your life is on the line. the longer you have this bike the worse things will get. for you, the children of the world and for the french you must sale me your frame for the price of shipping. time is something you don't have!

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

i sold my tt7 for those reasons among others. Softrides are great bikes but a pain in the arse to work on. You need a torque wrench, the bolt needs to be tightened only to75ft/lbs if I remember correctly. Also the delamination is a long running problem that softride is happy to keep UPS in business with warranty shipping work. If you have the instruction manual that went with the beam it tells how to stop the slipping, if not have softride send one out with your new beam.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

I know 2 people who have had beams delaminate a total of 5 times.

I've never ridden a softride.

But, I've seen plenty of them broken down during races. My friends and I often comment on how many times the broken down bike on the course is a softride. We even made a WAG that we've seen as many softrides broken down as all other bike makes combined. (I'm not talking about flats, I'm talking about riders standing on the side of the road looking forlornly back towards the start line, looking like they are waiting for the sag crew. I don't know if it is true, but it SEEMS like it is true.

I suspect that most any mechanized thing has more problems in proportion to the number of moving parts it contains. However, I really don't know what those rider's problems were. Needing a torque wrench out in the field is a problem, if you have a situation that requires that kind of preciseness.

In order to be fair, I think the softride riders that blow by me in a race look very sleek and fast. (I won't even joke that I'll have to make a note to remember if I see them on the side of the road later in the race! Darn, already did it!)

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

I ride a rocket TT and love it. I have had no problems in over 3000 miles

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Jon Bergmann
http://jonbergmann.com

people of this forum. the thought of any of you getting hurt or dnf because of a softride makes me sad. to prevent this send me your softride! i alone will take the 'softride risks'. i will do for all of you! get a bike with less chance of beam failure and i will put my physical being on the line for you!

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

I ride over 15,000 miles per year, mostly on my Softrides. I have had ONE beam Delaminate...out of 4 bikes. This from what I understand from Softride has been an issue only with a few of the Carbon beams (as in not the Aluminum beams). I could not be happier with any bike...(and my fleet includes a few Litespeeds, a full custom Litespeed. Specialized, Basso, Colonago, and a few others). My first choice is always a Softride.

ALSO...for those of you who do not know...the Rocket Frameset HAS a weight limit. 200lbs. I would venture to guess that most of the issues have been with people who are about 198lbs...just a guess though.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

I have a rocket tt7. So far, had 1 beam de-laminate. Softride stepped up with a new beam asap. Still get some slippage, but I check the tightness of the lower pivot before every ride. I worry about the bike during all long rides, and for that reason, all things considered, I wish I had not bought the bike. When it works well, I love it, but DNF worry should not be related to your equipment. If I could sell it asap and get in some miles on a new bike prior to IMFL, I would probably do it. FWIW, I weigh about 170, so the beam weight max doesn't really apply.

Well, I only weigh 150 lbs and I still had beam slippage. It all started when I packed/unpacked/packed/unpacked my bike for a race that I had to fly to. Before this my bike worked great and I never had any problems with it.

I am curious as to how many SOFTRIDE owners out here own and use a torque tool? My LBS has one bt they don't have the right attachment to fit the bolt? Would it be worthwhile to invest in Syntace's torque tool ($$$).

Thanks.

Did you have 50 pounds of water in an x lab......kidding. After messing around with the procedure outlined in the softride website, I've come to the conclusion that the proper torquage is "tight as hell" No problems in the past couple of months, knock wood.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

Konabro2:

You and I are in the same boat, when it comes to weight. I'm 145lbs and am the proud owner of a Softride 650 SE. Not a problem with the beam!!! I do use the Syntace torque tool and find it to be the most priceless piece of equipment to own (while owning a Softride). No, I do not take it along with me on rides or to races where I do not need to disassemble the bike. However, I have always followed Softride's specifications as to proper torque values on all components. Their (Softride) web sight has the information you need in the "Owners Section". Follow their advice...if their is a failure, at least they (Softride) can't claim owner abuse (i.e the upper and lower beam pivot assemblies are rated for a torque value of 75 lbs.in). Also, other causes of "beam slippage" are addressed and what can be done to remedy the situation.

I have seen a few of the carbon beams experience "slippage/de-lamination", fortunately it was not mine...but the way Softride handled the situation when contacted, was A+ in customer service for the person involved (i.e. UPS Next Day Air'd the replacement beam at no charge). Without going into detail (I may possibly mis-quote), the beam problem (as I was informed) is do to a problem with inferior laminate being used. As to how the laminate became inferior, I'll let you guess that one (i.e. can you say, "disgruntled").

I am in no way sponcered, nor employed by Syntace, nor Softride and/or any of its' business partners. I just happen to be a happy Softride owner. No the bike may not be for everyone (the Rocket versions do have weight limits that may not work for "larger" riders), but I feel that it is no worse of a bike than most of the other ones on the market.

If you own a Softride, get a torque tool!!! Save yourself from the agony of second guessing how tight the bolts should be. If you want to tighten the bolts until you injure yourself and the bolt strips...go ahead, just don't blame anyone else but yourself. After-all if you can spend one through four thousand dollars on a bike...what's an investment of a couple of hundred dollars on proper tools?!

Regards,

Jeff

The other option is not to get a Rocket TT but get the original beam style instead. I have a qualifier that is going on 10 yrs old this Nov still on the original beam and has over 30,000 miles on that beam. I was happy as hell with that bike hence went and bought the tt7. Sold it after 7 miles. I'd buy another powerwing or similiar but not a tt7.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

I owned a 1997 Powerwing 650 for 6 years and never had a problem with the beam. I just traded that one in for a Classic TT. I have not had any problems as of yet with the beam slipping. I am full believer in Softride. They make great bikes. Suggestion would be to try out the new beam in a local race or on a long ride. Good luck.

I have been reading the posts, and would like to offer a few suggestions and comments in the discussion. The beam delaminating problem has been an issue that Softride has been dealing with. Softride is now confident that the process of design and manufacturing is mastered resulting in 0% failure rate of all Rocket beams produced in the last year. The problematic beams are replaced under a full warranty through Softride. Softride can be reached at 360/647-7420 for product questions or warranty assistance.

The hardware on the Rocket beams should be torque to the specified torque. When I ride my Softride I change the beam height with an allen I carry. I try to match the torque, which is tight. I have included a few links to help locate a proper wrench. Softride also recommends changing the upper assembly hardware on rocket beams every 2 years or every 5000 miles.

http://www.greattoolsfreeshipping.com/...e49cc394fe78574e5694

http://www.toolking.com/...arent=132&page=1

http://www.sears.com/...&pid=00944593000

Adam,

I tried buying a torque wrench just yesterday at a local place and the guy behind the counter told me that the wrench was very inaccurate and it wasn't worth my money. Looking at the recommendations [, recommendations, recommendation, regimentation, recommending, recommender, recommends] you linked, it was the exact wrench that was the lowest priced on each page. How do I know which specific wrench to buy? Does Softride [, Software, Softwares, Softer, Subtract, Subtrees, Spidery] recommend [recommend] a certain one? The Syntace [, Syntactic, Syntax, Syntaxes, Synthesis, Synthesize, Syntactical] wrench and bits run $180!!! Is it worth it?

I really love my bike and do not want to get rid of it, but I NEED to trust it! Once I get my beam back from warranty, I think I will only use it for races that I do not have to pack it in a box to get to. Anytime I fly, I would rather use my Giant.

Sorry about all that spell check stuff.

I hope that they've got their problems worked out. I purchased my Rocket last June, put about 1500 miles on it and had the upper pivot assembly break on the last day of Ragbrai in July, rendering it unrideable. That original upper pivot assembly was a piece of crap, and even the Master, John Cobb is on record as saying so.

Put on about 8000 miles since then and the beam started slipping, the carbon slipping in the aluminum housing. They were good enough to ship me one asap(5 day shipping plus a weekend), but two failures in a year on a $3500 bike is not making me a happy biker. Interestingly enough, I haven't monitored this site since spring due to time constraints, and just logged on today to see if anyone else is having problems.

The wrench that I prefer is the Craftsman 3/8 drive. I saw some good deals in the links I provided for this wrench.

In response to the hesitation towards Softride due to warranty issues: I firmly believe that our product is safe, reliable, and will make you a faster rider. I know Softride has had a fair share of warranty issues and is a concern. Softride has gained control of the quality control by moving the bike production to the home of Softride in Bellingham, WA. The product to this date is one that we stand behind 100% Softride will continue to make products that push innovative technology advancing the cycling industry.

Is beam warranty now at 3 years?

Yes, Softride Classic Beam and Rocket Beam Bicycle frames and rigid fork for a period of five years, and Softride rear suspension systems and all other original parts for a period of three years, from original date of purchase.