Originally Posted by
orangeblood96
how are the steel bikes handling roads not so forgiving? i mean with dampening vibrations. The roads i ride are not smooth at all and that is the reasoning getting a carbon. i thought it would be easier on my hands.
It's not the material, it's the design and construction. Ti is supposed to have a smooth ride but I had a Ti frame that was brutally stiff.
Bottom line, get out and try some bikes. Don't avoid potholes... when you are riding in a group or racing you can't. On each test ride find a hill, get out of the saddle and
accelerate up the hill. Great way to check for frame flex.
Frame flex can be a problem for a big tall guy.
My current ride is a Gunnar Sport, it's a steel frame that rides like butter.
If your roads are crap and you are a big guy, I suggest starting with a 27c or 28c tire. You can keep the pressure under 100psi and that really helps. I am using 32c tires.
What people used to do was to have a training bike and a racing bike. The training bike was a reliable workhorse, and perhaps that is what you should be looking at.