Originally Posted by
HillRider
Yeah, it's flexy all right. I have three Litespeeds, a 1996 55cm Catalyst, a 2006 57 cm Tuscany and a 2006 57 cm Firenza. Two of them have the same BB6500 Octalink bb and Ultegra cranks you have and one (the Tuscany) has a Campy Chorus square taper bb and crank. None of them have anything close to the deflection your Merlin shows in the video even with my full weight on an 8 mm hex bit in a full length 3/8"-drive ratchet.
All I assume is that the Merlin must be an Ultra Light and those carbon seatstays contribute very little to the stiffness. Is it a big frame, say 60 cm or more? As noted, a different bottom bracket and crank aren't going to improve the situation. This bike is an excuse to learn to use a fast cadence in lower gears.
It's a 51cm frame, not large at all. I'm 5'5" and weigh around 135-140lbs. I'm not a masher, I typically try to ride with a 90rpm cadence. I only notice the flex when sprinting (which I don't do often) and when I leave my house or start up from a stoplight (yeah, some cyclists do that
). If I'm already going 10-15mph and I decide I want to speed up to 20-25mph, the flex is noticeable, but not nearly as bad as when I start from a standstill.
To get an idea of my ideal cadence (not gonna use the triple on this merlin as any sort of a reference because I despise triples) : on a flat road with still wind, I ride with a cruising speed of 17mph with my Fuji and I like to ride in my 50t chainring and my 21t cog in the back.