Does frame stiffness make for a much harsher ride?
 

I know in road biking, frame stiffness can make your ride a lot harsher and more jarring and uncomfortable if you're going to be riding for a while. However, that's with tiny tires aired to 100psi. Do the large squishy MTB tires negate some of the harshness from a really stiff frame or is it the same basic effect that a stiff frame would have on a road bike?

I mainly ask because I was looking into a 2010 Cannondale F5 and many reviews say it has a really stiff frame. I don't want to get beat to death or kill my hands/wrists every time I go for a longer ridding session.

I'd like to know about the effects of a stiffer frame in general, but also if anyone has experience with the F5 in particular. Thanks.

I like a stiff frame as compared to one that seems to flex a bit. Youget better transfer of power pedaling with a stiffer frame. But that is me. You will get a number of different opinions.

I mainly ask because I know I prefer the feel of a vintage lugged steel (nice quality, not a cheap old POS) road bike compared to a newer stiff framed aluminum road bike.

The only real trail riding I've done yet has been on a steel framed 94 Giant Yukon, so I don't know if maybe I won't like a newer stiff aluminum MTB. From my limited experience, it doesn't seem like it would make as much of a difference on a MTB, though since there isn't as much weight on your hands/wrists, you're out of the saddle most of the time anyway, and you have big vibration absorbing tires on softer ground vs. narrow hard tires on unforgiving pavement.

Any thoughts from anyone who has done some road and MTBing?

I think you are right about the "FAT TIRES" smoothing out the ride somewhat. BN is also right about getting more of your power to the pavement instead of bobbing around with suspension and a softer frame. But some of that is over blown.

I recently rode a Roubaix on a Century. It was a really nice experience. BUT I was so happy to get back on Fat tires, even for the pavement. The ride is better IMHO. You dn';t have to worry about smaller rock, and pavement problems. I recently picked up a Full suspension bike and love it. It has full lock outs on front and back. There have been a couple times when I don't release the lock outs. Its not a huge difference.

With a stiff MTB, you learn to let your legs absorb at lot of the hits. It does wear you out quicker, but you are in WI, you are tough!

Haha, let's hope so. Pretty tolerant of Cold wind anyway.

It's funny. Unlike you, I had to ride my MTB ~6 miles on the pavement the other day and I was wondering what the hell all those MTB commuters are thinking. It's SO much more work! It felt a little hard on my knees too. I guess I won't worry too much about the stiffness of the MTB frame, though. Thanks.

Then why bother locking it out in the first place? I never found lockout to be particularly effective either, especially after platform damping came around, but lots of converted roadies lately seem pretty excited about it.

To the OP, if you find the ride of a stiff road bike on asphalt uncomfortable due to jarring and impact, perhaps mountain biking is not the right sport for you. It depends on the trail of course, but fat tires only go so far to mitigate terrain feedback. That's why many folks ride full suspension bikes.

You can get a more complient ride by riding a smaller frame with more exposed seatpost......just don't use a cheap seatpost.

Daspdyr, do you have your suspention set up right?

Not exactly correct. Honestly not meaning this offensively at all, either way is fine. But have you done any long rides on a road bike? If not, try it and I think you'll understand where I'm coming from about the comparison and wondering if MTBs have the same effect. When you're riding a completely ridged road bike with narrow 100psi tires on concrete and you're leaned over and more of your weight is on your wrists/hands and you're on the seat the whole time, it's totally different than heading down a hill on a trail standing up. From what I've ridden so far, I'm liking MTBing much more than road biking and actually find it less jarring than road biking in general. When you go down a steep descent full of rocks standing up with a kind of loose absorbing posture, its more just large bumps that flow more. ...hope that makes sense. When you're on a road bike, just hitting a series of cracks in the sidewalk can send vibrations up your wrists and spine that are sometimes uncomfortable.

I'm wondering if a stiffer frame MTB will cause more of that vibration than a not as stiff frame, or if all mountain bikes are going to be fairly similar to the one I'm riding now in that sense.

First, if all of your weight is on your hands/wrists on a road bike or mountain bike, you are doing something wrong.


A stiff bike is a stiff bike, hoss. cryptid01 is right. If you don't like being jarred on a road bike, mountain biking is the wrong sport for you.

The guy I bought it from races and had it set up super stiff. I read the manuals a couple nights ago and realized I had some experimenting to do. Good observation 66.

Junkyard - It's not that All of your weight is on your hands/wrists, but more. And yes, more of my weight is on my hands/wrists and I do feel more vibration on my road bike than my mountain bike. That's the nature of the bike designs. Look at a road bike racer in proper posture vs. a MTB rider. Very different.

The presence of suspension on a mountain bike makes the stiffness of its frame a much less important aspect of its ride quality than it is on a road bike. Putting suspensions on MTBs allow their designers to divorce frame stiffness from ride quality, so the frames can be very stiff but giving the rider freedom to tune some aspects of the suspension, such as shock damping and tire pressure. Lock out the suspension, and all that stiffness is there for efficient climbing.

I would like everyone to read this and take note. I have been accused of never adding anything useful to this forum. So all you drinkers of the hateraide can suck it! That is all.

Is that another plug for riding the little circus bike you like to sport?

Swing the bat often enough and you are going to get a hit at some point. Nice job BoBo.

Actually, mtnbiker66, your opinion has helped me out too when I first fixed up the bike I'm using now to get into MTBing. As have others on this forum also helped.


And I do want to see this little circus bike... How tall are you and what size frame do you ride?

I'm pretty sure I'm riding a circus bike right now too being 5' 6"-7" with a 31" inseam and riding a 14 1/2" frame, but it's just because that's what was free to me at the time. I plan to move into something a little larger when I buy a new bike.

I don't get jarred around on my road bike. Ohhhh...that must be because my forgiving carbon road frame takes more of the harshness out of the ride than my mountain bike's suspension! The mountain bike is aluminum, after all, and it's only got 4" in front and back.

Check your road bike fit. Sounds like something's wrong. My weight's not on my hands on either bike, and it's not because my bars are abnormally high. I think more of my weight is on my saddle. I've never had my hands and wrists hurt after long road rides...my sitbones and stuff sometimes feel it though.

lol

Oh my dang.....I gotta step it up.

3speed, I seriously doubt you could tell the difference between that small steel frame and a properly sized aluminum frame. ;)

I've used my '98 Trek 7000ZX for road training rides w/65 PSI and off road w/45 PSI... works fine. Then again my road bikes are all Cannondales!

Brad

PS I did replace the front fork on the Trek, but not to a lock out type for a huge difference in handling. If the fork is properly adjusted with correctly selected springs there should be no need for a lockout, IMHO.

Here's an idea: why don't you go try a long ride on a mountain bike and resolve your concerns for yourself?

http://images.travelpod.com/users/ni...paved-road.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...ockGarden2.jpg

If you're riding offroad, you're going to get more terrain feedback, period. More than can be negated by fat tires, standing position, suspension, and least of all, a frame designed with compliance in mind.

Well duh.

This is because roadies are candy'azz'pansies who like to wear pink.

That "vibration" that you speak of should be the least of your concerns. What about the G-outs and rocks/roots. Sure, a nice fork can make rocks and roots "seem" like they're only vibrations...but most of the time...the sport is plagued with all sorts of fun obstacles that can feel unpleasant when hacked at.