Originally Posted by
Dux_Helm
You decide.
What do you guys think?
An OK differentiator in a crowded market for a small company but without benefit to the buyer.
The first question "why?" he explains on his site:
Laboratory testing and Finite Element Analysis proved that the RoundTail™
provides more than 10 times the vertical compliance of a standard double-diamond frame,
and the ring design absorbs 60 times more road vibrations.
That's marketing pseudo-science since most of our vertical compliance comes from tires (orders of magnitude less stiff than steel frames) and saddles + rails (you can visibly flex those).
I may revise my judgement if he runs laboratory tests showing significant benefits compared to the vertical compliance of a tire at 95-100psi (while big boys and girls would risk pinch flats doing that with 23mm tires, 25mm is fine past 200 pounds at that pressure, high quality 28mm tires are available, and fairly good options are available up to 50mm) and the Cobl Gobl-R seat post which will be a much less expensive market alternative.
so now the question is: will the notoriously conservative riding culture give it a chance?
What do you think?
No way. While many cyclists are easily bamboozled by marketing hype the aesthetics decrease and weight gain compared to diamond frame will make it a show stopper.