Originally Posted by mellonhead
No, really... lets have your opinion.
Anyway, regarding frame materials, there's a British magazine that is of the opinion that the single greatest factor that determines how a frame absorbs road shock is the length of the exposed seatpost and the length of the stem. They say, for instance, that a Giant OCR compact frame should give the harshest ride based on the very compact aluminum frame, but that it actually gives one of the most compliant rides due to the fact most people ride with 8 inches of exposed carbon seatpost, and really long (13cm) stems.
Could be I suppose. I however think I get a smoother ride from my Specialized Roubaix than I did from the OCR I traded in.Then again, it is also a compact frame with a good bit of exposed seatpost. Hmmmm.