Long Travel Lightweight Hardtails

EllieRockyPally

Hi All,

I'll hopefully be recieving the insurance payout from my bikes that were pinched in January in the coming days.

I'm looking at the On-One Carbon 456 rolling chassis: http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/ZXMAXRLTTI/ ... set-bundle
which in my opinion represents astounding value at £899.

Or

A 2010 Lynskey (Ti, obviously!) Ridgeline LT frame only for £999 from my LBS.

I've never owned a carbon frame before, so I don't know whether there are any potential pitfalls to be aware of (I have heard horror stories of fragile frames being easily crash damaged!). Nor have I owned a Ti frame, but assume these are a little more foolproof!

Are there any other frames that you think I should be looking at? I'm looking to spend upto £1000 on a frame (or combination such as the On-One package) with 140-160mm fork compatibility.

specialeyes

I think I need a lie down after checking that 456 out! That's going to the top of my wish list. Like you say, outstanding value and it looks amazing too!
If your willing to spend a grand on the frame alone, what's the rest of your budget look like?

ride_whenever

Carbon 456 is a fairly obvious contender, mine is at 24.5 pounds with a drop post, but I should drop a chunk shortly when I get some new rims and fit my summer tyres.

I'm aiming for around 23.5-24 pounds which isn't too shabby.

EllieRockyPally

I'm not sure on my final budget yet. I'm due to be awarded an insurance payout for two of my MTB's which were stolen in January. The payout will be up to £2000.00 and shouldn't be much less than that figure.
I've also got a few items for sale on eBay which should net a similar figure.

I already run a 2011 Stumpy EVO custom build, and I used to have a 2009 Rockhopper (one of the stolen bikes) which I loved but could have used a little more travel than 100mm Recon's that were standard.

I've only ever had alloy frames so fancy broadening my horizons with an alternative material.

Is carbon really as fragile as some people make out?
Is Ti worth the extra money?

lawman

Get the freaking lynskey man!!!!!! No contest IMO, the ridgeline is a superb bike, looks fantastic and ti frames ride seriously nicely, haven't ridden the 456, but purely on looks I'd go the lynskey, the on one is fugly as hell!!

supersonic

A well designed carbon frame will be stronger and tougher than a badly designed ti frame. And maybe more comfortable.

bails87

Hmmm, everything I've read about the C456 says it's very, very good. I'm tempted by one myself, and looks are obviously subjective, I think it looks great!

Beardface

I had a C456, it was amazing, comfy and could easily take so much more abuse than I was ready (or able) to give it.

Fantastic bike, can't reccommend it enough! Super light if you put the cash in and, great value for money.

That said, I've not owned a Ti bike.. yet.. so can't comment on that side of things.

bails87

Stav wrote:

I had a C456, it was amazing, comfy and could easily take so much more abuse than I was ready (or able) to give it.

Fantastic bike, can't reccommend it enough! Super light if you put the cash in and, great value for money.

That said, I've not owned a Ti bike.. yet.. so can't comment on that side of things.

[thread steal]What other bikes have you had stav, and how did it compare to them? I've got a Boardman Pro, but keep being tempted by something a bit slacker. The downside of that is that it's heavier, but the C456 weighs the same as the Boardman frame. On one have got some cracking deals too. I just don't want anything that'll feel particularly slow compared to the Boardman.

Beardface

Bails - I've had a few, mostly DJ bikes (Kona Scab, DMR Trailstar, Identiti 666s etc) and other than that, full sussers - Mount Visions, FSR XCs, Epics, and currently on an 06 Enduro. (Edit: Just to add, ridden many many more as well!)

So, the C456 was a completely different beast.. nice and slack, but so light, it was a monster going up and down the hills. Lol, I did forget it was a HT sometimes and didn't bother with putting the seat down, so ended up with sore balls on a few occasions!

But, the missus has a Boardman FI, and I've ridden that too.. the 456 was much quicker IMHO. I ended up with a roadie cassette (11-26) on the back as well, as the lower gears on the previous XT cassette I was running weren't being used.

IIRC, the c456 ended up about 23lbs ish, with 140mm forks. Pretty amazing really! I only got rid of it as I wanted to get back to sussers, and didn't have the space to keep it!

HTH

specialeyes

That lynskey is £879 on chain reaction.

kenan

What I did was get a second hand 456 steel frame first to see how I got on and now have a carbon frame in the garage so swap all the bits on. The stel 465 is a great bike, can't wait to ride the carbon version.

EllieRockyPally

Thanks everyone for such an overwhelming response!

Supersonic, do you know whether the Lynskey is well designed Ti frame? I know they make frames for Ragley and used to make the Ti456 which is partly why I held it in such high regard!

Lawman, are you the Lawman that we met back in January in Rivington or is that a different chap?

Cheers again guys!

supersonic

Very well designed, by all accounts and reviews!

I was just emphasising the versatility of carbon - when designed to be strong, as on a bike like the 456 carbon, it will do the job handsomely. And at 3.3lbs for 400 quid, is a total steal.

lawman

EllieRockyPally wrote:

Thanks everyone for such an overwhelming response!

Supersonic, do you know whether the Lynskey is well designed Ti frame? I know they make frames for Ragley and used to make the Ti456 which is partly why I held it in such high regard!

Lawman, are you the Lawman that we met back in January in Rivington or is that a different chap?

Cheers again guys!

Nope that must be someone different, I have no idea where rivington is

As for lynskey, they arguably make some of the best ti frames in the world, years of experience and alot of the decent ti frames around these days are made by lynskey for other companies, like the ragley, ti456 and the cove hummer. Can't really go wrong with either tbh, but it depends what you want it for, they may look similar on paper, but the lynskey is more of a long travel xc bike, where as the on one is probably better for hardcore stuff. Like I said depends what you want from the bike

leaflite

Ti is slightly heavier than carbon, but has more give in it-like a steel frame. It will therefore be more comfortable.

supersonic

I have to disgaree - it totally depends how the frame is made. Carbon frames can be designed to have a lot of give in it like the new scott scale, where vertical compliance can be measured. Similarly the Flash has some seattube give.

EllieRockyPally

Anyone got any idea of longterm durability. I know that Ti is well known to be absolutely bombproof and Lynskey's no quibble life time warranty backs that up. But what about carbon? Will the C456 still be riding as well for as long as the Lynskey will be?

supersonic

Difficult to say! I would imagine so. WHat is the warranty like?

Cannondale offer a lifetime guarantee and no rider weight limit on their Flash frame, and it weighs 2.1 lbs! So as before, when designed properly for an application, any material can work very well.

EllieRockyPally

I don't know much about On-One's warranty. Yet...

Although, I do know that it will cover any fork upto 160mm! Which sounds to me like they're begging for warranty claims!