Originally Posted by Delco

So after four hours of riding on this new S2 carbon frame and I have an updated opinion and observations to share. I have noticed that hill climbing is noticably faster on this bike although I am unsure if it is strictly related to gearing or a combination of gearing and the carbon frame. Old bike had a 52/42/30 crank and on the new bike I have a standard 53/39 and broke all my personal records on a ride i've been doing for a few months this past weekend. In the flats I definitely feel a smoother pedal stroke that seems to translate better into forward motion. The feeling is difficult to describe but I feel faster and that I get more out of my pedal stroke in the flats. The flat where I usually hammer is toward the end of the ride and this time I felt like I had more left in the tank even though I added an extra loop in the middle of my ride. The frame seems to soak up vibrations better and feels stiffer than my old aluminum frame, which makes the ride more pleasant overall.

In all I have been very pleased with riding this new bike, which is likely part I got a new toy and part just a higher quality bike. The more I ride the more I am able to notice the differences between the aluminum and carbon frames, it is difficult to describe but it is noticable an. I certainly have gained some speed as I did gain around a 0.5 mph average speed on a 30 mile ride vs mostly the same route but slightly shorter (25 miles).

My conclusion: You can buy speed but that speed gain is directly proportional to the differences between the old and new bike. In my case it was entry level aluminum road bike vs a mid range carbon race bike.