Are you all not aware of the performance advantages?

I am unaware of the performance advantages, what are they?

~Matt

http://www.softride.com/performance/

http://www.titanflex-usa.com/technology-comfort.htm

Personally, I am surprised that Softride weren't able to hold onto their market. They are a great bike and if mine were the correct size for me when I bought it, I would still have it. Plus the beam is a BITCH to try and move up and down. But it was a fabulous bike and the most comfy ride ever.

Have any of these been independently verified? No offense but I'd doubt you'd out of hand accept the benefits of smoking cigarettes based on the studies of a cigarette company. What I'm saying is advertisement is a far cry from "Real world". I'm guessing that if there was a major performance benefit that more people would be riding them, no?

~Matt

I had a S-ride. It was a heavy mutha. I could not tell much difference in ride. I do like a stiff feeling frame. I have rode fast on my s-ride, but faster on a traditional frame.
If there is so much performance enhancement, why don't more pros choose to ride them, regardless of sponsorship? Hmm?

If I were to ride a non double diamond frame, I would try a softride. The geometry is very unfitting for me though.

Is this what you recommend to your coached athlete(s)?

If so, color me skeptical. I also think I need a more credible source than the manufactures or you.

First thing I notice on the Softride claim is that they are quoting your time savings at 30mph...how many of you hold 30mph for 40k?? It is no secret that the time savings caused by drag goes up exponentially the faster you go. Tell me what the the time savings are at 24 to 26 mph. I bet they would be considerably less. Then, factor in that the softrides are heavier and if the course is technical you don't accelerate as as quickly...Next you have to consider all of the beam failures. I remember talking to the Softride rep after IMFL one year and he said that he was just happy that none failed during the event. Real world performance and reliability is all that matters.

You don't race your IM bike at 30mph? ;)

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Steve Perkins

I suggest my athletes understand that they have a variety of equipment options and they should go with their preferences and the laws of physics and exercise science. The body is the most important component. As for this thread, I'm mostly looking for an opinion poll here.

So it all comes down to what your definition of credibility is. I would be curios to hear if you or anyone can you provide credible refuting evidence to the contrary?

Your "Opinion Poll" sounded a little like an indictment "Are you all not aware of it's performance advantages".

As far as what credible is - you can debate the semantics. What credible isn't - is you.

I moved from a Felt S22 to a softride classic 700 this year. Real world test showed me over 1 mph faster on the same courses in similar conditions. Also riding my trusty softride allowed me to run faster and easier off every bike with fresh feeling legs and zero back issues.

I've ridding quite a few bikes and softride is by far the most comfortable across all road terrain and handles the best during screaming downhill corners.

Regarding beam failures, we have two softrides, mine is at least 8 years old and the other is 4 and neither have any failures, still running on their original frame parts, I wish I could say the same for my more standard double diamond bikes.

I will continue to ride and do well on my softride in everything except short uphill time trials. Well at least until someone buys the design and starts to manufacture a more competitive product with the same benefits.

If I had the choice between a brand new Felt DA or my Softride, I would still choose to ride softy in a triathlon.

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http://www.nunnsontherun.com

I'm happy to keep those performance advantages to myself ;)

In an Ironman I think the biggest performance advantage is comfort and being able to produce continuous power through all terrain.

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http://www.nunnsontherun.com

I guess I should have said that the beam failures were on their straight beams as on the FASTT frames...my bad.

This post is not about my credibility.

I have edited my post to read: In triathlon, specifically an Ironman, why don't more people use a suspension bicycle such as a TitanFlex, Softride, etc. Are you all not aware or in agreement with the "performance advantages" listed by the manufactures?

Just the opposite, the time time savings would go up, as you're on the course longer. The same logic goes for wheels, I'm sure it's on Zipps site somewhere.

I have worked at a number of different bike shops and have ridden a lot of really nice really high end bikes. (not mine, customers) And the softride is what has stood out to me the most. I finally was able to get one in my size off of ebay this year and I can say that it was the best move I could have made. The bike is so comfortable and it is faster than any bike I have ever owned and I dont even have the most aero model. I ride the softride lite. My real world test is that I coast down hills and pull away from people who are pedaling. Its hard to argue with those results. Oh and its not a mass gravity thing as I weigh about 145.

Why dont more pro's ride them. Simple they are not being made anymore and are not sponsoring anyone. If I'm norman or michellie why would I scour e-bay to find a 3+ year old used softride and pay my own money when companies like felt, or kuota will give me a brand new bike.

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God's in his heaven, alls right with the world -Nerv

Well, I suppose we are not "all in agreement" or everyone would be riding a beam bike.

I rode one of the very 1st of the Power Curves back in the early '90s. I went through two of them. I raced them at IMs. I enjoyed riding them, but am not sure I noticed any real true or measurable difference in comfort. I would think you don't have that either on you would have listed them.

I have nothing against the beam bikes at all. The one thing I did like is that when you slide forward on the saddle you unweighted the beam just enough to lengthen the effective seat hieght at the forward position, which is usually shortened as you slide forward, making it more uniform throughout a range of riding positions.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

No one rides titanflex and softrides because, as techno-savvy as triathletes tend to be, the design is too far out there for many triathletes. And since we are lemmings, we like to ride what other people ride. Since no pros are on beam bikes, no age groupers will ever ride them.

Also, softride hit a rough spot. They either had to dump a bunch of money into the bike side of their business and make it fly or sell it. They've opted to sell the bike division. Since the company is in limbo, I doubt many people would want to buy one of their bikes, for fear of warranty issues, for example.

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Proud Member of the Cervelo Mafia.

I wanted to try one but I wasn't going to buy one without trying it out first. Couldn't find any locally to try so I went with a more traditional bike.

I have owned a Titanflex and felt that it was a very comfortable bike and would be ideal for a longer race; however, I did not like (actually, I hated) how it felt when I would be spinning a relatively high cadence, when accelerating out of transition or through and after turns, or climbing. My perception was that I was losing some of the power of each pedal stroke in these situations as the beam flexed more under these conditions. I now have a bike (a Valdora), that is stiff, comfortable and since it fits, I haven't had any issues on long training rides staying aero and then doing a run. As far as more aero, I can't give any empirical evidence because my cycling has improved over this season and it would be unfair for me to compare the Titanflex, which I had early in the season, with my Valdora now.

One thing that I can speak to is that the Valdora is more stable on descents and through turns, which enables me to maintain speed. I think the geometry of the Titanflex makes it more susceptible to twitchiness. Here are pics of both bikes just for fun:

I recently switched to a Titanflex Transition. It is by far the most comfortable road bike I have ever ridden. I am a 37yo relatively competitive AGer with a history of a traumatic lower back injury. It did take a little time getting used to the slight bobbing when spinning at a fast cadence, especially during seated climbing. (I also switched to Q-rings at the same time.) I have it set up in the same postion as my previous bike. Despite doing less riding this year, my bike splits have been slightly faster in the two sprint duathlons (:45 over 25k and :52 over 30k) and one sprint tri (:47 over 22k) that I did this summer compared to last year. I can only speculate that the differences would be greater over longer distances. The biggest change has been in my running off the bike- much easier transition with no hamstring cramping (I've also done much less run training this year). With all the same componenets switched over from my Trek OCLV it is less than a pound heavier (18.75# w/o race wheels) without any super light stuff. I weigh 174-180 depending on time of year. Could easily get this bike into the low 17s or lighter. I was a little hesitant to purchase the frame without riding it first due to the different design. Fortunately, Tom Piszkin at Titanflex was able to hook me up with a local race director here in the Denver Metro area that rides a Veteran and he let me take his for a test spin. Tom is great to work with and answered all of my many questions very promptly. This bike design may not be for everyone but I love it and can foresee it extending my riding for a long time.

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Formerly DrD