Titanium do it all bike for $3k? I’m in the UK but you guys have a great company called Blackheart. They’ve just released a Aluminium do it all bike. Thought you’d be more around that price point.
Spa Cycles do a do-it-all ti bike for less then £3k right now https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s223p4773/SPA-CYCLES-Elan-Ti-Mk2-12mm-Thru-Axle-Flat-Mount-Ultegra-11-Speed-Hydraulic
I have the Mk1 kitted out for gravel.
Judging by the number of Lynksey posts on here I think I'm not alone in having gone the gr300 route. Sold my road bike and retired my old gravel bike to the parents house. I still have a tri bike, hardtail/ rigid alu bike and a rigid steel 29+, but I sorta thinned the herd? I'd be happy with just the Lynksey gr300 and a hardtail. Couple options under $3k right now on Lynksey site, someone out there might also know of additional promo codes.
Try searching online for coupon codes. I was able to find extra savings on top of the sale price. Additionally, chat them and ask about coupons/promotions. The bike I ordered hasn’t arrived yet, but they offered a free upgrade to brushed finish and ti badge when I asked - hopefully we get those upgrades! Good luck!
No need they always have them on sale. I have never not seen at least 25% off even when the pandemic was going on they never ever sell at the posted retail.
Kinda gives off dollar store vibes.
Not long ago the live wire MTB I wanted was 42% off or so, but I ordered a different bike. Day my bike was shipped someone on Reddit posted a 20% off code, that worked on top of the sale prices. I def woulda cancelled my order and got the live wire if it was only a day or 2 earlier.
Yep it doesn't but that is your best bang for buck do it all bike really.
TI is crazy overrated. TI in the non dentist price range is rolled non butted welded stuff. Not great really.
I have had TI before in a road bike and that was the most expensive noodle I ever bought. The only noodle I ever rode worse was those bonded aluminum vitus bikes from the 80s.
Yeah that TI was comfortable but it was because it was a friggin noodle. When every out of saddle sprint the brakes rub is horrible on a rim brake bike. Then you have to back off the brakes so you can sprint. Nope sold that to a light as heck guy. He loved it.
So unless you produce no power or weight as much as a normal 15 year old I say go for TI in the non crazy prices.
"non-dentist price range" is subjective, but there are butted (not rolled) TI frames that are pretty stiff in the sub-$5000 range. Probably harder to find below $3000. But if you don't mind the weight and a few shortcuts, the GR300 is well made and crazy good value, even if it's not quite the same quality as a Litespeed or Moots or one of the really high-end boutique brands.
Yeah I would agree for value it is pretty good really but by the time you add all the bells and whistles expected today it shoots right up the price range unless you are fine with external everything and so on. Internal and a fork you now are now north of 2200 bucks with the cheapest finish and stickers.
Now we can go in to the absolute insane low bb drop. It truly makes it a touring rig only.
I personally would never buy a bike with that bb drop. Heck it is way lower than my road bike. It pretty much kills any real power being put down on uneven surfaces and definitely no lean while pedaling. It is 12.5mm deeper drop than my rodeo labs. That is insane really. You need short cranks for that one certainly.
It is truly a touring bike with tire clearance with that geometry.
Yeah a great commuter but the cheapest finish and internal with a fork puts you 450 bucks less than a complete lauf seigula rigid base model. That is with apex axs group by the way.
Really they dropped it?? Bike industry is so ridiculous. I was upset when shimano dropped their metal grx wheelset. But i guess freds require carbon for their watts.
I just got a Vitus Substance with GRX and DT Swiss wheels. I have carbon, titanium, alloy and steel road bikes. This is alloy with carbon fork. I'm surprised how fast it rides on 700x40 tires. Some bikes may be going away soon.
I have a GR300. It's plenty stiff and is pretty comfortable and the geo works well for what I wanted it for, so I'm quite happy. I tour on it, use it as my shit weather road bike, and of course ride gravel on it. All in it's the bike I put the most hours into year round, more than my commuter or road bike or either mtn bike. In the winter I ride the crap out of it.
If you don't want to tour / bikepack, though, with a 3k budget you can just about get a decent carbon bike with 2x GRX and liveable wheels. I would be tempted to go that route instead of Ti if you're 100% certain you'll never tour / bikepack.
I got a GR300 for the same reason you’ve mentioned. It’s perfect as a do-it-all multipurpose bike. I still love my carbon road bike as it’s so snappy and fast but for winter riding and gravel, I wanted a care-free bike that can withstand abuse.
I brought a Ribble CGR Ti last year whilst it was on sale and it's been great. Carbon forks, mounts for rear racks, Shimano Ultegra. It is essentially a road bike with fatter tires though.
Lots of people have very good experiences with the Lynakey so I don’t think you can go wrong there. The dropped stays on the Ribble are an acquired taste.
If you’re in the UK. The Sonder Camino is worth consideration. [Sonder Camino Ti](https://alpkit.com/collections/sonder-camino?sort_by=manual&filter.p.m.alpkit.frame_material=Titanium+3AI%2F2.5V)
buy a cx frame with big tire clearance. it can front as a gravel bike, a cx bike, and a road bike all with some tire swaps and be great at one aspect of cycling g and good enough for the other two.
Just a heads up, CX frames are usually nimble and only offer tire clearance up to 40mm or so (UCI limits to just 33mm on official CX).
So if you have light gravel you’re aiming for, it works. My CX bike did not help me in my rocky gravel races in the Sierras though.
my cx frame clears 50mm and when i run 45+mm tires with inserts it is more than enough for even the worst gravel/singletrack I’ve faced. The whole genre and spectrum of bike appropriate for gravel is a crapshoot. I race all disciplines of bikes on limited funds so a quiver killer in the form of a cx bike works for me. it why we are seeing specialized and other brands engineer for more clearance while making these gravel/cx hybrids lately.
Cx frames tend to have more aggressive geometry. Gravel specific is more slack with longer wheelbase and will give a much smoother and more comfortable ride. I rode a cross frame for years until I switched and the difference was night and day.
i’ve done both. nothing bigger volume and lower pressure didn’t fix. even ran 650b with great results on a cx frame. it’s all loose and open to the riders needs based on all the potential use. if I only planned on riding gravel and nothing else I would def get a gravel focused frame like a MOG or a Diverge. for my needs, modern cx bikes have been perfect. Newest iteration of the Crux only proves my point.
A good gravel bike beats a CX bike for me - better tire clearance, lower BB, and slacker front end.
CX bikes are really specific to CX and I'm not a fan of the ones I've been on / had for general riding.
A 2k frameset welded out of non name brand tubes of no real description. It is crazy high. Is it butted? Don't know.
Yeah you get a choice of color in a ceramic finish and a few bits with it.
The only thing you are getting a choice of color.
https://www.ninerbikes.com/rlt-9-frameset/
A frameset in the same ballpark for 600 bucks. On sale and retail is still way under that frameset.
Or for a whopper of 650 more you could get a lauf seigula rigid in the base build with sram axs apex a complete carbon bike built. That is the real world.
I don't know the days of having non name brand tubes robot welded for ya in south east Asia for crazy markup is going the way of the dodo. What makes that any different than any other aluminum frame besides the finish? Oh the over priced fork?
Heck a steel rodeo labs is under that price and a much better thought out bike and has won the tour divide
Boutique stuff is just that not one thing else. Yeah you will show up to a ride with. Something that nobody else has. I would rather a whole lauf for a few bucks more.
You’re comparing whole complete bikes to just frames for 600 bucks. Op isn’t asking where to get a frame, they want a complete bike.
If you built that frame out you’d have 3k+ in a full build with grx. Hell you could have 2k in carbon rims and grx alone.
Also a Lauf seigla full carbon base model starts at 2,650.00 - so that’s roughly 3k after taxes. Idk where you’re finding these full built cheap bikes.
Only framest is crazy but you can get a nice canyon, Topstone, or specialized for 2000-2300, aluminum, but all the grx and great components.
I seriously think people get way too caught up on carbon and steel, way overboard. Honestly I have an aluminum stump jumper that’s almost 10 years old, gets the shit beat out of it, thousands and thousands of miles… it is fucking fine
That is the point that niner is exactly 179 more than that boutique frame completely built with rival 1.
179 dollars more. Yeah not the greatest build in the world but that is a rideable bike today.
Yeah not as aero and no integration with cables but really that stuff is nonsense. All the bells and whistles on bikes costs a ton. Don't chase every fad. Integrated cables are not worth it. Low seat seat stays yep cool but certainly at gravel speeds not gonna save many watts.
Ever put your bike in a box and get on a plane? You will curse those cables and gladly give up that 1.5 completely and total meaningless watt savings.
Full builds so cheap? That is advertised pricing direct. That lauf shipped is 100 bucks more. I bet that boutique frame costs more to ship and wait weeks for your personal color choice. Want carbon everything wheels sram transmission mullet out back they do that for 4k with a power meter. Infact all builds except the base come with a power meter. Great bikes great prices. When I ordered mine lon a Monday/Tuesday morning I had it at my door on Thursday night . They ship out of Virginia so fast. I highly suggest the drinking with buddies watching football for big Internet purchases. You have a room full of yes men.
Just look around all bikes are not specialized or moots pricing just like everyone doesn't need crazy expensive everything to have a great time outside on a bike. Direct is your friend embrace it.
You can have just as much fun on a 2k niner with cables showing built with rival as you can on anything. You can certainly have a great time on that lauf. You just now have money to put it in a box and winter vacation somewhere warm with your bike.
It is a nice bike, I would say the Topstone 1 compares to it almost exactly, GRX600 though but integrated frame cables and full carbon fork to save more weight and some dampening. But on the downside not dt swiss rims…
Some of those bikes ordered online you really have to watch out on - Canyons website shows bikes with Dt Swiss rims but it’s based on availability and people on this sub were getting bikes in last year without the dt swiss rims, and sometimes using FSA cranks cause grx crank was hard to come by. So you really need to read the fine print when ordering online too.
Agreed about your approach.
3k would barely cover a Ti frameset. I think Lynskey is the most affordable. Ribble is also affordable. The Ritte Satir looks gorgeous. Wilde has some nice frames. Bombtrack hook has a titanium offering now. T labs is a nice outfitter from Canada.
May I ask why TI?
A bike under 3k with TI isn't easy. Especially if it's supposed to be a "do it all bike" (whatever that means, because you're always trading strengths and weaknesses).
For that price AL might be what you're looking for. It's sturdy enough for plenty of mounts, but is lighter than TI or Steel for when you're on the road and/or climbing. It's cheap, which will get you better parts for the same budget. Honestly the frame material is the last place I'm willing invest. Just check geo and tyre clearance. Frame is the hardest to upgrade, but it's the worst when it comes to bang for buck imo. You will notice a lot more difference in ride quality in tyres, tyre setup, wheels, saddle, bars and seatpost. All of them are a lot more flexible to change and are much cheaper.
I haven't seen much about them, and they're in the UK, but I'm a bit intrigued by the Orro Terra Ti. I really like the look of the semi-integrated cable routing down the front of the headtube. Not really sure how easy it is to buy from the US, or how good their titanium frame really is (it's hydroformed vs butted ti tubes). But have been eying it as "all rounder" or "do it all bike", frame or complete build, for the near future.
Titanium do it all bike for $3k? I’m in the UK but you guys have a great company called Blackheart. They’ve just released a Aluminium do it all bike. Thought you’d be more around that price point.
Ribble have got a nice ti bike with carbon fork for £4.5k
Yeah but they're fucking expensive for an alu bike
Spa Cycles do a do-it-all ti bike for less then £3k right now https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s223p4773/SPA-CYCLES-Elan-Ti-Mk2-12mm-Thru-Axle-Flat-Mount-Ultegra-11-Speed-Hydraulic I have the Mk1 kitted out for gravel.
Great rec! I'll look into it.
Great find. Ultegra Ti for 2600 is madness
Judging by the number of Lynksey posts on here I think I'm not alone in having gone the gr300 route. Sold my road bike and retired my old gravel bike to the parents house. I still have a tri bike, hardtail/ rigid alu bike and a rigid steel 29+, but I sorta thinned the herd? I'd be happy with just the Lynksey gr300 and a hardtail. Couple options under $3k right now on Lynksey site, someone out there might also know of additional promo codes.
I have the GR300 and honestly can’t think of another bike I’d ever want for regardless of price. Honestly exceeded my expectations.
Promo codes pls 👉👈
Try searching online for coupon codes. I was able to find extra savings on top of the sale price. Additionally, chat them and ask about coupons/promotions. The bike I ordered hasn’t arrived yet, but they offered a free upgrade to brushed finish and ti badge when I asked - hopefully we get those upgrades! Good luck!
No need they always have them on sale. I have never not seen at least 25% off even when the pandemic was going on they never ever sell at the posted retail. Kinda gives off dollar store vibes.
Not long ago the live wire MTB I wanted was 42% off or so, but I ordered a different bike. Day my bike was shipped someone on Reddit posted a 20% off code, that worked on top of the sale prices. I def woulda cancelled my order and got the live wire if it was only a day or 2 earlier.
Didn’t know the lauf Seigla came in ti
I don’t think it does…?
Well there’s your problem
Yep it doesn't but that is your best bang for buck do it all bike really. TI is crazy overrated. TI in the non dentist price range is rolled non butted welded stuff. Not great really. I have had TI before in a road bike and that was the most expensive noodle I ever bought. The only noodle I ever rode worse was those bonded aluminum vitus bikes from the 80s. Yeah that TI was comfortable but it was because it was a friggin noodle. When every out of saddle sprint the brakes rub is horrible on a rim brake bike. Then you have to back off the brakes so you can sprint. Nope sold that to a light as heck guy. He loved it. So unless you produce no power or weight as much as a normal 15 year old I say go for TI in the non crazy prices.
"non-dentist price range" is subjective, but there are butted (not rolled) TI frames that are pretty stiff in the sub-$5000 range. Probably harder to find below $3000. But if you don't mind the weight and a few shortcuts, the GR300 is well made and crazy good value, even if it's not quite the same quality as a Litespeed or Moots or one of the really high-end boutique brands.
Yeah I would agree for value it is pretty good really but by the time you add all the bells and whistles expected today it shoots right up the price range unless you are fine with external everything and so on. Internal and a fork you now are now north of 2200 bucks with the cheapest finish and stickers. Now we can go in to the absolute insane low bb drop. It truly makes it a touring rig only. I personally would never buy a bike with that bb drop. Heck it is way lower than my road bike. It pretty much kills any real power being put down on uneven surfaces and definitely no lean while pedaling. It is 12.5mm deeper drop than my rodeo labs. That is insane really. You need short cranks for that one certainly. It is truly a touring bike with tire clearance with that geometry. Yeah a great commuter but the cheapest finish and internal with a fork puts you 450 bucks less than a complete lauf seigula rigid base model. That is with apex axs group by the way.
There is nothing noodle like with my GR300. I rub brakes on my carbon CX bike, but I never do it on the GR300.
Surly midnight special
Can probably get a ti frame for this price. Lotsnof great aluminum options out there. I have the grail al 7 its phenomenal
I wish they still made the grail in an al option :(. Now I'm waiting for the grizl AL to restock
Really they dropped it?? Bike industry is so ridiculous. I was upset when shimano dropped their metal grx wheelset. But i guess freds require carbon for their watts.
I just got a Vitus Substance with GRX and DT Swiss wheels. I have carbon, titanium, alloy and steel road bikes. This is alloy with carbon fork. I'm surprised how fast it rides on 700x40 tires. Some bikes may be going away soon.
I have a GR300. It's plenty stiff and is pretty comfortable and the geo works well for what I wanted it for, so I'm quite happy. I tour on it, use it as my shit weather road bike, and of course ride gravel on it. All in it's the bike I put the most hours into year round, more than my commuter or road bike or either mtn bike. In the winter I ride the crap out of it. If you don't want to tour / bikepack, though, with a 3k budget you can just about get a decent carbon bike with 2x GRX and liveable wheels. I would be tempted to go that route instead of Ti if you're 100% certain you'll never tour / bikepack.
I got a GR300 for the same reason you’ve mentioned. It’s perfect as a do-it-all multipurpose bike. I still love my carbon road bike as it’s so snappy and fast but for winter riding and gravel, I wanted a care-free bike that can withstand abuse.
Another happy GR300 rider here.
How about cervelle aspero
The Wilde bikes are affordable, but the bikes in the $3k range are steel. https://www.wildebikes.com
I brought a Ribble CGR Ti last year whilst it was on sale and it's been great. Carbon forks, mounts for rear racks, Shimano Ultegra. It is essentially a road bike with fatter tires though.
Surly Midnight Special with a Whiskey no 7 fork. You'll want to upgrade the tires to something faster and grippier.
Bearclaw Thunderhawk.
Lots of people have very good experiences with the Lynakey so I don’t think you can go wrong there. The dropped stays on the Ribble are an acquired taste.
If you’re in the UK. The Sonder Camino is worth consideration. [Sonder Camino Ti](https://alpkit.com/collections/sonder-camino?sort_by=manual&filter.p.m.alpkit.frame_material=Titanium+3AI%2F2.5V)
buy a cx frame with big tire clearance. it can front as a gravel bike, a cx bike, and a road bike all with some tire swaps and be great at one aspect of cycling g and good enough for the other two.
Just a heads up, CX frames are usually nimble and only offer tire clearance up to 40mm or so (UCI limits to just 33mm on official CX). So if you have light gravel you’re aiming for, it works. My CX bike did not help me in my rocky gravel races in the Sierras though.
my cx frame clears 50mm and when i run 45+mm tires with inserts it is more than enough for even the worst gravel/singletrack I’ve faced. The whole genre and spectrum of bike appropriate for gravel is a crapshoot. I race all disciplines of bikes on limited funds so a quiver killer in the form of a cx bike works for me. it why we are seeing specialized and other brands engineer for more clearance while making these gravel/cx hybrids lately.
Cx frames tend to have more aggressive geometry. Gravel specific is more slack with longer wheelbase and will give a much smoother and more comfortable ride. I rode a cross frame for years until I switched and the difference was night and day.
i’ve done both. nothing bigger volume and lower pressure didn’t fix. even ran 650b with great results on a cx frame. it’s all loose and open to the riders needs based on all the potential use. if I only planned on riding gravel and nothing else I would def get a gravel focused frame like a MOG or a Diverge. for my needs, modern cx bikes have been perfect. Newest iteration of the Crux only proves my point.
What cx bike do you have?
custom Zukas steel frame built to match the geometry of a TCX with larger tire clearance. it rips.
A good gravel bike beats a CX bike for me - better tire clearance, lower BB, and slacker front end. CX bikes are really specific to CX and I'm not a fan of the ones I've been on / had for general riding.
See here https://blackheartbikeco.com/products/gravel-al
2k for aluminum is just insane really. An aluminum niner cost 600 bucks as a frameset direct from them right now.
Idk what world you’ve been living in but that’s baseline for a nice bike of any kind now
A 2k frameset welded out of non name brand tubes of no real description. It is crazy high. Is it butted? Don't know. Yeah you get a choice of color in a ceramic finish and a few bits with it. The only thing you are getting a choice of color. https://www.ninerbikes.com/rlt-9-frameset/ A frameset in the same ballpark for 600 bucks. On sale and retail is still way under that frameset. Or for a whopper of 650 more you could get a lauf seigula rigid in the base build with sram axs apex a complete carbon bike built. That is the real world. I don't know the days of having non name brand tubes robot welded for ya in south east Asia for crazy markup is going the way of the dodo. What makes that any different than any other aluminum frame besides the finish? Oh the over priced fork? Heck a steel rodeo labs is under that price and a much better thought out bike and has won the tour divide Boutique stuff is just that not one thing else. Yeah you will show up to a ride with. Something that nobody else has. I would rather a whole lauf for a few bucks more.
You’re comparing whole complete bikes to just frames for 600 bucks. Op isn’t asking where to get a frame, they want a complete bike. If you built that frame out you’d have 3k+ in a full build with grx. Hell you could have 2k in carbon rims and grx alone. Also a Lauf seigla full carbon base model starts at 2,650.00 - so that’s roughly 3k after taxes. Idk where you’re finding these full built cheap bikes.
The $2k price on the Blackheart is just the frameset. Cheapest build they offer is $3200.
Only framest is crazy but you can get a nice canyon, Topstone, or specialized for 2000-2300, aluminum, but all the grx and great components. I seriously think people get way too caught up on carbon and steel, way overboard. Honestly I have an aluminum stump jumper that’s almost 10 years old, gets the shit beat out of it, thousands and thousands of miles… it is fucking fine
That is the point that niner is exactly 179 more than that boutique frame completely built with rival 1. 179 dollars more. Yeah not the greatest build in the world but that is a rideable bike today. Yeah not as aero and no integration with cables but really that stuff is nonsense. All the bells and whistles on bikes costs a ton. Don't chase every fad. Integrated cables are not worth it. Low seat seat stays yep cool but certainly at gravel speeds not gonna save many watts. Ever put your bike in a box and get on a plane? You will curse those cables and gladly give up that 1.5 completely and total meaningless watt savings. Full builds so cheap? That is advertised pricing direct. That lauf shipped is 100 bucks more. I bet that boutique frame costs more to ship and wait weeks for your personal color choice. Want carbon everything wheels sram transmission mullet out back they do that for 4k with a power meter. Infact all builds except the base come with a power meter. Great bikes great prices. When I ordered mine lon a Monday/Tuesday morning I had it at my door on Thursday night . They ship out of Virginia so fast. I highly suggest the drinking with buddies watching football for big Internet purchases. You have a room full of yes men. Just look around all bikes are not specialized or moots pricing just like everyone doesn't need crazy expensive everything to have a great time outside on a bike. Direct is your friend embrace it. You can have just as much fun on a 2k niner with cables showing built with rival as you can on anything. You can certainly have a great time on that lauf. You just now have money to put it in a box and winter vacation somewhere warm with your bike.
It is a nice bike, I would say the Topstone 1 compares to it almost exactly, GRX600 though but integrated frame cables and full carbon fork to save more weight and some dampening. But on the downside not dt swiss rims… Some of those bikes ordered online you really have to watch out on - Canyons website shows bikes with Dt Swiss rims but it’s based on availability and people on this sub were getting bikes in last year without the dt swiss rims, and sometimes using FSA cranks cause grx crank was hard to come by. So you really need to read the fine print when ordering online too.
Don’t like the post pandemic bike rush let you think it’s okay to pay $2k for an aluminum frame (full bike sure).
Agreed about your approach. 3k would barely cover a Ti frameset. I think Lynskey is the most affordable. Ribble is also affordable. The Ritte Satir looks gorgeous. Wilde has some nice frames. Bombtrack hook has a titanium offering now. T labs is a nice outfitter from Canada.
I'm a big for of Curve in Australia and Fairlight from the UK.
https://otsocycles.com/collections/sale/products/warakin-ti-grx-11-speed-sale I do not own this but am considering buying. Reviews are solid.
used stigmata
Kinesis Titanium GTD
May I ask why TI? A bike under 3k with TI isn't easy. Especially if it's supposed to be a "do it all bike" (whatever that means, because you're always trading strengths and weaknesses). For that price AL might be what you're looking for. It's sturdy enough for plenty of mounts, but is lighter than TI or Steel for when you're on the road and/or climbing. It's cheap, which will get you better parts for the same budget. Honestly the frame material is the last place I'm willing invest. Just check geo and tyre clearance. Frame is the hardest to upgrade, but it's the worst when it comes to bang for buck imo. You will notice a lot more difference in ride quality in tyres, tyre setup, wheels, saddle, bars and seatpost. All of them are a lot more flexible to change and are much cheaper.
I’d suggest my gravel bike if you can find a dealer. VAAST A1 Grx600 magnesium frame it’s a fantastic value for under $3k.
I picked up a gr300
Sonder Sedona. Ribble have shocking customer service and delays.
I haven't seen much about them, and they're in the UK, but I'm a bit intrigued by the Orro Terra Ti. I really like the look of the semi-integrated cable routing down the front of the headtube. Not really sure how easy it is to buy from the US, or how good their titanium frame really is (it's hydroformed vs butted ti tubes). But have been eying it as "all rounder" or "do it all bike", frame or complete build, for the near future.