4 ms·

A part of the puzzle is just that it feels better. It's a bit like taking a long walk - with nice shoes you'll enjoy the views and weather, with bad shoes you'l

A part of the puzzle is just that it feels better. It's a bit like taking a long walk - with nice shoes you'll enjoy the views and weather, with bad shoes you'll just think about the pain in your sore back and knees. Myself, I generally strive to find the stuff at the point of diminishing returns. Top stuff is often just expensive in comparison, bottom stuff you just have to fight all the time.

benj111 8y ago
Good point, I think it goes past that though? Racing cycles and saddles aren't comfortable. And as for the quality feel. Is a smart rod going the feel better than a traditional rod?
- jdietrich 8y ago
  >Racing cycles and saddles aren't comfortable. They aren't uncomfortable if you're fast. The harder you ride, the more force you're applying to your pedals and so more of your weight is borne by your feet and hands. The saddle on a racing bicycle is more of a perch than a seat; it's a very important link in the connection between rider and bicycle, but it doesn't need to be plushly padded. A wide and heavily padded saddle deforms and creates a large and unstable contact area with the rider, which increases friction and leads to nasty chafing on longer rides. It seems superficially insane to use a hard and narrow saddle and padded shorts, but it's actually a very comfortable solution for a fast rider who spends a lot of time in the saddle. It's also worth bearing in mind the relatively enormous forces that a fast rider can apply to their bicycle. Solutions that work fine when you're pootling along at 120w are hopelessly unstable if you're banging out 500w in a hard effort or 1500w in a bunch sprint. You need a very stiff frame, you need stiff shoes with a rigid attachment to the pedals, you need high pressure tyres with good lateral stiffness. That stiffness can be bone-rattling at times, but it can also be very satisfying. There's a directness and agility to a good road bike, a precise connection to the road that is essential for professionals and hugely enjoyable for a certain sort of amateur. You can't do this on a "comfortable" bike: https://youtu.be/QE97iUvSHk0 https://youtu.be/QE97iUvSHk0 https://youtu.be/RxXqQqAc2pA https://youtu.be/RxXqQqAc2pA
  - benj111 8y ago
    Well said. I doff my cap, you obviously quite like cycling. :) 1500w though, that's very high, like Greipel territory. I wasn't quite thinking of that when I had my rant.
  - candiodari 8y ago
    > You can't do this on a "comfortable" bike: I had one of those bikes. You lower the saddle, and they're very, very comfortable, because of how light those bikes are. You can pick them up with one hand and throw them 5 meters easily. For comfort, I guess you'd replace the steering wheel, but these are kinda cool. The saddles are built so athletes can realistically sit on them for 10 hours a day for 4 weeks. I assure you, they're pretty comfortable. Not motorcycle saddle comfortable, but those get in the way of actually pushing the pedals. They're as good as they'll get. You want to take them on the bus/train ? Talk about easy. You need it standing up in an elevator ? No problem. Bounce on stairs ? They do that unbelievably well, even with you on them. And they're fast, very fast. Only thing you could say is that they're built for speed, and the compromise is that they slip really easily. Don't use in snow, mud or on ice or something like that, you'll break something. Also anywhere in Europe they get stolen faster than a steak in a bengal cat nest. Which is a pretty serious disadvantage.

benj111 8y ago

Good point, I think it goes past that though? Racing cycles and saddles aren't comfortable. And as for the quality feel. Is a smart rod going the feel better than a traditional rod?

jdietrich 8y ago
>Racing cycles and saddles aren't comfortable. They aren't uncomfortable if you're fast. The harder you ride, the more force you're applying to your pedals and so more of your weight is borne by your feet and hands. The saddle on a racing bicycle is more of a perch than a seat; it's a very important link in the connection between rider and bicycle, but it doesn't need to be plushly padded. A wide and heavily padded saddle deforms and creates a large and unstable contact area with the rider, which increases friction and leads to nasty chafing on longer rides. It seems superficially insane to use a hard and narrow saddle and padded shorts, but it's actually a very comfortable solution for a fast rider who spends a lot of time in the saddle. It's also worth bearing in mind the relatively enormous forces that a fast rider can apply to their bicycle. Solutions that work fine when you're pootling along at 120w are hopelessly unstable if you're banging out 500w in a hard effort or 1500w in a bunch sprint. You need a very stiff frame, you need stiff shoes with a rigid attachment to the pedals, you need high pressure tyres with good lateral stiffness. That stiffness can be bone-rattling at times, but it can also be very satisfying. There's a directness and agility to a good road bike, a precise connection to the road that is essential for professionals and hugely enjoyable for a certain sort of amateur. You can't do this on a "comfortable" bike: https://youtu.be/QE97iUvSHk0 https://youtu.be/QE97iUvSHk0 https://youtu.be/RxXqQqAc2pA https://youtu.be/RxXqQqAc2pA
- benj111 8y ago
  Well said. I doff my cap, you obviously quite like cycling. :) 1500w though, that's very high, like Greipel territory. I wasn't quite thinking of that when I had my rant.
- candiodari 8y ago
  > You can't do this on a "comfortable" bike: I had one of those bikes. You lower the saddle, and they're very, very comfortable, because of how light those bikes are. You can pick them up with one hand and throw them 5 meters easily. For comfort, I guess you'd replace the steering wheel, but these are kinda cool. The saddles are built so athletes can realistically sit on them for 10 hours a day for 4 weeks. I assure you, they're pretty comfortable. Not motorcycle saddle comfortable, but those get in the way of actually pushing the pedals. They're as good as they'll get. You want to take them on the bus/train ? Talk about easy. You need it standing up in an elevator ? No problem. Bounce on stairs ? They do that unbelievably well, even with you on them. And they're fast, very fast. Only thing you could say is that they're built for speed, and the compromise is that they slip really easily. Don't use in snow, mud or on ice or something like that, you'll break something. Also anywhere in Europe they get stolen faster than a steak in a bengal cat nest. Which is a pretty serious disadvantage.