Tom,

It looked like a pretty positive review. I love mine. Hopefully it will give the Titanflex bikes more exposure. I really feel that if more people would ride one they would switch from their current bike.

Darren

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Formerly DrD

Flashy site. I looked at 4 or 5 of their reviews--all glowing with praise with no negative or even neutral comments on any of the products/bikes. Everything is the perfect combination of comfortable/stiff and fantastic.

Makes we wonder as to the usefulness of the site if everything is reviewed as being great.

can someone shed some light on this "no lever for the front brake," that they show in this video. the picture they show doesnt really explain how that works?

-=mte=-

Right, I don't get it either.

On the video I can see the guy bouncing on every pedal stroke. \

I don't understand the whole 'comfort' thing. My bike is totally stiff with a carbon saddle. I don't see where the discomfort is.

theReflexx and Learn...it's called the CleanBrake.
You can see details at http://www.titanflex-usa.com/products-cleanbrake.htm

Cheers,

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Tom Piszkin
UCSD Triathlon Coach
@TitanFlexBikes
(619)334-7222
(619)328-1870 FAX

That guy was using a pretty high cadence--well over 100. Lots of folks get a little bouncy above 115. When he was a little lower on the cadence there was no bounce.

I have a SoftRide. I see very few long time beam bike riders that bounce at normal cadences. (like under 110).

I have 4 traditional bikes and one beam bike. the difference is amazing. When I've been on my tri bike exclusively for a while, I don't notice the bumps. I just pedal right through all but the largest ones. When I go back to one of the others I notice the difference. You've probably gotten used to the chatter, the brief pedal pauses or lifting a little on the bumps. When you ride a beam/boom you forget about that stuff because it doesn't effect your pedalling, cornering, etc. (There's also less RR, since the whole rider and bike don't need to be lifted over every little bump.)

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_________________
Dick

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

I dunno mang. At my last race a slow swimmer / good cyclists and saw every single beam bike rider looked like a 5 year old's first time in a bounce house.

I dunno either, but I see a number of them here at the Rose Bowl (fewer in the last 2 years) and at races. I see few bouncers. Maybe they're newbies to beams. Read Dan's review in the archives.

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_________________
Dick

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

I viewed 4 or 5 reviews also, and my first thought was either (a) they tested the best products, or (b) they are very generous giving positive feedback. Granted I watched the Titanflex, Zipp 202, Tarmac Expert and Transition S-Works. Even the video about weight, they only had the hint of neutral/negative feedback w/ the Pinarello.

Videos seem great...if they get a lot more up there...and they are objective, then it'll be a great site. If I can't compare several products, or if all the feedback is the same, then its still a cool site, just of lesser value. At a minimum its good marketing, as I learned something I didn't know about each product review.

Yah, when I saw the video, the first thing I thought was, "Wow, that guy hasn't ridden a beam bike much..." The bouncing goes away after you learn how to pedal properly.

Oh, I agree with the other posters that the video site looks like little more than a marketing machine for the products tested. I dearly love my Titanflex, but the remarks in the review look like they were pulled straight from the Titanflex website.

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"100% of the people who confuse correlation and causation end up dying."

That it does. Of course we beam bike owners prefer to think that he is so excited by the comfort of the beam that he couldn't help himself. ;^)

I was actually in the market for a TF until an LBS had a BIG markdown on a SR rocket TT.

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_________________
Dick

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

A quick note from someone who has bought far too many bikes.My main goals are comfort and handling.I had a few softrides-3 rocket tt's and a Faast-very comfortable but bouncy and the beams delaminated in a few months.I got rid of them.The Guru aero Ti is on my computrainer as is a Serotta CX at the office.They are comfortable but I would have trouble with an ironman on them.The P3 carbon is my short course bike.I thought I was getting close with custom serotta Otrott's(2) and Meivici.Nothing compares with my Titanflex-superb comfort,Great descending and handling,Minimal bounce.It is a revelation.I wish I had bought it years earlier ,I could have saved a fortune.I am getting rid of many of my bikes-for me the Titanflex is way better-even on short courses I would take it before my P3C.I paid fullup for it and receive no benefit for this endorsement.














f

Regarding the bouncing: I did noticed when I first got my Titanflex Transition that it felt a little awkward and bouncy especially at higher cadences. Within a few rides that sensation went away (smoother pedal stroke?) and while I can look down and see the flex in the beam happening, I don't feel it. At least with the Titanflex line you can get the titanium beam in different flex levels depending on your weight. Not sure about the Softrides. Tom is great at getting you on the right beam. The flex also varies depending on the amount of beam you have exposed (different lever length) and at what effective seat tube angle you are at.

I would say that if you have an opportunity to ride a Titanflex give it more than one ride to get an accurate assessment.

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Formerly DrD

Regarding the amount of bounce in the TestRider.com video...

We were told that the test rider weighed about 145 lb so we provided the most flexible "Vanilla" boom.

The actual test rider weighs 170 lb. We've since sent them the next stiffer "Mocha" boom, albeit too late to reshoot the riding scenes.

Suffice it to say that the more "circular" your pedaling coordination, the less boom deflection you will experience. The boom's dynamic characteristics serve as a training aid...kind of like a poor man's Computrainer Spin Scan or PowerCranks.

Cheers,

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Tom Piszkin
UCSD Triathlon Coach
@TitanFlexBikes
(619)334-7222
(619)328-1870 FAX

Slowtwitchers, Ben here from Testrider.com. We absolutely stand by our review of the TItanFlex Transition. We were incredibly impressed with the bike's ability to deliver what it promised, a combination of comfort and performance. It does that and earns an "A" while doing it. Our testrider was heavier then Tom anticipated (our fault, not his)and still had a great experience with the bike. Look to Tom's post for his comments on the boom deflection.

With regards to what one poster called our glowing reviews, yes we have been lucky to get some great products and we have been excited to share our findings with our audinece. But to be fair, we have had issues with some products and passed that on to our viewers. One need only look at our Zipp Vuka review and our FORCE review to see this. Slamming manufacturers may be a quick way to lots of traffic, it is also a quick way to ensuring that no one in the cycling industry will ever give us product to review. It is a tight rope we walk and we do our best to keep our viewers informed while being aware of this. This is simply the reality of the industry.

Again, we stand by all our reviews, and our Titan Flex review specifically. The bike fills a unique niche and fills it very well.

Best Regards,

Ben