Lynskey vaile

[Jamesh]

Has anyone got any views on the lynskey vaile touring bike frame. It's about half price at CRC.

And on the back of that straight guage tubes Vs DB tubes in relation to titanium frames?

I think an ti audax / touring frame will be my significant - birthday present, a few years off I hasten to add!

Cheers James

[pwa]

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lynskey-viale- ... gKn8fD_BwE

At this price it looks like a good buy. Plain gauge works fine on a titanium frame intended for touring. It will still be a reasonable weight. And you want the frame stiff enough to cope with loads, so you are not looking for the magic carpet ride you might get from butted tubes.

[reohn2]

Two faults with that frame as a tourer,the disc tabs/fittings are on the chainstay making rack fittings awkward,and it's only rated for a maximum tyre width of 30mm,those are significant drawbacks IMO,and at £570 I'd want forks to match though obviously not Ti .

TBH I've never understood the attraction of Ti,unless it rides significantly better and is far lighter than steel where's the gain?
OK it doesn't rust but that can be simply overcome on any steel frameby Waxoyl or similar rustproofer

[pwa]

Two faults with that frame as a tourer are the disc tabs/fittings are on the chainstay making rack fittings awkward and it's only rated for a maximum tyre width of 30mm,those are significant drawbacks IMO,and at £570 I'd want forks to match .

TBH I've never understood the attraction of Ti,unless it rides significantly better and is far lighter than steel where's the gain?
OK it doesn't rust but that can be simply overcome on any steel frameby Waxoyl or similar rustproofer

Good observations about the brake fitting and max tyre width. 30mm is certainly too narrow.

But I converted to titanium after decades of rust problems and issues with paint. And I did use Waxoyl. The rusting was usually around the top of the top tube at the forward cable stop. Acidic sweat, the man at Argos Racing Cycles said. Without suggesting a solution. And the relief of having a bike where paint doesn't have to be looked after and rust doesn't blister up was a joy, and still is. Weight compared to steel for the same style of frame was a tad lower, but nothing to write home about.

[hamster]

Two faults with that frame as a tourer,the disc tabs/fittings are on the chainstay making rack fittings awkward,and it's only rated for a maximum tyre width of 30mm,those are significant drawbacks IMO,and at £570 I'd want forks to match though obviously not Ti .

TBH I've never understood the attraction of Ti,unless it rides significantly better and is far lighter than steel where's the gain?
OK it doesn't rust but that can be simply overcome on any steel frameby Waxoyl or similar rustproofer

The rack and guard mounts are higher up the seatstays to keep them clear of the brakes.
I've had a Lynskey-built Litespeed for the past 18 years - if nothing else the durability of the finish makes it worthwhile. I'm quite sure that you could build a frame with the same properites out of steel or carbon fibre. However in steel it would likely be with thin tubing which in time would dent, while carbon fibre might be more susceptible to crash damage. The Ti frame has proved its robustness.

[scottg]

Has anyone got any views on the lynskey vaile touring bike frame. It's about half price at CRC. [snip]
Cheers James

Lynskeys are always on sale, that is their business model.
Nice folks, quick on repairs.
A friend cracked a chainstay, frame came back with both chain stays
replaced with larger tubes.

[The utility cyclist]

Two faults with that frame as a tourer,the disc tabs/fittings are on the chainstay making rack fittings awkward,and it's only rated for a maximum tyre width of 30mm,those are significant drawbacks IMO,and at £570 I'd want forks to match though obviously not Ti .

TBH I've never understood the attraction of Ti,unless it rides significantly better and is far lighter than steel where's the gain?
OK it doesn't rust but that can be simply overcome on any steel frameby Waxoyl or similar rustproofer

Quite, I bought a second user Sabbath September last September for similar money, that was a full bike, it takes a measured 30mm tyres WITH guards. Whilst I'm happy to tour/audax/utility rides etc on 30s some wouldn't particularly if they have heavier loads. One of the supposed upsides of disc frames was that they offer a significant increase in tyre options, even with so called 'gravel' specific bikes that are using discs the options are sometimes limited to barely more than a rim braked bike without guards and as you say, fitting guards and racks can be a real PITA, some particular brands need very specific kit and are an absolute bomb to buy on top.

Personally I like the look of Ti, to match it in steel you do have to go higher end IMHO and so the costs are negligible if not more so for the steel frame, and why have all the aggro of rust countering measures when you might as well spend up front to not have the worry EVER!
As for weight, well my 57cm Sabbath September with decent carbon forks is 2200g, the Sabbath certainly isn't a weight weenie but you'd be needing to spend on 853/9853 to match that, why not have the best of all worlds for a few hundred quid more up front at the base level (compared to a SPA 725 frameset for instance). You can have a made to measure Burls for under £1000!

[slowster]

The rack and guard mounts are higher up the seatstays to keep them clear of the brakes.

That results in the rack and any panniers being much higher than I would like both for reasons of aesthetics and handling (although it might be possible to address that somewhat by using a rack intended for a 26" wheeled bike instead and/or a Tubus type rack which allows the panniers to be fitted below the height of the top of the rack).

More importantly, it brings the rack further forwards increasing the risk of heel strike, as reported in this review https://uncertainty.com/the-bicycles-in-my-life-lynskey-viale/. That reviewer also complained of toe overlap. I cannot see what size frame the reviewer had, but there appears to be a lack of a comprehensive geometry chart for the bike online, making it impossible to estimate whether this is likely to be a problem for any given size of frame (the frame doesn't even appear to be listed on Lynskey's website now).

It's also not clear to me whether the 30mm maximum tyre size is with or without mudguards, and in any case I would consider 32mm with mudguards to be the bare minimum for a new touring frame. If the clearances are tight, which it sounds like they may be, I would be be worried that there was just not enough room underneath the mudguards when using a 30mm tyre, especially on a touring bike which is likely to be used on muddy lanes and possibly light off-road.

It seems the frame is described by Lynskey as a 'light touring model', and it sounds to me less like a touring frame than an audax frame suited for 25mm-28mm tyres.

Frankly, I suspect that unless it happens to be what the OP wants, it's a case of the frame being bad value when assessed as a proper touring frame, and whereas Spa's titanium touring frame costs more (which includes a fork), it's probably better value by virtue of being a proper touring frame.

[Jamesh]

Thanks for the information. I'm not really in the position to make a purchase at moment rather on the bucket list.

Once the kids have grown up a bit I will be in position for more touring perhaps even with them if I can get the controller's out of their hands and realise they gave a dad who does fun things!!!

If my Cannondale six were to die a ti would be top of the list!