Originally Posted by
easyupbug
That is a discouraging indictment of the industry. I helped a neighbor with a new to him 3 year old Cannondale CAAD 12. Took a ride and wow what an improvement over the Cannondale I once owned which had little frame dampening to the point of being harsh.
At the top end even Cannondale gives some small attention to these issues. Lower down the line, where everyday riders do need and want comfort, the frames are all massively overbuilt. What you call "point of being harsh" would be what I call unrideable. But lots of customers bought the harsh/unrideable (pick one) bikes and bought them again. So why pay any attention? Marketing department rules. Customers are malleable, there are no standards.