Originally Posted by
andyfloyd
So the carbon frame bikes are just too stiff....that sucks. I guess I never really thought about it but I do really love the way steel feels on the trails. I kind of want to add a air/coil fork to my Univega to give it a little more trail ability but at the same time I dont want to add weight when the bike is sub 25lbs.
My trek is a composite frame made with aluminum and carbon, and the carbon is just round tubes, shaped just like your typical steel tubes. Full carbon frames can be designed in custom shapes to have stiffness in some directions and flex in others. the Aluminum stays probably contribute a fair amount to how much of the road feel is transferred to one's butt
I haven't ridden this bike a ton so it's hard to give it a complete review, but it definitely feels different from steel and doesn't seem to soak up the bumps quite the same way. I will have to wait and see how it rides once i get the fit dialed in and set up the cockpit. Strangely, even though the distance from the saddle to the bars is longer than on some of my other bikes, it feels too small still.
I'd really like to get this thing down around 24 lbs or less.. I was surprised when it came in at 26lbs. No sense giving up the ride of steel if it's not significantly lighter imo...