Originally Posted by
rccardr
No problems with a 100+ mile ride, no frame breakage, none of that stuff. If a steel frame has a sweeter ride, I can't tell (I own/have owned steel bikes as well). Yes, the frame is stiff, but it's never made me want to get off the bike sooner than anything else I ride.
So you notice no difference between the cantilever frames with alloy forks and the older frames with steel forks, as you have pictured? I've never ridden the latter, but I can say without equivocation the cantilever frame with alloy forks was a jarring (but fun) ride even on 25c tires, especially when compared to steel frames (Columbus SL/SP, Reynolds 531) I've owned. It definitely 'feels' faster and 'feels' like it climbs better than the steel, which feels spongy in comparison, but over a similar distance, I would feel much more fatigued on the Cannondale, especially in my upper body.