Price Paid:
$1150.00
at TriSports.com Favorite Ride:
Anything with hills and curves Bike Setup:
Softride Qualifier (2004) frame; Mavic Ksyrium SSC SL; Reynolds Ouzo Aero Pro fork; FSA carbon crank & Shimano DA mix; VistionTech TT bar. Summary:
Softride is amazing technology. Period. Once you ride a Softie, you’ll never go back to a stiff seat post up your a**. The biggest hurdle to getting one of these bikes is the question, “Will I like it?” Test ride one. You’ll see! They are like riding on a sofa they are so soft. I can sit in the saddle all day (literally) and never get sore. The most amazing sensation is riding over bumps the first few times. You do not feel the smaller bumps at all. The suspended seat post absorbs 95% of the vibrations and small impacts. You do still however feel the bumps in your contact points, like hands and feet, so you still have the “road feel.” But the quad-draining vibrations do not make it up your legs. This is crucial for long-course triathlons. Next time you ride behind someone in a pace line, watch his or her butt fat. It jiggles just a bit when s/he hit bumps. Then follow someone on a softie – there is no jiggle of the butt. Why? The vibes don’t go that far! I bought this bike for the express purpose of riding Ironman Wisconsin (wish me luck) and can tell from training rides that my legs are so much fresher off this frame. With a stiff frame – I don’t care if it is aluminum, carbon, or titanium – the vibrations end up in your hips, quads, and lower back. But with suspension technology, your legs are saved from the run-killing bumps and shakes. Also, this frame has amazing torsional stiffness. You’d think that without a seat post you’d lose some torsion. But actually the 2004 Qualifier has a small rear triangle. Look at the pics and think about it: If you exert torsion force on a large triangle on a normal frame, you’ll get some flex and give because of the length of the seat post and seat stays. But with a very short vertical tube, no seat stay and double chain stays in the rear triangle, there is no way your legs can generate enough torsion force to get such a short “virtual” seat post to twist or flex. This small rear triangle really transfers power to the rear cog. I have no question that 100% of my leg juice makes it from the cranks, through the chain, and into the rear cog – and none of it is sucked up by the frame. One thing you will have to be prepared for is comments from other riders: Roadies hate these bikes. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because they are comfortable and corner like a Ferrari on rails. I don’t know, but the people I ride with make fun of my “bouncy bike”. And speaking of bouncing: No, you don’t. Absolute myth perpetrated by bike stores who don’t want you to buy Softies. If you pedal complete squares and just mash up and down, then yes, you’ll have a little vertical sway to your seat post. But guess what? You will stop pedaling like that immediately. Your body with naturally adjust and will learn to pedal nice, elliptical circles. I’m not spin freak, but my stroke rounded out in less than 1 mile. No kidding, it was immediate. As was explained to me by a Softride fan: This frame acts as a pedal coach. If you bounce because you are tired and you are losing form, your body will feel the movement and instinctively round out the stroke. It is a subconscious adjustment - when you pedal correctly there is no bounce. Try this one, too: Ride behind a Softie and see how much they “bounce.” The rider does not bounce! I am happier than I ever thought I’d be after 1,000 miles on this bike. To all those arrogant roadies who smirk at my Softride: After we ride 40K, let’s run a 10K and see whose wins. I’ll put my money of the Softrider every time. Strengths:
Shock and vibration absorption, aerodynamic, incredibly adjustable, superior cornering, and very cool looks. Shock and vibration absorption, aerodynamic, incredibly adjustable, superior cornering, and very cool looks. Weaknesses:
Arrogant roadies don't like them. If you get one of these, you'll have to endure negative comments from people about how they "bounce" and, "Oh, you're losing so much power!" But they are so wrong and they are only repeating trite cliches. Similar Products Used:
Quintana Roo Typhoon
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