Originally Posted by
San Rensho
A frame is geometry, period. Different geometry makes a bike handle different. A $10k bike and a $1500 bike with exactly the same geometry will handle exactly the same. People say different materials make the ride "feel" different but I don't buy that. I can't tell any difference between a stee frame and an aluminum frame (which is supposed to be very stiff). The biggest factor in bike "feel" are the tires, wide v skinny tires and tire pressure, soft v very hard.
100% pure bs. there are locals that have multiple custom bikes...all with exactly the same or near exactly the same geometry. carbon, ti, steel...they could tell the difference. and at least between the carbon and ti, so could i. also...my aluminum cyclocross bike with wide 'cross tires...feels MUCH less comfortable than any of my carbon bikes with 21 or 23 width tires pumped upto ill-advised psi levels...and that cross bike's geometry is almost exactly the same as one of my carbon bikes.
that's not to discount how everything else contributes to the ride of the bike...geometry, material, tires, rubes, wheels, seat, bar, bartape, ect...they all contribute to how the bike feels. but to discount the differences in material as a factor in the ride quality of the bike is probably not accurate.