# Lynskey titanium R230 vs Sportive



## cleon

Anyone know enough about both models to comment on which would be a better Lon distance mount? NOT touring, but just speedy comfortable riding in a more upright position? TIA!


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## GlazedHam

cleon said:


> Anyone know enough about both models to comment on which would be a better Lon distance mount? NOT touring, but just speedy comfortable riding in a more upright position? TIA!


I'm in the market for a bike that will feel comfortable enough on 12 hour rides, some of which may not be perfectly paved. The R230 is my number one choice at the moment. I had not considered the Sportive ...probably because I have a silly bias against the name. Okay, this adds nothing to the discussion, but maybe the thread won't die.


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## cleon

Yeah, that 230 deal looks great right now but I can't tell which bike is really meant for what. The 230 is supposed to be the multipurpose bike, but the sportive is the one with the longer chain stays and fender/rack mounts. It's also $500 less which makes me wonder why such a big difference for the same material?? Confused.

According to Adrenalin cycles it's 1/2 a pound lighter (the R230), so maybe that is the price thing. 

Have you looked at the Litespeed Xicon? That was also on my list. If money was no issue, I'd be looking at the Vamouts also but alas...


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## OutAndBack

I was interested in the 340, Helix, 230, and Cooper. From my conversations with Lynskey, the 340 was a very stiff race bike, so that was out. The Helix was a very stiff Race/Club ride bike. Deisgned specifically for performance. The 230 was designed for comfort, without giving up much in the area of performance. It was a "compromise" bike. Meaning it gave up a SMALL AMOUNT in the area of stiffness in leiu of comfort. The Cooper was their entry level model. A very good all around bike. 

I am going to go with a R230 for my use. Mostly 40-70 mile club rides and centuries.


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## cleon

I wonder if the Sportive then is almost their 'light touring' model. Because both the 230 and the Sportive seem to be targeting the century rider. Unless the Sportive is just trying to hit a lower price point for market reasons.


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## nestacio

Just picked up an R230 after getting a professional fitting locally; in my case the R230 had a better geometry for the way I wanted to ride: slightly taller head tube and slacker seat tube for a more comfortable position. Note that the geo still seems speed-worthy since the angles closely match the Specialized Roubaix. The comfort issue is a very subtle one.

I think the difference in frame cost between the Sportive and the R230 comes down to the degree to which the frame is butted - not simply whether the tubes are double- or triple-butted, but the amount of variation in the thickness of various tubes. I just checked the site and it's a little hard to confirm since the frame weights aren't published, but watching a few of the videos on the Lynskey channel on youtube, there was mention of additional shaping work being done to various tubes as customers moved up the product line from lower-priced frames to higher-priced ones.

In all cases, you're getting a very light, well-shaped, and optimized tube. But the additional cost comes from further work being done to various tubes to remove weight while preserving specific ride characteristics common to the frames in that 'family' (either sport or pro).


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## Bizman

OutAndBack said:


> From my conversations with Lynskey, the 340 was a very stiff race bike, so that was out. I am going to go with a R230 for my use. Mostly 40-70 mile club rides and centuries.


I've been riding mountain bikes for years and wanted to get into road biking so I could do some serious miles. I read reviews on the R340 and it was indicated it was an good all around bike for club rides, short rides, centuries, etc. I wanted to keep the weight down and it seemed like a sporty bike so I went with the R340.

Being new to road bikes I had not done anything longer than about 35 miles on my mountain bike which is quite a bit when you are in the woods and back roads. I got my 
R340 and rode it about 60 miles (total) in the first the 4 days. On the 5th day I got up and decided I was going for 100 miles. I thought I had 100 miles maped out, it ended up being 87 miles (4 long steep mountains 8% grade) raining most of the ride, an 7 hour long ride.

The bike performed flawlessly! I was tired at the end from never doing this kind of thing before but the bike was comfortable, climbed like a goat, decended like a plane. I was a little stiff the next day but took the mountain bike out for a 5 mile recovery ride on my local trail. I ride bicycles every day to stay in shape.


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## nestacio

Just logged into the Lynskey site to check on my order, not sure if anyone on here is still thinking about getting a Lynskey but they have a great deal on the Cooper for Columbus Day (just today only so apologies if you are reading this late): Cooper with Shimano 105 for under $2K. If my wife was in the market for a road bike I would be picking one up in size small.


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