derrick
The Glue that binds us together.
- Location
- On the edge of London
There are **** ally frames and there are **** carbon frames, You get what you pay for.
No, I think you've been mislead by fancy words. Geometry.
It means nothing.
All bikes for a given purpose - road, utility, MTB, Downhill, etc, have frames with angles within a degree, perhaps two, of each other. Further, the only angle that does matter to the steering (note, not to comfort) is the head tube angle. However, even that has to be coupled with the fork offset before you can make a judgement.
Now, if you were to decide on a (fictitious) optimum angle with the corresponding "right" fork offset, I wish you good luck in finding your dream bike.
Further, "comfort" is simply compliance, which in turn is a fancy word for springiness. Frames, thanks to their diamond truss design, are essentially springless. They have to vertical "give" of note. By that, I mean that their flex is less than the rubber in the tyre, nevermind the air in the tyre. The only place where there is some vertical "spring" in a bike is in the steerer tube (fork). Again, that is minimal and we know this because of the longevity of headset bearings. If there was more spring in the fork, the bearing will be pulled out of alignment and fail very quickly.
Therefore, there is effectively no "comfort" in either carbon, titanium, steel or aluminium bikes. None. Ziltch, Nada.
Comfort can of course be found in ride position and that's a matter of getting the approximate right size bike and correct stem and seat height. I say approximate frame size only because the new BS "science" of bike fitting has pulled the arse out of the chicken with this one. There is no need for millimeter precision in a fit - Small, Medium and Large is good enough for average body shapes and configurations. The fine tuning comes with saddle and handlebar position.
In summary:
Forget about the material. One won't five you more comfort than another.
Don't overthink this.
Choose a nice colour.
Fall in love with the bike and ride it.
Propel?I changed from an alloy Carerra to a carbon Giant last autumn. At first I noticed a massive difference, the carbon bike felt quicker and more responsive although not necessarily more comfortable - this of course could be down to the appalling state of Northants roads. Over time however, the riding experience feels pretty much the same. Yes, the Giant is quicker but not dramatically so and I suspect this is as much to do with the better groupset as the construction material. I'm looking forward to completing some proper long rides in the summer to be really able to compare the 2.
Defy 3 - I would not describe it as an armchair ride. To be honest I have not noticed a great deal of difference over the old bike. I'm looking forward to riding on decent roads in Spain to see if I notice any difference.Propel?
They are supposed to be a bit harsh
i remember reading a review on the carrera basically the tube shape and profile made it a soft ride and tbh i find my tdf fine .Defy 3 - I would not describe it as an armchair ride. To be honest I have not noticed a great deal of difference over the old bike. I'm looking forward to riding on decent roads in Spain to see if I notice any difference.