shorter stem on the Ridgeline and how it may affect the steering.

The Ride. This is a tough one because I don't feel I can compare the frame directly to either due to the rear suspension of the Sultan and the rigid fork of the SS. I'll just make some notes. The bike is very forgiving when seated, but I don't know how much of that is due to the carbon seatpost. That post flexes quite a bit, and is springy compared to an aluminum post. Three inches of travel feels just right coming off of the rigid fork, it's still really comfy and fast through the bumps, and doesn't drain you too bad when standing and cranking. The bike feels to be about the same stiffness in the bottom bracket area as the SS.

Enter more component dilution.

Climbing. I didn't weigh it but this frame is light, claimed 3.35 lbs. They have lighter, but I'm glad they left some material in there to up the stiffness a bit. Couple that with the 1x9 drivetrain and fairly light components and you have a fairly light bike. I can feel that on the climbs and welcome it of course. Again, the frame is stiff enough to put some power to the pedals without losing it.

Descending. It doesn't do it like the Sultan, but close enough for me. The precise handling I mentioned earlier feels good on the downhills and I'm content with the fork travel.

The frame itself. Perfect, "stack of dimes" welds. Cool brushed industrial finish. Bonus clover cutouts. Totally prepped and ready for build.

Overall (entire bike). I feel like I hit the nail on the head. (duh, a 3 inch hardtail, everyone knew that already) This bike is right in the middle of the spectrum that I mentioned. I'll race it in short XC races and will ride it all day long as well. Whether it's the new bike-itis or not I don't know, but the fun meter is pegged, and that's the most important part.