Originally Posted by
Branko D
If I need a bit more suspension, I can just put 5 psi less in the tires, it seems like the most logical place to have, well, flex.
The power losses may be negligible, but you just couldn't argue in favour of "more frame flex".In the modern days of CF goodness you can have a nice, stiff bike which is also light and aero (and good looking to boot), and which feels really solid when you're descending at speed.
You can definitely argue in favour of more vertical frame compliance. In fact many manufacturers already have. That's why we have super thin seat-stays, D-shaped seat posts, IsoSpeed, Futureshock, etc. Wider tyres and lower pressures have arguably made frame compliance much less critical in very recent years, but still I'd rather not have a bone-shaking stiff frame for riding on our pot-holed roads. CF goodness can give you vertical compliance and high lateral stiffness at the same time.