I think a bike when dialed in perfectly with the right frame size certainly feels like putting on a glove. In fact my favorite bike is made of all sorts of parts non of which were meant to match, but when I ride it I feel like there is no bike under me and I'm just gliding along. If there is "magic" in a bike I think that must be it.

Not Majic, but fit and the right combination of parts is the key.

rhm, I'm only 160lbs and I definitely feel the difference between bikes. I'm not sure what to attribute it too. My experiences let me correlate what I (think I) remember to what I (think I) feel. The scientist in me says it is some combination of blah blah blah, a lot of details that have been or haven't been or can't easily be quantified. So in the end it's magic after all.

So how do you define magic?

Yes, that article and this one ("Magnificent 7") are informative. It isn't that they say what materials are "best" but that they point out how the end result is the combination of so many factors, which is to say that one's first guess based on a single feature like material isn't necessarily accurate.

Regardless of why all those bikes felt different, the "facts" seem to be that in one case the riders felt a real difference and in the other the perceived differences were concluded to be mostly but not entirely inconsistent.

If the Tange/Columbus comparison proved anything it is that red bikes, pink being not too far from red, are faster. I've always claimed that blue bikes were more comfortable. That study proves this to a point - blue bikes are more comfortable simply because you can't ride them as fast.

The magic is in the color.

I've experienced some nice rides on bikes that had just the right combination of TT length, stem length and brake hood setup. I recall taking an old FUJI Special Road Racer out once and remarking that, in spite of the steel wheels, and the extra weight, something felt just right.

I got out the measuring tape to get those dimensions...

.........................but I want to believe that my most magical bikes are products of alien technology.

Also, I weigh in the 220# - 235# range, so getting a butted tubing bike frame to flex is not difficult.
You ought to look for something in a very lightweight tubeset, like Tange#1 (used in some of the
Centurion Ironman bikes for instance) or whichever Ishiwata was below 022(019?).

Besides your weight , you probably ride a smaller frame, so also a stiffer geometry.....

I agree that a lot of what is referred to as "magic" is flex (but not too much) coupled
with rigidity (but not too much).........and that it varies with a personal anatomy to some extent.

Yup. This is it, in a nut shell.

My '74 Pro and my VeloSoleX have magical rides. The rest are nice, but lack that je ne sais quoi.

Elos tommasini tecno

I don't know what it is, but that frame rides different than anything else I've been on. (And I've used the same wheels/group on other frames for an apples to apples comparison)

It doesn't get much better than these old Raleigh-things.

LOL! My ex comes to mind.


I believe there are too many variables to a 'magical' ride to attribute it to solely the frame.
Fit is a priority, then quality workmanship, and finally quality parts. Wheels/tires are IMHO a large portion of what makes up ride quality. Poor wheels and tires will ruin the best frames' ride.

Yea....a good lugged 531 is like...well, Unicorns and Kittens...doesn't get anymore magical than that

More retro-magic. In 1972 this was real magic.

In my mind, it is very similar to buying a musical instrument. Two models can be the same in most regards but one "speaks" to you more that the other. Why? Who knows but you know it when you feel it.

I do believe in magic, and I feel it whenever I'm in the saddle. No matter the bike. But as an answer to the op, I weigh in at around 175-180. I have noticed that my city bike, ('93 Giant Prodigy) when heavily loaded with groceries, rides like it's floating on air. So in this case, the weight is what makes the difference. Like a light weight pickup rides when fully loaded. Same kind of feeling.

I believe in magic. I once took a magic pill, drove from WI to NC straight through, cleaned the house, washed the car, scored a 300 on the physical fitness test, and cooked lunch. Maybe it was the subject of a famous song by Ram Jam, but it was magic to me.

Bikes aren't magic. They are magic things.

Good thing you didn't have a whizz quiz!

Never had a boiled Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich....How'd it turn out?

Ride vintage, wear stripes and just believe....yes rhm I do believe!

My 531 Gitane rides better, faster, and more comfortably than any other bike I've ever owned. I considered many factors why, but I don't think magic was one of them.
Or maybe so. It would explain the faint glow on the solstice nights....

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I've an Albert Eisentraut. He had a reputation for mixing tubesets for the best effect. It certainly is the best riding bike I have ever been on; and generally I believe geo is more important than tubeset; otherwise UO8s are inexplicable. Builder's knowledge, I suppose.

Orgasmic? I am getting me a set of those!

My magical frame is a Bridgestone 400, I am on my third one. I know pretty pedestrian by most standards, but when you need a 26" frame with a long top tube, the choices are pretty limited. For me the magic is in the fit.

pics or it didn't happen!

After sleeping on it, and thinking about it some more, it seems that there must be bikes out there designed for lighter weight riders. Besides racing bikes. Have you ridden carbon? Something that would flex without too much weight being applied. I too, have never experienced that kind of magic, but I've heard tell of bikes which pull you down the road. The search continues. I agree that the correct wheels and tires make an enormous difference.

And Robbie, that was not magic; it was a black beauty.