Stiffness vs Comfort
 

I am in the market for a new road bike after losing my current bike (1989 Trek 1200) to a cracked frame. I am going to go ride a number of bikes on Friday, but I'm afraid that short rides around the parking lot will not be enough to know how the bike will be over the long term. I am a relatively big (215 lbs) rider, and I want something that is very stiff in the bottom bracket, but I'm also concerned that along with stiffness, you get a harsh ride. I'm looking for people's experience with some of the bikes I am considering, specifically:

Trek 1500
Cannondale Synapse Alloy
Cannondale CAAD 9

I don't know how the Trek will compare with the Cannondales, or how the two Cannondales will compare. Also, is the Cannondale's 'S.A.V.E' technology effective at reducing road harshness, or is this just marketing hype?

Last, if there is anyone out there with riding experience on a Trek 1200 of 1989 vintage, and who can compare the ride versus the above bikes, I would appreciate it.

Thanks (very much) in advance.

Lee

Hi. I'm 215 lbs too. I used to sell bikes and, yeah, you're right. Aluminum feels like God's gift on a short test ride but doesn't ride so well in the long run.

For many years I rode a Cannondale R1000. The stiff bottom bracket was nice, great for climbing and sprinting. Wonderful ride on a perfectly smooth road. On anything less than absolutely smooth, that high frequency road vibration would travel right up through the frame and eat at your wrists and back.

The Cannondale finally cracked under my weight.

This last year I bought a Lemond to replace the Cannondale. The frame is steel / carbon fiber but nothing very fancy by current standards. It's not the stiffest, most responsive ride but it feels great. This bike is clearly not as efficient as my Cannondale but I feel so much fresher on this bike at 20 miles and, as a result, tend to ride longer and harder.

As I ride 30-50 mile rides 3-4 times per week, there's just no contest. The stiffness and efficiency of aluminum is just not worth the sacrifice in comfort. And really, I'm worried about the durability of the new Cannondale frames. That downtube is paper thin. So I'm probably going to sell my CAAD9 warranty frame and stick with my Lemond.

If I were you, I'd look at a modern steel frame, something like the Lemond Sarthe at your Trek dealer. If you're hell bent on getting both efficiency and comfort, I'd up my budget and start shopping for carbon fiber. The Trek 5200 is a very nice bike.

What other brands do your local dealers carry?

I have a Trek 1500 and it is great. I absolutely love it. I went on a group ride on Sunday for 40 miles. Almost everyone there was riding carbon and complaining about the evil roads. I agreed with them that the roads did leave a little to be desired, but I felt that it was nothing to remark about. It could just be that I am use to riding more rough roads.

Go to the LBS and ask them if you could test ride those bikes for, say 1/2 an hour each on the roads. That should give you a better idea on how comfortable they are. If your LBS does not permit this, find a new one.

+1!

Yup. Don't settle for the parking lot.

As one can read in my signature, I am very partial to steel frames with somewhat relaxed geometries.

I like the CAAD9 as a race bike for crits. Im not sure about the long haul. But look into a Spec. Roubaix. Not even a 30 minute ride is gonna tell you how it translates over a couple of hours. So you may be better off with a steel frame, but you will give up some stiffness. Most likely all of your choices will feel great compared to an 89 Trek, bikes have come a long ways.

I took a Roubaix out for a short spin a few weeks ago. I didn't think it was so hot but that might have been due to the relaxed geometry. Maybe I'd like the Tarmac.

I'm quite interested in this bike:

http://www.konaworld.com/bikes/2k8/i...5/2K8_KAPU.jpg

Wheelbase has as much to do with ride comfort as frame design. Take that into account. Also, tires should not be inflated enough to transfer road vibration to your hands. If they are inflated enough to vibrate your hands like that, your bike is climbing and descending 5mm up and down at an incredible rate. Very inefficient -- let some air out.

Frame stiffness does not affect power transfer efficiency.

I ended up with a Specialized Sequoia, but the Cannondale Synapse Alloy was at the top of my list for a while (ended up going with the better deal at the better shop). For my kind of riding (reasonably fast over long distances), the long wheelbase/relaxed geometry bikes suit me well--you might lose a little nimbleness off the line and around sharp corners, but once up to speed the bike purrs along with the best of them.

Re: Stiffness vs Comfort
 

> What other brands do your local dealers carry?

Most brands are available where I live (Minneapolis): Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, Bianchi, Seven, Felt, Scott, etc. so I shouldn't be too constrained by availability.

> Frame stiffness does not affect power transfer efficiency.

I've been wondering about this. It seems that if you deflect the bottom bracket when you push down on the pedals, the frame is going to spring back and return that energy to the drive train. Is that what you are thinking?

> Go to the LBS and ask them if you could test ride those bikes for, say 1/2 an hour each on the roads. That should give you a better idea on how comfortable they are. If your LBS does not permit this, find a new one.

That will be my goal when I go shopping.

Thanks, everyone, for the replies so far.

Yep

Start around page 4:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=257679

In 2008 Bianchi will no longer offer any steel bikes. You might want to see if you can pick up a 2007. The Vigorelli is a nice ride:

http://fairflyer.files.wordpress.com...relli_07_m.jpg

The new Lemond Sarthe looks pretty swanky:

http://pinemountainsports.com/images...arhte_08_m.jpg

2007 Sarthe:

http://www.lemondbikes.com/images/bi...rge/sarthe.jpg

Either of these modern steel bikes, along with the aforementioned Kona, would be a suitable replacement for your Trek.

If you're shopping Cannondale or Specialized, stop by my old shop, Erik's in Eden Prairie. One of the guys that used to work under me, Chris Erickson, now manages it. Just don't tell him I was dogging on aluminum bikes.

We used to sell Seven. They are fantastic bikes, but very expensive. On the other extreme, I'm sure that you can find someone in Minneapolis willing to build up a relatively inexpensive Surly to your liking.