Just wondering if any of you Softride owners have been able to build up a relatively lightweight bike. If so, how did you trick it out and how light were you able to get it? I know aerodynamics is much more important than weight, but I have a pretty light bike now and I'm interested in how close I could come to its weight and still have all the aero and comfort advantages of a Softride. I'd also be interested in any comments regarding high speed descending on your Softrides. How well do they handle 50mph descents in the aerobars?
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Re: Softride Owners [jab]
[ In reply to ]
Lightweight and Softride don't really go together... I know my power wing 650 is pretty damn fast until I get to the hills.... It's not light, even with carbon bars and hed3's. I have the softride tool bag with a bunch of loot in there too.
But the benefits outweigh the heft limfac for me.
If you lose 10 pounds of body weight, then you just lightened the bike "essentially". thats my plan.
50 mph down hill on the aero bars... not my bag baby..
I just got one of those "aero brakes" from Jtekengineering. I start feathering that thing at about 35 mph.
Good luck. ... I do love my softride though.
_____________________________________________
Cheers,
Paco
But the benefits outweigh the heft limfac for me.
If you lose 10 pounds of body weight, then you just lightened the bike "essentially". thats my plan.
50 mph down hill on the aero bars... not my bag baby..
I just got one of those "aero brakes" from Jtekengineering. I start feathering that thing at about 35 mph.
Good luck. ... I do love my softride though.
_____________________________________________
Cheers,
Paco
Re: Softride Owners [jab]
[ In reply to ]
You can get a TitanFlex down to the circa 16 pound range...and still be reliable. Softride has a bit more problem doing so. However, of course, a couple of pounds really has very little to do with performance in the real biking world for the vast majority of us.
Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)
Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)
Re: Softride Owners [Titan]
[ In reply to ]
I don't currently have a Softride, but I used to have a TT Rocketwing. (I didn't get rid of it. It just got pulverized by a car and I've just been riding my road bike since then, but I am thinking of getting one of the the new TT7's) . It wasn't the lightest, but is a lot lighter than the old model Softrides. I never had any problem climbing with it and don't feel that much faster climbing on my carbon road bike to tell the truth. Just buy the frame and put the lightest components on it. As far as descending, I did IM Austria four years ago and Jurgen Zack came flying past me on his Softride TT Rocketwiing going downhill and I'm sure he was doing 55+ and I never had any problem descending on mine either.
Re: Softride Owners [jab]
[ In reply to ]
You can get an SE7 (Large) down to 18.5 pounds with good race wheels and Ultegra parts. The wieghts of the Softride have an undeserved bad rep. they really aren't that heavy as long as you are not a weight weenie. BTW......I'm one of the fastest bikers in my age group and my bike, Zipp 2001, with race wheels (HED3 and HED3D) weighs in at 22.5 pounds. And that's without the change kit and water bottles!! Its not the about the wieght of the bike unless you are climbing "real" mountains.
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Paul
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Paul
I have 3 softrides -- all of the "classic" frame type. One steel road bike (yeah, heavy) that is now my TT/Tri bike, one titanium road bike (lighter, but not what I'd consider "light"), and a steel track bike (light, but not because of the frame).
I've won USCF district hillclimb TTs on both of the road bikes, so I can't say that the weight has ever held me back.
50 mph descents in the aero bars? *I* don't handle that well, let alone the bike. The bike is fine. I've done a lot of high-speed descents on my Softrides in road races, and it's never been squirrely or unstable. The propoganda says that you can actually track better in turns on a Softride because you weight the beam more so than the pedal, but I think that really only applies on the choppy pavement. I've not been one to try to push the envelope though.
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I've won USCF district hillclimb TTs on both of the road bikes, so I can't say that the weight has ever held me back.
50 mph descents in the aero bars? *I* don't handle that well, let alone the bike. The bike is fine. I've done a lot of high-speed descents on my Softrides in road races, and it's never been squirrely or unstable. The propoganda says that you can actually track better in turns on a Softride because you weight the beam more so than the pedal, but I think that really only applies on the choppy pavement. I've not been one to try to push the envelope though.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Some are born to move the world to live their fantasies...
https://triomultisport.com/
http://www.mjolnircycles.com/