Originally Posted by
Booger1
The "noodle" part is the whole idea.If the frame flexes,I don't have to run tires that are soft to get a nice ride.That's why I can run 120-140lbs of air pressure in the tires and it still rides nice.If the frame is stiff,like a racing frame,I can feel every pebble on the road,I'll pass.When it is fully loaded,in granny,cranking up a hill,the BB will flex an 1/2" or so from side to side,just like it's suppose to.If it doesn't flex,it breaks,somethings got to give.The more weight you put on this bike,the straighter it goes.It's not made for carving corners,it's made for going straight.It's got little thin seat stays,long chain stays(46cm),lots of rake in the fork,it's a touring bike.
I'm not letting go of the handle bars at 40mph,I don't care what bike it is!( I know,I know).
I will try to post pictures tomorrow after work,I won't have time tonight.
If your frame flexes enough to give a smooth ride with 120 to 140 psi in your tires, your frame is too soft! The tires are the interface with the road and do more to smooth out the ride than any frame can ever be designed to do. Additionally, steel is far more stiff than aluminum can be. The only reason an aluminum frame is stiff is due to the larger diameter of the tubes used to make the frame.
A compliant frame will give a good ride unloaded but that same frame becomes difficult to handle under a heavy load. Yes, they do well going straight but the world isn't made of straight lines. There are curves and twists all over the place. Sooner or later, you are going to have to deal with those curves and I'd rather have a bike that carves the turns rather than go in a straight line.
Additionally, standing up to pedal up a hill or just to take the pressure off your butt shouldn't be difficult. On my old steel bike, I had to pedal straight up and down...no moving the bars as is natural for climbing out of the saddle. If I threw the bars back and forth, the bike would wander all over creation. Not so with the T800. It will handle climbing out of the saddle without any issues at all, no matter how much I want to through the bars back and forth.
The T800 has a long wheelbase, thicker stays and probably just as much rake on the fork. It also has over 25 years of experience* to back it up. There are only a few production touring bikes (available in the US) with that kind of history.
*I was incorrect about the first Cannondale touring bike. The date was 1983...not 1987.