I'm the wrong kind of engineer to make a decent analysis but I have been riding a long time and like everyone, I have my anecdotal observations.
My best climbing bike is a very stiff Pinarello AK61. When I get out of the saddle in the big dog, it just goes. All of my climbing PB are on that bike.
Long and flexible framed recumbents are dogs when it comes to climbing
What I think happens on a flexy bike is the sideward movement puts a moment onto the tires and this frictional loss is not recovered and it is significant. A stiff frame keeps everything nice and straight and tidy. I could be way off base and BQ planing could actually be the golden goose.
Last edited by GhostRider62; 08-24-21 at 04:28 AM.