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0 pointsndsipa_pomu1y ago0 comments

I don't believe that the frame material makes much difference to comfort. The part that can deflect/absorb bumps and vibration the best is the tyre. So the answer to your question is bigger tyres at lower pressures.

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loeg1y ago

Tires and to some extent seat post -- more exposed post deflects more than very short posts (like classic steel bike shapes).

david-gpu1y ago

Yeah, whenever I hear people talk of the properties of bike frame materials it reminds me of audiophiles: plenty of strong opinions backed by a remarkable absence of data.

A typical bike frame follows a truss structure: stiff and unyielding by design. Vertical compliance is going to be found elsewhere: tires, exposed seatpost, chamois/saddle, fork, handlebar, tape.

Yet, how many roadies do you find talking about suspension seatposts? It's all because in that subculture emulating present and past pro racers is seen as cool, and anything else isn't.

If you are curious, a few people like CYCLINGABOUT [0] and Overbiked Randonneuring [1] have done some measurements and the data suggests that suspension seatposts provide even more reduction in vibrations than wide tires.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1e3g8uqrJU

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAkDaHlZQow

ndsipa_pomuOP1y ago

Yeah, suspension seatposts can provide 20mm of vertical compliance (varies for different models) which is more than you'd get with 28mm width tyres. I have tried a split stem suspension seatpost, but found that that particular design wasn't great as it was difficult to set the saddle up so that it didn't end up tilting as the two parts of the seatpost moved within the frame. I currently use just a standard carbon fibre seatpost that provides some compliance, but isn't a "suspension" type.

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