I think that if you were riding the softride for a long time and were used to it that there would be no other frame (except maybe a titanflex) that would soak up the road vibrations in the same way. Anything with a seat tube is going to give a harsher ride.

It will likely take more than just a few weeks of riding before you get used to the new bike (enough that you'll be really comfortable).

I don't think that you'd see much in the way of performance gains switching from a softride to the Kuota since they are both nice bikes driven by the same motor :)

Hi,

I upgraded my old softride with a new softride. The rocket TT frame is much faster and lighter than my oldschool Team RoadWing, yet the comfort is the same. What I like best about softride is how good I feel on the run after 112 miles on the bike. That's hard to beat.

Why (do you think) the Rocket is faster than the Roadwing? Can you give me more details... times, courses, thoughs... thanks!

Well, I can't say scientifically, and of course it could be a result of improved fitness, but I can tell you that my average speed on the IMC course when riding my old softride was about 17.6 MPH. Last Saturday, on my Rocket TT my average speed was 18.6 MPH. I've ridden the entire course four weeks in a row now, and I'm consistently between 18.4 and 18.6 MPH. That pace brings me in with a sub-six hour bike split, which I'm happy with.

Like I said, maybe I'm just in better shape now, but I've been riding pretty consistently all year, so I think the bike has something to do with it.

The differences in the two bikes are:

1. Weight. The Rocket is a few pounds lighter than the Roadwing

2. Stiffness. The beam on the Rocket doesn't have as much sway as the Roadwing, so more of your pedal power goes into moving the bike forward, I think. The stiffness also seems to help with the hill climbs; I'm climbing faster, but that might be due to my hill repeat workouts paying dividends.

The Softride frame really seems to help with downhill descents, too. I seem to get to the bottom of a hill before my training partners. I guess its due to the frame design, but what do I know.

I often tell people who ask about my bike that the Softride bike is like a Macintosh computer in a PC world. People who own Softride, love them, and people who don't own them, think they're weird.

Ain't it du trute. Includin' du faster descent.

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_________________
Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

Every thread that mentions SoftRide inspires me to ask the same question: Can anyone confirm/deny the demise of the SoftRide bike business? I actually tried cold-calling dealers and asking, and most of them gave me the same answer: They haven't had any new stock in ages, they haven't had any communication with the company, and they are as in the dark as I am.

I love Debra (my Classic TT), and if SoftRide is out of business, I need to start thinking about how I'm going to keep her going for another decade.

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-Mark Rebuck, http://www.markrebuck.com/

I can't comment on the demise, but I know someone who placed an order for a new decal last week and recieved his order quickly. I did hear from one person who said they were trying to sell the brand to a large bike company who would position the bike as a niche market product, but that's just gossip, I'm sure.

Their website doesn't seem like it's been updated in ages. Have you ever tried calling the company and ask them?

You just ain't gonna feel faster on double diamond. Softrides are both more aero and 1000X more comfy than any other bike, save possibly a Titanflex.

Keep your Softride, especially if it's a traditional beam. I have two extra beams and quite a few bits to mount them (even if I have to BUILD myself a new frame) for the next few years.

I didn't switch from a SoftRide but from a sweeeeeet american Steel Gunnar (Waterford) Hot Dog (now Roadie). I won't sell it and love it on the long rides.

But boy o boy when I stepped into a new Kalibur...

it was like stepping into...well...carbon lightweight sweetness. Staying aero (even up the hills) for miles like i never could have imagined.

No stiffness issues at all (and I'm doing at least 100m/wk).

I could not be happier.

My .02

I talked to someone at the company about a month ago when I was ordering spare pivot assemblies. They are no longer making bikes but are in the process of selling the bike business. They said Adam Greene has taken a job with Scott.

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Coach at KonaCoach Multisport

How do you think the steel round-tubed SR frames compare with their more aero-like brothers/sisters. I have an R1 with 10-12,000 miles and an old but not used Norwester frame collecting dust. Just wondering if the Norwester is worth hanging onto as the next build?

From a no-seatpin/seatpost standpoint alone, the Norwester would be more aero than many double-diamond frameset. I'd hang onto it.