First couple rides on this Lynskey Pro GR, smooth and stable on rough surfaces. So far very happy with it! Overall the weight is maybe 1# heavier than the carbon frame I had. Honestly it’s a very comfortable ride!
13 Likes
One of us, one of us.
I’ve been pondering another Ti bike, this time of the road bike variety.
3 Likes
long slow whistle
Damn sexy!!!
3 Likes
Those are lovely frames! Could you give us some close-ups of the detailing? And what’s the build kit looking like?
Thanks a ton! It took lots of research to narrow down from over 40 bikes to nail this down.
Yeah, I’ll be happy to snap some pics. I will see if I can get them tomorrow.
I have the 2x GRX Limited group along with GRX wheels. Redshift stem, Salsa Cowbell carbon bars and Ergon flex post to round out the comfort bits (besides the Ti goodness).
Tires may be Bontrager GR2 40’s on both ends but may do a WTB Raddler 40 for more bit up front.
2 Likes
Was just looking at the GRX Limited group today 
stoked to see this one come together!
1 Like
Some detail pics as requested. Let me know if I missed anything you’d like to see.
And for any weight conscious:
-
Frame (55 cm) : 3.96 lbs [1800g] for the Frame, Seat Collar, RD Hanger, and Cable Routing Inserts (excluded axle).
-
Fork (not pictured): 1.10 lbs [500g] with full 350mm Steerer that will be cut (excluded axle & threaded plug)
16 Likes
That frame is beautiful! The polished vs matte finishes look great
1 Like
Thanks! I also like the different finishes and think it adds some great contrast to the base material color.
3 Likes
Dayum….those detail pics make it just that much sexier!
Can’t wait to see it built up!
2 Likes
Related to the All-City brand and my long search for the “right” gravel geo for my needs, this recent podcast was awesome. Jeffry has an interesting story and turns out to have been the lead person that got a bike just like I hoped to find.
He discusses his time with each brand and then dives a bit into geometry. That one bit in particular was the second confirmation (after much discussion with @Power13) that I was likely to get what I wanted from this bike.
I couldn’t be more excited to pull the final bits together and start the build (headset, wheels & tires). Thanks for all the interest and props 
3 Likes
1 Like
I’m looking forward to seeing this pulled together and your thoughts once you ride it. It looks like you are seeing this bike as more of rough terrain gravel bike opposed to fat tire road bike approach that can handle gravel.
I did a custom steel gravel bike in 2017, and went more the fat tire road bike direction. It would be interesting to build a ti bike that excels more trail than road such as this. That being said, I still love my bike and nailed the geo for how I planned to ride it.
- I’m curious to hear why you think that, because I am headed in exactly the opposite direction from what you mention.
Super quick story of my gravel history:
-
Blue Norcross SP CX bike was my first "gravel " bike. Aluminum and super stiff, but gave me a proper taste of riding dirt/gravel roads on drop bar. Fast handling as expected and liked it, but the frame was so rough that I got kidney pain like my old MX racing days in hard braking bumps.
-
Trek Boone CX bike as an upgrade. The carbon frame and Isospeed in particular improved comfort immensely. It got better once I added a Redshift Sports Shockstop stem, that made for a properly balanced setup and ultimate comfort despite sticking to 33mm tires. I loved the snappy handling as well and never had issues even on steep, fast, rocky roads.
-
“Upgraded” to a Salsa Warbird gravel bike. Top GRX Di2 build with “proper” gravel geometry that I read rave reviews about. I loved the 40mm tires vs my time on the 33mm for the prior CX bikes.
- But… it turns out I really don’t like the geometry. The slack head tube angle and long front center in particular make it a handful in real “corners”. Coupled with the super short reach bars (68mm) and short stock stem (90mm for a 56cm frame) and I had real issues with front wheel traction on the corners.
- I had two front tire washout falls from insufficient front wheel weight as a result. This is something that NEVER happened on either CX bike, despite rallying them crazy fast around the descents in my area. I swapped to a 110mm stem which helped a bit, but it was a band-aid and I still didn’t like the “lazy” handling. I decided to sell the bike because I didn’t trust it anymore or like the handling.
That all points to the fact that I clearly prefer a more “road-like” gravel bike. Something with a steeper head tube angle and shorter front center which makes for a more snappy, agile handling. My search aimed to get close to my Boone front center, but get something that could fit 40-45mm tires that I wanted to have for our rougher roads.
For reference, here are the geo comparisons of the new Cosmic Stallion Ti and my old Boone & Warbird
- Compare: 2016 Trek Bikes Boone Disc Frameset 56 cm vs 2021 - Titanium All-City Cycles Cosmic Stallion Base 55cm - Bike Insights,
- Compare: 2020 Salsa Cycles Warbird Carbon GRX 810 Di2 56cm vs 2021 - Titanium All-City Cycles Cosmic Stallion Base 55cm - Bike Insights,
The Stallion is nearly identical to the Boone with the main difference at the longer chainstay. This should keep decent weight on the front tire but add some stability from the longer chainstay & wheelbase as a result. I can dive into that more for those interested, but this probably warrants a separate thread if anyone is interested in a deeper discussion.
2 Likes
My comment is colored by my own take on fat tire road/gravel geometry, so I fully understand there are different approaches and preferences for each person.
I did a custom geo for my preferred handling, so that meant a very similar geo to a road bike. The geo highlights below for my build - note, the geo was optimized around 700x35mm and 650x48mm:
- I like my front end trail figure to be in the 58mm range. So I used a 72.5 HTA with a 50mm rake fork
- I optimized the reach around a 90mm stem for a slightly longer front centre compared to my roadie
- CS are quite short for snappy handling - 412mm
- lots of BB drop at 78mm for natural cornering due to larger tires compared to my roadie
It has clearance for 42mm x 700 and 650x50. I have 3 wheels sets: 25mmx700, 35mmx700 and 650x48mm.
I have have used the bike for pure pavement, gravel and trail with very good results - I love the handling and it doesn’t feel squirrely at all with such aggressive geo. Oh, the gearing is 50/34 with an 11-32.
1 Like
OK, that makes sense then, considering you have pretty much made a road bike that takes fat tires. My Boone CX is close to that, with the common changes we see in that genre.
I took that as my “favorite” and aimed to get close to that from the available lot of bikes. I stored over 40 bikes in my personal geo comparison sheet, and that excludes at least 10 bikes I never bothered to add since they were not even close to my goal once I checked a few essential dimensions.
I think you and I are likely at the outer end of the bell curve with preference towards ‘road’ handling. Most seem in the middle with a strong swing towards the MTB end of the spectrum as we see “gravel” bikes morph from one generation to the next. A bit like my distaste for the Long/Low/Slack trend in MTB going too far, I see some of the gravel bikes heading in this direction. It’s not my taste and I am hopeful this new bike will meet my preferences and be the last one I ever get. 
1 Like
10 Likes
7 Likes
Yep, I’m likely pushing at an extreme end. I really dislike high trail bikes on the road - it just feeling wrong to me climbing out of the saddle with the front end feeling sloppy. I also have a preference to neutral cornering which for me is a shortish wheelbase coupled with 58mm of trail. I find bigger tires grab the road a lot more (especially fat slicks), so lower trail really helps in this area.
I also don’t like the super long and slack mtn bikes. I’m still very happy with my gen 3 Ibis Ripley - not completely modern geo and not old school either.
Ha, last bike!!
3 Likes