Originally Posted by
f4rrest
It means that after a year or two of developing your leg strength, you can feel the frame bend under very hard acceleration.
If you can't feel the difference, then you aren't strong enough yet for it to matter. So test ride the bikes and buy the one that just feels / looks the best to you. Trade up later if it matters.
Me thinks this was meant to say...
"It (stiff) It means that after a year or two of developing your leg strength, you
can't feel the frame bend under very hard acceleration. "
In addition to Race Bikes, consider a class known as Endurance Bikes.
I ride a 2013 Specialized Roubaix, a good balance of compliance for comfort and stiffness for power transfer.
Trek makes a similar bike called a Domane.
(Madone, Emonda, Domane... they rearrange the letters for each model, kinda cute)
Fuji makes the Gran Fondo model in the Endurance class.
The Trek Domane and the Specialized Roubaix have won some big time, and very grueling, professional races.