I’m on an old school Power V from the early to mid 90’s and love it. It is a few pounds heavier than an average bike, but the way I see it I can loose more wieght off of my personal chassis than I can afford to buy or at least buy and match the awesome aerodynamics the softride provides. It is also by far the most comfortable frame I have ever owned.
I think has two big problems.
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Marketing. If half of the pro field were to all ride softrides in the major races next year, you’d better beleive that Softrides sales would go up about 400-500%.
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Retail. They simply have less sales outlets than other brands. And having a smaller market share causes retailers to be less apt to carry lots of demo models (which they might not be able to sell by years end).
I think there is some stigma too with buying into the different look. I know some guys who won’t buy a softride until they are “really good”. They would feel bad about being on a “special” bike and then getting passed by the guy on the Huffy.
I ride a Softride Rocket TT and I will never go back. Too comfortable. Too fast. I don’t agree with most of the perceived negatives either, such as bouncing, or lack of steep angles. They really are great bikes and you have to try one before you buy another bike. You are cheating yourself if you don’t.
good thing I don’t hold to the ‘waiting until I’m fast enough to warrant it’ theory…I’d never own anything…maybe a Smart car (but then again maybe not;-)
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I’m going to be in the market for a bike in a couple of months. Have been seriously looking at the Titanflex but would like to at least see one but prefer to ride one. How did you get one for a test. Please post what you find out.
They give up a bit on the steep climbs. You can’t really slide back in the saddle and use the glutes. I know the canned response to that is “you should be spinning” but it’s nice to have to option to bring in some other muscles for a little relief now and again when the going gets steep.
I test rode one and didn’t find the comfort to be as much as I expected. Your butt is pretty isolated alright, but a great deal of road shock comes through the front wheel and fork, especially riding aero. The beam didn’t seem to help on the front end much at all. There could have been some difference in forks, but I found the Kestrel KM40 to be more comfortable overall (and bought it).
I think adjustability is a strong point, but as long as a bike fits you really don’t need so much adjustability.
Larry, you can ride mine. Or, my buddy’s. After he rode mine, he ordered one yesterday. One ride will convince you. Seriously.
Too ugly.
. . . just got my first one a couple months ago. Moving from a '98 Kilo wich I really had no problems with, but had NBL going hard this off-season. Why the Softride? Because I got a deal.
'01 Rocket TT, Carbon-X’s, Profile BSC all carbon fork, DA 9sp, FSA Carbon Team cranks, Mavic training wheels with new Conti’s. Ebay from a guy on Long Island going to a custom Guru. Price for the complete bike? $700+$35 to pack and ship. Why? Guy didn’t post a photo of the bike and had none to email but race photos. I emailed back and forth with him, and talked to him on the phone twice and was convinced he was legit and a good guy. Worked out well, and I’m thrilled with the bike, although my 18 mo old son keeps me off the bike more than I’d hoped.
No real problems to set up, even with the pre-load deal for the beam. So far feels fine, but haven’t had any outdoor rides >30miles so can’t really say about the comfort yet. No bouncing problems on the trainer as long as I stay focused.
So, maybe for all the wrong (non-aero) reasons, I’m now one of those Softride guys.
T
awwww come on now clm…you’re not ugly at all;-)
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I just unpacked my brand spanking new black TT7. I think the original question was why a softride rocket or why not?
Why? For me comfort, aerodynamics, efficiency, handling and speed.
Speed - I’ve had three other TT bikes since getting off the softride and my bike splits were not as fast on the non beam bike irregardless of volume. In fact I turned in some sub 60min 40k’s off of less than 100 miles per week on the softride.
Comfort - there are a few bikes that can be put on the same plane but not many, if any, seatpost bikes will be as comfortable. IMO a less harsh ride leads to a faster run. (and ride)
Aerodynamics - Probably more aero than almost anything out there. I’d put my TT7 w/ a rider head to head w/ anything you want to.
Efficiency - A better thing, or maybe the next best thing to PC’s or rotors. You don’t bounce when you learn to pedal correctly. Those bouncers have not been paying attention to whats happening when they pedal.
Handling - I’ve never been scared cornering or descending on my softride. I have scared myself a few times on my other TT bikes. Faster cornering = faster bike splits
I’ve seen people say weight as a drawback. Give me a break, the motor is more important. The extra weight is static weight. We know that static weight is not that big of a factor in TT’s unless they go uphill the entire way. You can get a Rocket TT7 built in the 19 pound range using stock shimano parts. In 9 years of racing my 23.5 pound disc wheeled classic beam softride I bet I’ve had maybe six people pass me going uphill.
Mechanical - valid, they are a bit more work, but I’ve realized the trade off is worth taking the extra time.
I own 2 both with classic beams, had a 5200, prior to the first SR. The softy will out corner the 5200 if you know how to ride it. They are heavy, but stiff. Comfort is a good of course, but a properly set-up double-diamond carbon frame will get you close to the beam ride, IMO. Comfort difference between the 5200 and the SR was minimal. My training partner just went to a Calfee from a SR and views the difference as minor. Adjustability is a plus on a softy. I had 3 people talk to me about the bike on Sat. They are nice conversation starters. Classic beams are quite reliable and I think SR just went to a lifetime warranty in the last year or so? I replace the beam hardware every 2-3 years. No mechanical problems ever. Although the headtube seems to be too large on the R1 because of the rattle I get no matter what headset I use. Customer service has been good.
I am working with Tom, the owner over at Titanflex. He has been nice enough to lend me a frame for a few weeks. I built it up, and I did the first three hour IM effort trial last week.
I had no problem staying in the aero position until the last 10 minutes or so. I went exactly the same speed in the third hour as in the first and second hours. My speed falls off on my P3 as I get uncomfortable.
I am going to do this test three or four more times to make sure my results are consistent. This test won’t be accurate enough to tell me what bike is “faster,” but it should tell me what bike lets me stay comfortable and therefore aero.
So far, I am very encouraged.
If you are a young turk with a steel crotch and a five hour bike split, you won’t need a bike like this. Sadly, none of that applies to me.
I dunno about the one thing in there Art…I think there have been rumours about your steel crotch over in the Lavender Room;-) Sounds to me like you’ve been using performance enhancing drugs
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That’s the bike I lust for, but it’s not in the budget.
I think they are butt ugly.I once had a beam bike and had to get rid of it because when i stood up the beam followed to close behind.At 225 I had to rig the beam in a higher starting position so the sag would be right.Don’t know if softride would have the same problems.
Cullen
PS. Breezer Beamer
LOL. If I used performance enhancing drugs, the chemists would head back to the labs in the search for one that worked.
Maybe it’s the syntace bar pads, but I don’t notice the bumps on the front much, and I flat forget to look for the smaller ones when I’ve been riding my SR exclusively. My seat and boyz just don’lt feel them. Just keep on turning those cranks over all but the biggest bumps.
I think the best example of the puspose of SR came when my usual bike route had been recently graded in my absence…I was too far into the ride to go back and too tired to pick another route so I went with it. Even though I could feel my calves rattling around like jello the rest of me was relatively unaffected. I can’t even begin to imagine what that ride would have been like on any other bike but a beamer. Visions of my fillings being jarred from my head told me…never go back to rigis frames. Pretty…not to some
Heavy…by some standards
Hard to adjust…for those who think so
I love them…and that’s reason enough for me.
CW wrote: I once had a beam bike and had to get rid of it because when i stood up the beam followed to close behind.
That’s one of the good things about the Titan Flex. The top tube is level and at the same basic height as a double-diamond configuration. No thigh-slap. No real pre-load, either…you’re sitting on a titanium boom that doesn’t bend much…if you get the proper boom for your weight…up to over 300 lbs. on the stiffest, by the way.
They are great bikes. I rode one for years. Had some great races on it. They are very comfortable for long rides. Thus are a great choice for long distance racing.
Not sure why exactly I gave up on them when the time came to move on. I went back to a regular road bike. Going back to a regular road bike took a bit of getting used to. I do like the look of the standard double diamond frame. There a is a clssic beauty and elegance to it.
Fleck