I question the desirability of frame flex with FS mountain bikes. These frames are rigid to provide a stable mount for suspension. Flex changes the suspension kinematics and introduces undamped rebound. The result is unpredictable handling. Ride quality suffers for lighter riders not because the frame is excessively stiff, but because for a given bike configuration, they reduce the ratio of sprung to unsprung mass.
There's an argument for engineering vertical frame flex into hardtails, but even here, the effect would be modest (perhaps even imperceptible depending on the configuration) relative to the tires.
> there are riders that won’t run carbon bars because they’re too stiff
You can't make uniform judgments by material. Some carbon bars are very stiff. Others are not. The only way to tell which is to test them.
Feb. 23, 2018, 10:01 a.m. - Alex D
I question the desirability of frame flex with FS mountain bikes. These frames are rigid to provide a stable mount for suspension. Flex changes the suspension kinematics and introduces undamped rebound. The result is unpredictable handling. Ride quality suffers for lighter riders not because the frame is excessively stiff, but because for a given bike configuration, they reduce the ratio of sprung to unsprung mass. There's an argument for engineering vertical frame flex into hardtails, but even here, the effect would be modest (perhaps even imperceptible depending on the configuration) relative to the tires. > there are riders that won’t run carbon bars because they’re too stiff You can't make uniform judgments by material. Some carbon bars are very stiff. Others are not. The only way to tell which is to test them.