My 700X25 tires are indeed fully inflated (115 psi), but they are Schwalbes, so there is a lot of rubber there to cushion the bumps. My bike is a 1982 Trek 720. This bike has a bit of fork curve, but its signature feature is the looooooooong chain stays. They really smooth things out. I like this frame so much that when Paul's bike shop stole my original (while it was in for warranty repair) I hunted high and low until I found a NOS for sale. Did I mention the loooooong chain stays? Some of the flex may be buffered by the fact that I always leave my racks mounted, but I doubt they have much effect. Perhaps the real smoothing factor is my weight (200 lb). Those little chipseal rocks just can't get me off the ground.

Maybe you were having one of those situations where if you went just a bit faster you would have bounced less. It's kind of hard to crank up the output when your brain is being banged about your skull, but I find it can helps on certain roads. Sometimes I'll ride at a slightly lower cadence than normal to get my bum unglued from the saddle. I won't do this for too long unless my ancient knees are having a particularly good month.

There really are a lot of nice rides in the O&C lands. While the chipseal will never be mistaken for a smooth surface, I am pretty grateful the BLM actually paved it. In the winter the roads out there fill with organic matter which makes them smoother but dangerously slick. Some of them, like the West Fork Smith River Rd often have a few sticks and branches from the overhanging trees, which does tend to keep me from getting inattentive. One can, and I often have, just ride all day out there. I always keep track of how far I go without a car passing me in my direction. So far my record is 92 miles. I hope to get it over 100 soon.