Bike Stiffness Explained | Too Afraid to Ask

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Get exclusive behind the scenes access by becoming a Super Subscrider on Patreon: You're shopping for a new bike or bike parts, and you keep hearing phrases like "this bike is so stiff. It rides like a rocket ship," "the cranks flexed a bit too much to sprint on," and "the tapered head tube really improves the front-end stiffness." Meanwhile, what the heck even is bike stiffness? Should I event want a stiff bike? In this episode of Too Afraid to Ask, I explain the messy topic of bike stiffness, what it means when people describe bikes, and what about it matters to you and your ride.


Fixie Famous Shoutout:
StanStrong108
Ryan Witt

Patreon Singlespeed Shoutout:

Carlos Flores
nicodache
@ffnivas
Barak S
Pat Bateman
Simon Newton
Gregory Tomlinson

Bike stiffness sources:
Sheldon Brown: Frame Materials and Stiffness


Bicycle Quarterly: Myth 4 - Stiffer Frames Are Faster


Bicycle Quarterly: An Expert Discussion on Frame Stiffness


GCN: Are You Faster on a Stiffer Bike?






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