Koyote

Since comfort is relative, I would modify this slightly to state that they are not as comfortable as wider tires ridden at appropriately lower psi. That should be plainly obvious to pretty much anyone. (Cue the poster on my ignore list who insists that skinny tires pumped to rock hard psi are more comfortable.)

squirtdad

There is always the option of going custom

At the high end custom framesets can be similar in price to high end frames (if you can get them...trek sells a lot of framesets only https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...acetFrameset1# )

it should be noted that in looking at custom carbon makers options for rim brakes are slim at best

zactaylor

What I meant by that was that it's not as easy to do things yourself anymore. Lots of things are proprietary shapes etc. It's not impossible, just more difficult. A slightly ironic thing to write I'll admit, as I myself carry out all my maintenance jobs!

genejockey 

He has already said, multiple times, that he prefers the feeling he gets from 23mm tires pumped up to 140 psi, that this makes him feel more connected to the road - it FEELS faster even it is objectively slower. So even if a setup is objectively faster and with measurably less jarring and jostling, that's not what he wants.

He's more comfortable being jostled. And that's his right.

Koyote

But that's not what you wrote:

smd4

They are. For me.

zactaylor

I was expecting the reader to have some inference ability. Must you be so belittling and rude?

Koyote

You stated the following:

Then you wrote:

And you're blaming the miscommunication problem on me?

PeteHski

But this is BF where such obvious things are often disputed. It's an easy enough test with a predictable result.

genejockey 

I might quibble with your definition of "comfort", but I suppose in the end "comfort" is not just cush, but also contentment - the tendency to find yourself saying, "Ahhhhhhhh!" because what you're experiencing is exactly what you sought out. I was thinking that yesterday, riding my rigid-as-a-brick Battaglin, taking it down a non-technical, no-brakes descent with wide sweepers, tucking and hitting 38 mph - Ahhhhhh!!

mstateglfr 

It can be more difficult, but it can also still be quite easy.

There are still new bikes with mechanical shifting, both entry level and mid level.
There are still new bikes with mechanical disc brakes.
The bikes with hydraulic disc brakes require a couple youtube videos and like $25 in tools to service.
Bikes that are SRAM wireless are super easy to set up.
Bikes that are Shimano di2 can be set up with some youtube videos.

About the only thing that I would say is legitimately more difficult than 5, 10, or 20 years ago would be fully internally routed hoses/housing that runs thru the headset.

But again- there are a ton of quality bikes that still come with cable shifting, easy cable routing, etc.

Eric F 

IMO, "easy" is about having the right tools, and being familiar with the task. Some tasks take longer than they used to (hydraulic brakes vs. cable brakes). Some are quicker (threaded headsets vs. integrated headsets). In the past, tasks I couldn't do were limited by the tools I had, not my abilities. Currently, there are not any tasks in assembling a bike that I cannot do myself, with the tools I have.

zactaylor

Koyote

No, I have admitted to writing in a potentially confusing manner.

I do not understand why you feel the need to critique everything that is being written. I made a mistake in communication. So what? Your reply was unnecessarily confrontational and rude.

Are you one of these people that has nothing better to do all day than sit on a forum causing arguments with people?

Koyote

In my estimation, this was the first message (in our exchange) that was rude:

It seems you're upset because I took your words literally, rather than somehow understanding that you didn't actually mean what you wrote.

You didn't write in a "potentially confusing manner;" you wrote something, then later stated that you meant something different. That is a "definitely confusing manner."

veganbikes

A harder skinnier tire is going to be more comfortable? I am baffled by that one. I really would be curious as I said in the previous post the same bike wider tires (and no issues with clearance) and which one is going to be more comfortable? If you are going to say the harder skinnier tires I don't know what to say. You might be one of those types who sleeps on concrete and says this is comfortable.

veganbikes

The only thing I want jarred is sauce and jelly. If he wants to ride at 140psi I feel sorry for his bones. Some of the roads I have ridden would have me shaken more than James Bond's martinis. I remember riding 23s when I was younger and than on the same frame with 25s and then 28s and it was heaven.

140 is high for a lot of pressures, blood, tire, air brush...but hey if you like to live on the edge I guess go for it smd4 If you ever want to try something with wider tires I will let you borrow something : )

smd4

What can I say? I prefer the ride of a Ferrari to that of a Lincoln Town Car.

Eric F 

My interpretation is that smd4's opinion of "comfort" is not necessarily which tire setup is a smoother, more vibration-absorbing ride, but rather the one he is most familiar with, on the bike(s) he rides, and a change to that familiar feeling isn't comforting.

3alarmer 

...welcome to the General Cycling forum, version 2024. FWIW, the ignore function works, even though you'll still see him quoted by others sometimes.

smd4

I just don't want a soft, cushy ride. I like the road feel and feedback.

I wonder why this is so difficult to grasp? My Ferrari/Lincoln Town Car analogy is about the most descriptive I can think of. Or maybe like how I prefer roller coasters to the merry-go-round?

Eric F 

Comfort = vibration and bump absorption vs. comfort = preference and familiarity with ride quality.

EDIT: It's not difficult for me to grasp. It's a matter of understanding how people are defining the terms they use.

smd4

It's definitely preference, for sure, but I don't think "familiarity" has anything to do with it. I've ridden the kinds of bikes you guys call "comfortable," and they aren't for me. Perhaps it's just that I'm not bothered by road feel to the extent a lot of you guys are?

3alarmer 

...the frame, the material it's made from, the dimensions and geometry of it, the wheels, the riding surface, all come together in whether or not a bicycle feels "comfortable" while riding it. YOu've made some concessions to comfort, whether you realize it or not, in your choices in that regard. But I know you feel like we all ought to be able to do what works for us.

What I can't understand is the constant chatter that seems to indicate otherwise. I know no one from the current CF is better, tires need to be wider believes I could be happy on steel, riding 700x25's at 130#. But it's only important to my happiness that I believe it. "Smoother, more vibration-absorbing ride" are pretty relative terms. They get tossed around all the time here. All bicycles are a compromise between "smoother" and "more efficient", even the older steel ones. It's just the way it is.

Eric F 

IMO, preference and familiarity go hand-in-hand. You set up your bike to suit your preferences. Those preferences are feelings that are familiar to you, based on many years of riding bikes, and trying different things. I'm exactly the same way. When my bike is set up right - for me - it's comfortable and familiar. If something is off - crank length, handlebar width, seat position, tire feel, etc. - I notice it. Sometimes I have found new preferences when I experiment with new stuff. Sometimes I don't.

genejockey 

Well, that might be a fair comparison if wider tires at lower pressures weren't 1) objectively faster and 2) superior in cornering. Again, ride what you like, but realize that these things are testable.