Enigma Eclipse or Lynskey Cooper

[marklowe]

hi, wondering if you could help me with this. I want a Ti frame and I am unsure whether to go for the cooper or the eclipse. They from my limited knowledge look very similar. The Lynskey is £1200 and the eclipse is £850, that quite a price difference

what would your recommendation be? any view on what the key difference are and whether they are worth the addition cash? anyone own either or these bikes or have tried both to comment on?

 

[marklowe]

I forgot to add in the Planet X ti sportive as my option 3

I want the bike for general club riding / sunday rides and sportives

 

[P.H]

I have a Planet X Sportive with an Enigma Ti fork, both quality products and I think anything you get from either company would be great. But before you go spending you money, you might refine what you're looking for. The Eclipse is far more of a road bike than the PX Sportive or Linskey Cooper. A better comparison from the Enigma range would be the Etape. The Eclipse is also plain gauge tubing rather than the butted of the PX and other Enigma models (I don't know about the Cooper). I've no idea how much difference that makes, but it goes a fair way to explain the different prices.
If you can bide your time Planet-X have frequent short lived offers, My Sportive came with a free carbon frame and fork in a one day offer! The present offer of a complete bike with Dura Ace for £1999 looks good value when you consider that groupset costs £1000 even from the big discounters.
Jim Walker has a reputation of being very friendly and good at offering advice, I also found Planet X helpful by email, though they don't offer the same level of bike shop experience.
Also consider the finish, one of the advantages of Ti is the natural finish, a scratch or mark on a brushed or polished frame can easily be brushed or polished out. That's not the case with a bead blasted frame like the Cooper or some Planet X frames.
The two bikes on my short list were the Enigma Etape and the PX Sportive, I’m very happy with the PX, I expect I’d have been just as happy with the Etape.
Have fun choosing.

 

[marklowe]

thanks for the advise. What makes you say the etape is comparable and not the eclipse, I noted that the enigma site suggested the eclipse set up was perfect for sportive riding. thats what I am after, plus 50-70 mile club riding at the weekend

 

[P.H]

Enigma also rate the Etape as ideal for Sportives, I suppose it depends how you ride them and what else you're using the bike for. The difference between the Eclipse and the other models on your shortlist is a more road geometry with slightly steeper angles and shorter chainstays. This will give sharper handling at a possible cost of a bit of comfort and stability. The Etape and PX Sportive also have bigger clearances, giving the option of bigger tyres and/or mudguards making them more versitile. I wouldn't attempt to offer advice as to which was better for you, I'll leave that to either the experts or those who know you well. Good luck.

 

[Van Nick]

thanks for the advise. What makes you say the etape is comparable and not the eclipse, I noted that the enigma site suggested the eclipse set up was perfect for sportive riding. thats what I am after, plus 50-70 mile club riding at the weekend

It's also worth pointing out that it looks like Enigma are running down the stocks of the 2009 Eclipse model to make way for a cheaper 2010 version which will include a non integrated headset and possibly other cost saving measures.

 

[Van Nick]

hi, wondering if you could help me with this. I want a Ti frame and I am unsure whether to go for the cooper or the eclipse. They from my limited knowledge look very similar. The Lynskey is £1200 and the eclipse is £850, that quite a price difference

what would your recommendation be? any view on what the key difference are and whether they are worth the addition cash? anyone own either or these bikes or have tried both to comment on?

Just wondered if you were any closer to choosing a bike yet Mark.

I'm still leaning towards the Etape, but not entirely convinced, especially with having seen one.