Re: A few new nicks: Bikefanclub.com

Bad geometry is part of the equation. Frame material is part. Era of design/build, tires, wheels, etc. are all part of a bike's ride, handling, comfort, stability, tracking... qualities.

I rode steel for many years before my Tetra Pro. The bike immediately before my Calfee was a top shelf Bianchi steel (one of the best of that era) with road geometry. It was GREAT! It rode very comfortably for 6+ hour fast rides, tracked/cornered like it was on rails. It was nimble (not "crit" quick), and stable without any wobbles down 45+mph downhills.

Then I got a carbon fiber bike. My Calfee certainly had many of the same attributes as the above Bianchi. It probably cornered a bit quicker due to the geometry and shorter wheel base. It certainly climbed better due to the lesser weight and maybe shorter wheel base. It may have accelerated better due to the stiffer bottom bracket area. But the biggest surprise to me was not learned until my first long ride (more than ~60 miles.)

I had the Calfee about 6 weeks and took it to the Solvang Century in the early spring. Prior to the century, my longest ride on the Calfee had been maybe 50ish miles. I went to Solvang expecting to "feel" a certain way at the finish based on my training. I had done that ride several times previously so I knew the roads and area. I expected to be sore, and tired since I had only done a moderate amount of training.

Surprise surprise! At the end of the ride, my first long ride on the Calfee, I felt great! At time, I described it as not feeling "beat up". I didn't feel abused. In the subsequent months, I learned that rides below about 40 miles didn't make any difference to how I felt regardless if I rode the Bianchi of Calfee. But on rides more than about 60 miles, I always felt better and fresher on the Calfee.

I don't notice that feeling anymore since I sold the Bianchi long ago and forgot my point of reference. Maybe new steel/Ti/Al is much better, but I have not heard that. And, I gotta wonder why so many manufacturers of top of the line steel/Ti/Al now include carbon fiber in their frames.

I do still ride my steel Moser, but its my beater bike and only used for short rides.