Rigid Bike Geek Out

Let me just come out and say it: I rode the Stickel and the Jones back to back in Sedona, and the Jones simply spanked the EnelStickel so bad I am contemplating selling it.

The Stickel just feels like there is too much stuff moving around at any given point. It reminds me of when I went from an older QR Reba to the WB 150. Everything is just quieter feeling on the Jones. You feel a bash when you hit something and then you move on without a lot of secondary wiggling around and vibration.

I have felt the Stickel to be somewhat flexy from the first ride, and then I adapted because I essentially only rode that one bike. Riding it back to back, it is pretty obvious I prefer a stiffer bike when charging hard. The Simon Bar is also pretty stiff and I loved that frame.

Geometrically, the Jones and the Stickel are not far apart at all as far as the relationship between the BB, axles, and bars. The have almost the same trail. The Jones has a slightly longer seated cockpit due to slacker STA, but reach and rise are close to identical, standing riding geometry is very close.

The Jones has a heavier downtube and chain/seatstays.

The Jones has that amazing Truss fork and longer head tube.

The Jones is not suspension corrected (a-c in the 130 range.)

The Jones has 135mm width front wheel which I would guess is a little stiffer laterally.

All the above obviously adds up to something special

There is lot of stuff going on in that front end that gives the Jones its precise, planted feel, and it isn't a fair comparison really. Steve built a bike that could be rigid or suspended, the Jones has a one track mind.

I did a little experiment in the garage last night. I took my four rigid bikes and held the front brake and balanced them on the front wheel, and just pushed up and down until I found the resonant frequency where they would vibrate back and forth a bit. It is in the range of 2-3 herz for these bikes.

The Stickel with Carbon fork vibrated the slowest, and by far the most, even bouncing up off the ground if I kept it going at the resonant frequency.

Karate monkey Frame/fork was a little faster and less flexy.

Simon Bar/Carbon fork was still a little faster and less flexy.

Jones: Flex was way less, not even in the league of the other bikes, and the frequency was out of the ball park higher than the other frames.

I think a lot of what I am noticing is suspension corrected versus non-corrected. A suspension corrected bike simply can not compete when it comes to front end flex with a rigid fork.

I put a Steel fork on the Stickel to test again, and it was marginally better.

I guess I am pretty sensitive to front end flex. I remember I quit riding my Zion frame with a suspension fork because it just flexed too much. The Enelstickle uses the same tubing diameter....Ack!

I have never had a non-corrected frame before, and am open to anyone's thoughts.