My '05 Cannondale CAAD 7 came with an aluminum fork and I could definitely feel the road buzz on a rough road but I wouldn't go as far to call the bike harsh. Putting a carbon fork on it made all the difference in the world. Rides about as smooth as my Indyfab Ti Crown Jewel; both bikes with Conti GP4000s. I would say that the the carbon bars and seatpost did not make any difference on the C'dale relative to the smoothness of the ride.