Mathew Davis competed this past weekend in the fastest edition of the Leadville Trail 100 to date on his Pro29 Lefty. Instead of trying to speak for Mathew I'll let him speak for himself. Below you'll find his race report and thoughts on his Pro29 Lefty purchased through Bike Etc in Bossier City, La.
Well another Leadville 100 MTB in the books….here’s how it went down.
Adrienne and I woke up at 4:45am (never sleep well before this event), eat, load up, and head out for Leadville. I got to the starting line about 5:50 and found a good spot on the second row of the top 100 starting area for my new Lynskey Pro 29 Lefty. I went back to the truck, said my goodbyes, grabbed my camelback, and headed back to the start line, next to JHK, behind David Wiens, and Levi. A guy next to me asked, “What’s with the tape on your handlebars?”, and I said, “That’s my redneck aerobars!”
6:30am, Shotgun start! The first few miles are neutral and downhill, and I stay towards the front. When we hit the dirt I expected the sh-t to hit the fan like it did last year, but instead it was pretty mellow. The pace just increased gradually on the first climb (St. Kevins). I did not try to stay at the front, but instead just found the riders who were holding the pace I wanted. I went over St. Kevins just fine and cruised down to the start of Sugarloaf climb, about 1/3 of the way up I gave my vest to Butch. Over Sugarloaf and then down Powerline, I gave this descent a lot of respect and took it very easy to avoid punctures and crashes, which I had experienced in the past. When I came off Powerline a spectator went walking down the middle of the course right before a technical section where you can either go through a big water crossing or chicane through some trees and cross over a board bridge. I lost my concentration and tried to tackle a tree, ouch, trees still don’t move! I bounced into the water over the board bridge, meanwhile still trying to keep moving and not clog up the line.
Off the dirt and onto the pavement, I worked with a small group to the next dirt section, past the first checkpoint (Pipeline 1), and on to single track. I knew I was not as fast on the single track as the others, so I let them go first, thinking I would just follow their lines. The first off camber turn I wash out, wham, on my left side, same one I hit the tree with? Up and going again, regain contact with the guys I was with after the single track, and drive on to the first Twin Lakes check point (40mi). I picked up a bottle, plow through the madness, and continue on to Columbine (10mi and 3000ft of climbing). I settled in to a good pace and hoped I had enough for the steep stuff at the top above the tree line. About 2/3’s of the way up there was guy chef’s uniform cooking hotdogs and handing out PBR, I did not partake. I was able to climb up all of Columbine, which is very steep and rocky at the top, less than 3mph. Near the summit the helicopter came alongside and filmed me while I waved and smiled back, pretty cool!
Down Columbine, what a relief, over halfway, I go through Twinlakes 2 (60mi), pick up food, a couple of bottles, and dump my camelback and arm warmers. Going back through the single track (which is uphill this time), I was much better and began catching other riders. After the single track there were a series of 3 gullies the first of which it very, very, steep, and I had never made all the way up before, until this year! On to the last checkpoint (76mi), 3 more bottles, gels, and lube my chain. I hit pavement, about 18th place, and caught back up to 3 guys I had been riding with. I think they actually waited for me because I was doing most of the pulling, ha. We continued driving on towards the Powerline climb, and as we turned off the pavement onto the dirt and I was 3rd in line. I went really slow on this 160 degree turn, but as soon as I was on the dirt, I washed out, crashed really hard on my left side and hip. I slid head first, on my back down the little hill, and for a second I did not really know what was going on. I got back up, sore, and with trail rash on my left side. The good thing was that I absorbed all the damage from each crash, while protecting the bike!?
I started Powerline behind the guys I was with, but pass them in no time. I climbed the whole Powerline, something I had never done before. People were going nuts when they saw I was going to make through the first, steepest, and hardest section of Powerline, but it did not end there…. It went on, and on and on… If Columbine is the first chapter of pain then, Powerline is the final one.
I came off Powerline solo, and an official said, “Tinker Juarez is a minute down the road.” I got to the base of St. Kevins and started driving really hard, big chain ring, knowing I could catch Tinker. I catch him at the top of S. Kevins, but he disappears on the descent. I took it easy, not wanting anymore crashes or flats. Once off the descent, I pushed all out on the gravel road, and catch him just as we hit the pavement. As I pass I say, “come on man, hop on, we’re almost home.” He did not say much and did not try to hop on, I kept driving, thinking I may make it under 7:30, but I didn’t know. The last 4mi was mostly on dirt again and uphill to the finish, this can be really tough and demoralizing when you think your almost home. I stayed bent over the bars all the way to the line, 7:29:35, 15th! PR by over 30min! Hell Yeah, It’s over!! This race never gets easier, but it is always Epic!!!
Bike Setup:
Lynskey Pro 29 Lefty, w/ BB30
Sram XX, 39/26 Chainrings
Industry Nine XC wheelset
Stans Raven 2.0 tires, tubeless
ISM Breakaway Saddle
Super fast, super stiff setup, best tracking mountain bike I have ridden. I am good about finding weaknesses in bikes, and with this one I can find none. After 100mi of racing and just under 7.5hrs in the saddle I had no problems with fatigue or comfort. My only complaint is that the bike is in need of a better pilot, ha, ha!
Mathew Davis
Congratuations on a great performance Mathew!
Ever since starting my job at Lynskey Performance I've had to put my international modeling career on hold. So, naturally, I couldn't have been more excited to take my Pro29 and head up to Raccoon Mountain with Matt to shoot for our new website and distributor's websites. Chances are you already do but be sure to keep checking out website as we start to roll out some pretty cool new product for 2011 and work towards launching a new and even easier to use site. We'll also be updating this blog on a regular basis with new product news and general happenings here at the factory.
We get a lot of questions here at the factory about the differences between our various natural finishining options. Matt and Jack recently shot a video explaining the differences between our four offerings.
Saturday July 10th we headed over to Outdoor Chattanooga to rub elbows and raise glasses with SORBA Chattanooga and the local cycling community at the first annual Ales for the Trails fundraiser. This event is one of two bi-annual fundraisers SORBA Chattanooga is using to raise money to complete the nationally renowned trails at Raccoon Mountain. Not only do we at Lynskey Performance use these trails for pleasure but we also do much of our R&D on them so it was only natural that we partnered with SORBA Chattanooga to help the cause.
For each hour given at a SORBA Chattanooga workday each Volunteer earns one entry into a raffle for a Lynskey Performance Ridgeline 29 SL frame with an upgraded Industrial Mill finish in the size of their choice. The harder they work and the more they give back the more chances they have to win a hand made titanium frame next at the sister event Wine for the Climb event.
This is not necessarily a “How we make a Lynskey” episode but more “How we designed a Lynskey” episode. Enjoy learning more about the ProCross in reviewing this video then call us and let’s talk Cyclocross season and titanium Cross Bikes. 423.499.5815
We just received a brief update from two customers that are riding across the country and then some. From what we know, Margaret and Leigh left from the Chesapeake Bay area and are heading to Portland, OR, then traveling North up the coast to Alaska. Here are a few shots of them at Frisco, CO. We wish them safe travels and cannot wait to hear more from these two adventurers about their travels. It is great to see people taking full advantage of what their bikes were meant to do.
I just wanted to thank you for the amazing job you guys did making the frame. All the girls in our club were completely taken with the flowers subtly etched into it. As for the ride, it's unbelievable what a difference a few centimeters here and there make. I no longer get a pain between my shoulder blades on long rides. The bike feels very smooth on our pothole-ridden roads, and it corners extremely well. But the best part is that I can fly up the hills. My only regret is that my current fitness doesn't really do justice to having such an impressive machine, 
but it certainly makes riding fun. I always used to lament the lack of top-end bikes to fit women. Thanks to you, I'm now able to ride the best road bike available!
I received my R430 frame from you fellas on 5/6/09. Now, after 2 1/2 months and 2,300 miles I must say that I am more then happy with this frame. It has exceeded all my expectations and then some. After, riding an Aluminum frame for the past 5 years I had forgotten what a difference a well built Titanium frame could make. My last one was a 1996 Litespeed Obed. My new R430 is now my everyday commuter Bike as well as my weekend worrier and Century Cruiser. I just finished the 100 mile Live Strong Charity ride here in San Jose and I could not be happier with the bikes performance. It is Stable, Stiff, and Comfortable. It climbs and descends with ease. And this is saying a lot, because I am a very fit 6'2" 225lb boy who is not easy on my bikes. Not the typical 165lb cyclist. I look forward to many thousands of miles ahead on my new Lynskey. Keep up the good work.Thanks
Richard John M.
"Just wanted to let you know that I've just returned from a 820 mile ride from Baltimore County Maryland to Bar Harbor Maine on some of the roughest back roads around. The Lynskey R330 carried my 200 lb frame all the way fantastically. Not even as much as a single flat for me. The trip up took 8 days, over 820 miles with 45,000 feet of climbing. The bike performed flawlessly, climbing, descending and accelerating as you would expect, like a champion. Much of the riding was in torrential downpours. The bike never failed me, which is more than I can say for my 2 compatriots on high end carbon frames. I could not imagine a carbon frame carrying me over all those rough roads without a failure. I have the utmost confidence in my Lynskey. Happy to continue riding my titanium friend". JS Werner
The latest quest in component integration has gone another step forward for us at the titanium bicycle foundry
. The last post was in regards to a Lefty on a PRO29 and it has been reported from the customer that all is well and she rides like a dream. Well here we have stepped things up a notch by building a PRO29 that will accept a Lefty and BB30 cranks. While I am really sure that we were the first to build a titanium bike that accepted the not completely released Shimano Press-Fit, I know that we were not the first on the BB30. But being our obsessive selves, we took the high road and made our own bottom bracket shells and head tubes to guarantee that
you get the best possible tolerance for the fore mentioned components. There are a few avenues to purchase the materials and then weld them together, but the heat during welding makes the nice round pieces not so round and when dealing with bearings and such, that is not good. So with a killer new custom designed fixture (that I cannot show), we have nailed the BB30 production and are going to work it up as an option on existing frames and we are talking about some new production bikes that will use the BB30 exclusively. More to come as that project develops.
After some time and countless requests later, we have wrapped up the last few details on our Lefty compatible head tube. So now you can upgrade any one of our Mountain Hardtails to accept a Lefty fork and there has even been some talk about a Houseblend model that would utilize this head tube. No specific details have been nailed down as of yet, but I would be on the lookout for this new model to be showing up soon. This is great news for our dealers that also carry Cannondale products as well, especially since they are moving their U.S. based production over-seas. I am sure that they have a good reason for going over-seas, but if you still want a top notch, U.S. made bike that utilizes Cannondale's componetry, we can hook you up.
The beauty of being the master of your own domain is the ability to change your mind... sometimes there are minor reasons, but most of the time it is because we have found a way to make something better. This mindset hold true when designing bikes and just about anything else we do around here. When we rolled out the Ridgeline 29 earlier this year, we felt that we were going to build a line of bikes around this platform. Well, we changed our minds.
A new feature is our custom designed slider style dropouts. Not only do the look great with our signature clover machined into the dropouts, but they allow more adjustment than any other slider out there due to the increased length of the slide platform. We initially came up with this design when working with belt-drive compatible frames which require very precise adjustments due to the static belt lengths.
And finally, on a functional basis, we re-routed the disc cable stops underneath the seat stay for a clean look. This new frame is in production and is available, just give us a ring and we will hook you up. We have built one that we have set up single speed and have been riding like we stole it, so we will post some pictures once we remember to bring it back to the shop.
It is always nice to hear from our customers, but in this particular case, it is twice as nice. This was our first tandem as Lynskey Performance Designs...now there were quite a few made back in the olden days at a location not too far from where I sit today, but all the same. This one is ours, well actually it belongs to Tracey & Cathy. Here is what they had to say.
I'm really sorry it took me so long to actually get these to you guys... we've really enjoyed the bike... besides the obvious coolness factor, and being the "first" Lynskey tandem, it carves turns like it's on rails... we've easily hit 45-50 mph on downhills and it's solid... no shimmy, no shake, just confidence-inspiring stability. It's stiff without being harsh... that perfect blend that everyone wants! I think we enjoyed the construction process and visiting the plant nearly as much as the bike itself. Watching the bike being built, and talking with David and the other folks really gives you a sense of what goes into a bike... not just tubes and welds, but heart and soul. We think it's a very special bike 
in man
y ways!
Sometimes you just have to make decisions based on nothing more than because you can...and the desire to build titanium bikes at a killer price was one of them. We have received a few inquiries and border line accusations on how we are able to build our new line of bikes at such a great price, especially out of titanium. Some have even asked if we were having them built overseas. And while that would be an option for some, it is completely out of the question for us. We are proud to build everything in-house and we do. Everything from small parts like cable stops, disc brake saddles, to bottom brackets and even head tubes are made by us. We feel that is the best way to guarantee that you have exactly what you want.
I have added a few images of the Ridgeline 29ers and the Ridgeline 26-LT (long travel) being built in our Chattanooga facility. Just for those who think that it was not possible. The fact is, we have designed these models with the same attitude that we do all of our higher priced models, but we have taken the production process into consideration. There are many steps that go into the frame building process (you can watch it happening here) and we have tried to make sure that we minimiz
e the time required at each stage to maintain a higher level of efficiency. That is it, plain and simple. It does not mean that you have a lesser bike frame, or even one made over-seas, it just means that we are able to build these a little quicker so you can save some coin. So there it is...now get out and ride.
We have been busy as bees around the shop ever since we returned from the holidays. While it is mostly carryover work that we did not finish before the holidays, we are finally able to spill the beans on our new product offerings. With all the conversations and buzz words being thrown around about the economy and the desperate state of affairs on the global economic situation, we have decided to get real lean on the production of a new run of bikes. We threw around cool names and tried to classify them into their own little category, but at the end of the day, they are the same great Lynskey products that everyone loves and admires, just without the hefty price tag. By minimizing a few of the labor intensive processes that go into our tubesets, we are able to produce this new lineup faster and more efficient. Which in turn allows us to pass the savings back to the consumer. The first new model is the Ridgeline 29er. This is a dedicated geared 29er that has all the coldworking and shaping similar to our Level 3 frames, but without the extensive butting process. What that translates into is a solid, performance based 29er that can handle a bit more abuse than our lighter race-only models. More information can be found here.
Earlier this year we sent one of our first 650B project bikes to Richard Cunningham at Mountain Bike Action to get his thoughts and initial impressions of the new wheel size. Here is the short and sweet version thanks to MBA online.
Regardless of which wheel format you choose (Lynskey makes 2-, 27.5- and 29-inch wheel versions), the Lynskey custom process was a treat to experience, and the end result was a truly personal and enjoyable ride. We asked for a rugged, lightweight hardtail for the aggressive side of cross-country trail riding and Lynskey delivered exactly that--in a size-RC.
