Originally Posted by
Bah Humbug
Take rider A on bikes X and Y. Rider A always has an identical pedaling style, and puts 5w laterally into the BB. Bike X deflects 4mm at the BB under rider A's 5w lateral. Bike Y is stiffer and deflects 2mm at the BB under rider A's 5w lateral. Bike Y deflects less, but still absorbs 5w laterally.
No. For the same applied forces, a stiffer spring in the middle of a power train tends to absorb less energy than a flexier spring. This is because
work is
force integrated over
distance, and a flexier spring deflects farther for a given force.