Originally Posted by
Trakhak
I've puzzled over when and how the myth of the uncomfortable aluminum frame originated.
From the very same vintage articles, just later on in the 1990s which we haven't gotten to yet. Aluminum bikes became significantly stiffer the longer they were in the market as they broke or failed under riders out in the world.
Cannondale itself increased the tubing diameter, and/or changed the butting profile and wall thickness to reduce flexibility of the rear triangle. I don't recall off the top of my head but it was significant - 30%+.
You can see it looking at the catalogs, the 1995 T1000 has significantly larger tubes compared to the 1985 T400. Marginal stiffness exceeding the difference between standard diameter and oversize steel tubing.
This creates what is always the ultimate quandary.
If bicycle magazine editors were correct in praising 1980s aluminum frames for their superior comfort - what are we to make of their notion of the harshness of aluminum bikes after the mid-1990s?