The Ride
I've ridden the Air Friday about 9,000 miles since 1997 including centuries, double centuries, tours, brevets, a 24 hour event, and Furnace Creek.

Unless you look down, you will forget you are riding a folding bike with 20" wheels. It rides and handles just like a regular road bike. The bike has been designed to have the same dimensions as a bike with 700c wheels, but with different tube placement, hinges, and overlaps. It accelerates and climbs a little better with the smaller wheels; on the flip side you won't maintain as much downhill speed because the 20" wheels don't sustain as much momentum. Standing can be a little odd the first couple times with the smaller wheels; the bike can feel floppy. Stability is amazing; riding with no hands or with aerobars is a breeze.

The titanium beam/boom provides suspension. The beam doesn't provide as much suspension as the Softride, but it comes close. The Air Friday picks up the little bumps and the big bumps equally well. It does have a quick rebound that can push you off the saddle. The quick rebound is because of the properties of titanium which bounces back quickly after being deflected.

On the Air Friday, I didn't feel in my arms and feet as much of the chatter of chip-seal surfaces as I did on the Softride. Part of this is because of the long stem and part of it is that titanium seems to absorb more of the road bumps. The bike definitively has extra weight for the hinges and for the overlap of material for disassembly purposes; still 21 pounds for a complete bike (sans bottle cages, pump, etc.), is very respectable. The only real drawback to the Air Friday is some of the components are only replaceable by Green Gear. This is why I have gone back to 700c bikes. For ultramarathon events like brevets and PBP you can end up 'in the middle of nowhere' and you won't be able to find some of the parts for this bike. You will need to call Green Gear to get replacements. After spending months of preparation, I wouldn't want a bike-specific mechanical or part problem to cause me to have to abandon. For everyday riding, this is not as much of a problem.

I can't say enough good things about the bike. It can serve as a great long distance bike or add a front and rear rack and you're off touring.

Pros

• Travel is a breeze. Folds up and fits in a suitcase, great for travel. No more airline fees.
• 20-21 pounds for high performance foldable.
• Rides just like a regular road bike.
• Great customer service from Green Gear Cycling with a money back guarantee.

Cons

• Some components are hard to find (20" rims/tires) or are custom (stem, split handlebars).
• Cost is $2,275 or more for a complete, custom bike with travel case.
• Wear and tear - the tires wear out quickly, chains and cassette wear out quicker.

Summary
If I could only have one bike, this would probably be it. It does so many things well - climbing, accelerating, stability, commuting, touring (easy to add a rack), descending, long distance. If I didn't do ultra-marathons and lots of long unsupported rides, this would probably be my first choice for a bike.

To Top of Page

Thudbuster suspension seatpost
http://www.thudbuster.com

Suspension seatposts can and do offer the comfort of beam designs, without requiring a specific frame design. Most suspension seatposts incorporate a spring or elastomer inside the seatpost. While these seatposts can be fairly lightweight, they suffer from stiction problems. Stiction occurs when the movement of the rider (up and down) is not the same direction as the movement of the suspension mechanism (along the seat tube). The Thudbuster uses a parallelogram design with elastomer bumpers above the top of the seat tube. The bumpers are adjustable for different weight riders. The result is a fairly heavy seatpost (1.1 lbs) that requires about four inches between the top of the seat tube and the seat rails.

The Ride
I've ridden about 1600 miles on the Thudbuster including PBP.

I recently bought a tandem and wanted to provide my stoker with a more comfortable ride. After researching several seatposts, I bought the Thudbuster since reviews indicated it would provide the best comfort without stiction problems. At first I wasn't certain the seatpost was working, my stoker had indicated she wasn't feeling the bumps but most seemed small. The clincher came on a ride on a very rough road. My arms and hands were hurting from the roughness and steering was tricky to get through the roughest stuff. I asked my stoker if she felt how rough the road was and she said 'No'. At that point I knew it was working.

Because of my stoker's experience, I tried the Thudbuster on my rain/brevet bike. My impression is that it works, but you don't know it's working. In contrast, you feel the downward movement of the Softride and you feel the downward movement and quick rebound with the Air Friday. There is no similar experience with the Thudbuster. The only time I've felt the compression is hitting some bumps going downhill. It seems as if the rider stays stationary and the bike moves up underneath you. I don't know if this is actually what happens, but I don't feel the post moving. Still I know it's working because I feel the bumps much less.

Pros

• Retrofit - it can be put on almost any bike (with 4 inches of clearance).
• Cost - it's not too expensive ($150) to add to any bike.
• Comfortable - it provides comfort with the only sacrifice being a little weight.

Cons

• Retrofit - the four inches between of the top of the seat tube and the seat rails probably won't work for most bikes.
• Weight - at over a pound, it's heavy.

Summary
If you have four inches of clearance between the top of the seat tube and the seat rails and want a more comfortable ride, the Thudbuster is definitively worth a try! A lot of benefit for very little cost and frame requirements.

If you're looking for a more comfortable ride and are considering road bike suspension technologies, there are many to choose from. Each has its' own trade-offs. Most importantly, each works well! You need to judge for yourself what's important to you. Good Luck and Happy Riding!

To Top of Page

Softride
http://www.softride.com
Although no longer in production, some Softride bikes are available used.

Softride bikes use a carbon fiber beam designed to "suspend the rider rather than the bike." Since a seatpost isn't necessary, the frame of these bikes has been designed to accommodate the beam. The Softride website has useful information about their beam design and bikes.

The Ride
I rode about 5,000 miles on Softrides during the summers of 1994-96 (not practical for fenders), including many centuries, double centuries, brevets, and some of the Furnace Creek 508. The bike is no longer in production.

On my first ride, I went over railroad tracks and wasn't bounced out of the saddle, though I still felt the tracks in my arms. I started looking for rough sections of road to feel what affect the beam would have. I was amazed at the difference. Most of the roughness of the road disappeared. The bike felt amazingly comfortable and stable. The beam also had the effect of making corners seem easier to handle. Instead of the rider bouncing through rough corners, the body stays still and the wheel and beam handle the roughness. Going around corners also produces a natural outward force (the bike wants to keep going straight). As a result the beam compresses and the center of gravity of the bike lowers a bit, producing more stability. It feels really cool in a fast, tight turn.

On the first few rides on a Softride you will likely bounce. The bounce is because the beam itself is responding to your body movements as you pedal. The more you ride a Softride, the smoother your pedal stroke will become thus reducing the bounce. If you watch a rider with a very smooth pedal stroke on a Softride, you will still see the beam will still bob just a bit.

The Softride has two noticeable disadvantages. The first is weight; the beam weight adds about 1.5 pounds over the use of a normal seatpost. Second is a reduction in standover height. The beam adds about 1.5 inches to the top tube height. I bought a 52 cm Softride (I normally ride a 55 cm) and still had some trouble standing over the bike. Of course the idea is to stay moving and not stand around very long.

Pros

• Versatility - can fit any material. Can be fit on a tandem. Can be retrofit on some bikes.
• Cost - lots of good deals on used or nearly new ones. New ones can be bought for a relatively low cost ($700 for a complete bike), though you can still pay $3,000 or more for some of the carbon models or a custom frame.
• Can help smooth out a pedal stroke.

Cons

• Heavy - adds about 1.0 to 1.5 pounds to your bike.
• Standover height reduction, which can be mitigated with the high-rise seat clamp.

Summary
The Softride beam is the most comfortable bike around (with the right seat!). It is versatile and can be used on a variety of bike designs and frame material, resulting in a large price range from the affordable ($600) to the exotic ($3,000+). With this versatility, weight and standover height reduction remain as drawbacks.

To Top of Page

Other Riders Opinions
From Muffy Ritz
Softride

• Heavy due to carbon fiber beam.
• Very "cushy" ride.
• Very responsive and stable on downhills, flexes into corners (allows for faster downhills).
• Reduces overall road shock in feet and hands.
• Does not reduce crotch rub.

More Information    UltraCycling Magazine Authoritative information for endurance cyclists. Each issue contains articles by experts on: training nutrition equipment event preparation rider profiles race results Join the UMCA and receive six issues a year.

Order back issues

TitanFlex

• Lighter due to titanium beam.
• Feels like a normal bike until you hit a bump, then it "gives".
• Very responsive and flexes slightly on downill corners.
• Only reduces shock with bad roads.
• Does not reduce crotch rub.

Overall impressions: Both the Softride and the TitanFlex reduce road shock, the Softride more so than the TitanFlex. Both bikes are better on downhills than traditional bikes due to the flexing around corners. Suspension bikes will not eliminate prostate numbness in men or crotch rub in women. It is the seat that reduces those pressures, not the bike. You are compromising weight for comfort in the Softride. The TitanFlex combines the best of both worlds-comfort and lightweight.

From Lon Haldeman
I have ridden at least 5,000 miles each on a Trek Y-foil, Air Friday and Softride. I suggest that you ride one for at least 100 miles before deciding. The best test is if the bike and road disappear beneath you while still being responsive.

I had one of the original fiberglass Softride beams. It was very springy with about four inches of travel. I never did get used to it. The next generation was much better. I love it on the back of the tandem. The beam as about 1/2 inch of side to side flex which is also nice on the tandem.

The Trek F-foil is by far the stiffest, but I still find it comfortable. I think my Trek handles the best but that could be from the overall geometry.

I think Softride is on to something with their titanium beam. Like the Titan Flex and Air Friday they should be able to make a lightweight bike that still has suspension. I can't wait to ride one. Now if they only made a one speed version.

From Mike Bauman
Professor Softride

[ To Top of Page  | Home   | Calendar  | Race Results  | Standings  | Year-Rounder  | Records  | Training  | Equipment  | Nutrition  | About the UMCA  | Site Index ]