Stealthammer

Do frames get soft after a while?

This falls into the same realm as Grant Petersen's rant against clipless pedals and brifters, and his love of heavy leather saddles and moustache handlebars. People that don't understand something and are stuck it the "philosophies" of the past should not try to teach in the modern world. If you really want to know if frames really get softer after a while, go read about material properties and characteristics from someone who actually has basic knowledge of the subject, and quit listening to people who have an alternative agenda.

Also, every frame material is different so no one rule will not fit all materials. The reality is that frames of certain materials like aluminum and carbon fiber will eventually degrade due to the stress cycles that they endure, but your grand children will probably enjoy riding your vintage steel or titanium frame before they hand it off to their kids.

One of the main reasons you hear that older frames feel "soft" after years of use is because up until the mid-to-late 1980s most frames (even the quality ones) were built poorer quality tubing with 1" or 1 1/8" diameter, with maybe a 1 1/4" downtube. Today you couldn't sell a frame built with those materials to anyone but a child. If you ride a modern (post 1990s) frame and then ride any C&V frame of your choosing, the older frame will obviously feel soft, but because they were contructed of inferior materials though not because they went "soft" over time.