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If Softride is way faster than Cervelo...
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...why aren´t you all riding Softride? I´m just wondering, because Softride also is more comfortable and cheaper (at least the Classic TT).



Another thought: you´re all praising the Cervelos, but the brand loses contests against other brands in almost any European bike magazin.



So what am I missing?



Regards



Martin
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [kreutzer] [ In reply to ]
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Not not as many softride dealers, weight (not an issue for me), history of beam failures, bouncing while pedaling, looks, mechanical issues, price, weight limit.

As far as magazine reviews go I use the reviews of any magazine as toilet paper.

customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [Mr. Tibbs] [ In reply to ]
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"As far as magazine reviews go I use the reviews of any magazine as toilet paper. "



Well, I wouldn´t use glossy paper for that purpose :-)
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [kreutzer] [ In reply to ]
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I rode a Softride for a number of years and loved it. A sponsorship opportunity came up and now I'm riding a Colnago Dream Tri.

I doubt you could truly make an assessment of which bike is truly faster since the engine of a bike is independent of the frame. If you could make an assessment between the two you would find it insignificant.

I never experienced a beam failure on the six years of riding the Softride nor did I hear of any from other owners I knew. In addition, I seriously doubt the failures in Softrides are any more than that of traditional frame bikes.

Yes you bounce when you pedal. That's goes in hand with the shock absorption properties of a beam bike. You learn to adapt to that bouncing.

Having ridden both I can honestly say that the Softride was a much more comfortable ride and I felt fresher for the run. Whether any bike is better than the other is always in the eye of the beholder which makes bike reviews just that...a review...nothing more.
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [kreutzer] [ In reply to ]
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Who says Softrides are faster? Softride? Who says Cervelos are faster? Cervelo? You guys have got to stop believing everything you read on the web.

Softrides have an image problem. This is a hard sport. We train hard. We have hard bodies. We don't want a soft ride. Cervelos have a sexy name. This is a sexy sport. They may not be faster but they look it.

Softrides are heavy and weight does matter on most courses. Try lugging one of those behemouths up the hills in Lake Placid twice and then tell me how much fresher you feel on the run. Cervelo frames a a little heavy also. I don't have one of those either.

---------------------------
''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [Sweeney [ In reply to ]
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Quote:
Softrides are heavy and weight does matter on most courses
Actually weight does not matter much. Softrides aren't much heavier than a traditional double diamond. MT TT7 was 19.1, my current TT bile is 18.9, my classic softride was 23.5 race weight. Even on hilly courses I crushed people on bike 4-6 pounds lighter. How much faster would have I gone ona bike 1.5kg less. Not enough for anyone to worry about.

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [Mr. Tibbs] [ In reply to ]
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You do realize Slowman does the reviews for Triathlete Mag?
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [LarryCalifornia] [ In reply to ]
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It's a lot more than advertising. Boom bikes are just different and people don't like change. Softride could run a billion dollar ad blitz and only see an OK rise in sales.

customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [kreutzer] [ In reply to ]
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After ridin' a couple 100 milers with my triaining buddy (me on my P2k, him on his Softride) I was ready to heave his bike off every highway overpass we rode over. That damn Softride creaked and squaked so much I wanted to suggest stopping for a can of WD-40! Seriously, and he's taken it to the local Softride dealer several times for "adjustments" and they've never been able to cure it. Then to top if off, on our last ride, the adjusting bolt holding the beam in place broke...luckily we were only 5 miles from home. My new P3 may not be faster, but it sure is heck isn't slower, and it flies down the highway in stealth mode.
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [Sweeney [desert dude] [ In reply to ]
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Reading through this thread, I am surprised no one has mentioned the obvious. Any time I have gone through the Softride geometry chart, I have concluded that the 700c bikes were unusable for a triathlon bike for many people since the chainstay was too long and the headtube too tall. If you are after a steep seattube bike with a reasonably low position, it seemed like many or even most people would be out of luck.

It seemed like the 650c bikes were better since the chainstay is shorter, but the headtube is still very tall. I have short legs and a long torso and I don't think I would be able to get low enough even with my very unaggressive position.

As for weight, desert dude, you could crush me on the hills of Lake Placid if you were pulling a child seat rig behind you. Underpowered, overweight, out of shape guys like me want to jettison every pound we can when we do that course, unless it involves actually losing weight from around our expanding stomachs.

Maybe Softride has come out with some new geometry since I checked last, so let me know if I am out of date. It wouldn't be the first time.
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [kreutzer] [ In reply to ]
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I certainly don't know what is faster, although, I can be persuaded to agree that a beam-er might be set up to be more aerodynamic than a bike with seat-stays.

For me, the beam bikes are about being able to rotate my pelvis forward in order to get into a more powerful pedalling position. Sure, I can rotate forward on a non-beam bike, but, not for long! Maybe I'm just not built to sit on a bike seat (then again, who IS built to sit on one?), but my glutes get one heck of a new workout when on my beam bike...my usual rides now leave my glutes sore. I am already faster over short distances and up hills by using my ample rear-end muscles more. Hopefully, this will turn into more speed over longer distances, too, as I get my quads used to the load. My quads are tiring quicker, I assume because they are under more strain from the increased gluteal involvement. No creaking, no clamps, no articulations to squeak. You can get a Titan Flex with a mighty stiff rod...will hold a 305 lb. rider! Oh, and mine weighs 19.3 lbs. (the bike, not the rod ;). I now say; "Spare the rod, spoil the boys".



Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [Titan] [ In reply to ]
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A Softride only has a slow drag if you are running a disc in the back. Without the seattube to fare the back wheel it effectively turns it into another front wheel. I would say only a fraction of Softride users use a rear disc, at Hawaii none of them do so their are only handicaping their speed being on a Softride.
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [gbwilliams] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
so their are only handicaping their speed being on a Softride.
No they aren't.
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [gbwilliams] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
I would say only a fraction of Softride users use a rear disc...
I ride a beam bike (Elite Aria with Softride beam) and I go much faster with a disk.
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [gbwilliams] [ In reply to ]
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"I would say only a fraction of Softride users use a rear disc, at Hawaii none of them do so their are only handicaping their speed being on a Softride."

If you're talking about Kona, discs aren't allowed.



"your horse is too high" - tigerchik
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [freestyle] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman seems to review bikes sporadically. The past 2 months the bike reviews were done by someone else. I figure that since he is more blunt and honest with his assessments that Triathlete must have to buffer the next few with useless, sappy praise to keep the advertisers happy :)
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [kreutzer] [ In reply to ]
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The latest wind tunnel testing claimed that the Softride will be 82 seconds faster over 40 kms than a P3. That's a lot of time if this is true. I always believed that a Softride was likely more aero than any conventional diamond frame by not having a seat post but was shocked when this claim was made. 82 seconds is a lot of time over that distance.

I don't know much about Softrides except that they're so goofy looking. But then beauty only lies in the eye of the beholder.

If I was in the market for a new bike(which I'm not) I'd certainly have a serious look at a Softride based on the aero data alone.

But then I would have to change my handle to "softrideguy"
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [kreutzer] [ In reply to ]
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I dunno, but i just got back from an event that had a real, live, in-the-flesh Carbon P3. Now *that* generates buzz - I almost felt sorry for the Softride across the showroom floor.
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [gbwilliams] [ In reply to ]
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can you explain this theory a little better. First I've heard of this. It would be nice to save $500 on a disk - - assuming you are right, it would be stupid to buy a disc.
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [Ben Runkle] [ In reply to ]
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I'm not an engineer nor do I play one in real or any make believe life. The air after hitting the front of a softride is able to reform into smoother layers than a double diamond frame. You get smoother air hitting your back wheel w/ the softride vs the frame downtube churning the air. I would argue that the softride would be a faster frame than the standard double diamond frame no matter what back wheel you toss on.

edit: I don't think the frame, no matter what it's style, makes as much difference as rider position.

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Last edited by: desert dude: Nov 21, 04 16:38
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [desert dude] [ In reply to ]
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Whatever happened to the truly 'fastest' bike, better than the softride, more aero, lighter, simpler mechanically--the zipp 2001??

That is one they should start making again...





Where would you want to swim ?
Last edited by: Greg/ORD: Nov 21, 04 16:56
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [kreutzer] [ In reply to ]
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At IMFL every time I saw a beam bike the rider was bouncing wildly. It didnt look efficient.
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [desert dude] [ In reply to ]
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that part I understand. Its the impact on a disc, and the prior poster's comments that a disc would be less aero - - that's what escapes me.
Last edited by: Ben Runkle: Nov 21, 04 17:18
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Re: If Softride is way faster than Cervelo... [Ben Runkle] [ In reply to ]
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prior poster's comments that a disc would be less aero - - that's what escapes me.

I think what the prior poster meant was that it's much more important to use a disc on a softride than a conventional frame. If you start with a disc as the baseline, switching to a conventional rear wheel will cost you more time on a softride than a double diamond design, since there's no fairing for the wheel with on the softride.

It would be very interesting to see wind tunnel tests of the softride and a conventional frame with a disc, and then with a regular spoked wheel.








"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."
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