Stiffness Issue

spinner32

Ok, so last summer I bought a 2007 Specialized Tarmac Pro. Here are the specs:

Fact 8 Carbon Stem/Handlebars/Frame
DA Shifters/Rear Der.
Ultegra Front Der.
FSA K-Force Crankset
FSA Mega-Exo BB
Mavic Ksyrium Elite Wheelset

I've been riding it for about half of the past year... and lately, it seems to have no "jump" whatsoever. When I initially bought it, the bike seemed stiffer than anything else on the market, but now feels completely dead when I go to ramp up in a sprint or climb. I'm wondering where the sudden "softness" in it is coming from - it seriously feels like a noodle under me when I really push it (and I'm not a heavy rider at 142 lb).
I've read that the cranks and BB are suspect, as well as the wheels. I'm also curious as to how much this has to do with the frame/stem/handlebars. Basically - which components should I be looking at first? (Obviously, beyond the rider )

Thanks

alienator

You should be looking at the rider. There has yet to be any study that indicates that frame stiffness correlates in any way with performance. Frame stiffness does impact handling, but it is not a source of any energy losses that would decrease performance in any substantive way.

saintsfan342000

I had the same feeling about my CAAD9 after I took about 2 months off to let some knee pain subside, and during which I time I spent lots of time in the weightroom. Turns out that I had gained ~12 pounds in that time off.

I second Alienator - it's the rider, not the bike.

__________________
Simplicity and reserve will be practiced and petty effects and frippery avoided.

Peter@vecchios

Times 3..has your training program changed? Overtired, not been on the bike, weight changes??

alfeng

To actually answer your query:

• Swap your rear wheel for another one, first -- use a traditional, 32-spoke wheel as a benchmark -- and, see if that makes any difference.

Is your rear wheel TRUE?

• Check things like your brake pads possibly rubbing against the rim IF you run them close to the brake surface ... especially, if you STAND on the pedals when you want the bike to "jump" ...

Also, check your cranks BB bearings ... slip the chain OFF, and see if the crank spins smoothly without binding (of course, this will be more meaningful IF you know how freely/smoothly the crank spun a year ago).

Check your OTHER bearings (e.g., pulley bearings) ... I've seen pulleys which were gunked with ProLink/etc. THAT, alone, won't cause the problem, but it may be symptomatic of poor maintenance which subsequently needs to be attended to.

daveornee

I agree and would add that some rear wheels "drift" from being centered as the left side spokes bed in further (often further than drive side spokes). So besides checking for true, check for centering and proper spoke tension.

__________________
David Ornee, Western Springs, IL USA

531Aussie

it's slightly possible that your spokes have lost some tension, but if this was so, you'd probably see the wheels out of true. Also, Damon Rinard found in his delfection test that loose spokes make hardly any difference to lateral rigidity, unless the spokes are almost totally slack:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/wheel/index.htm

531Aussie

My two-bit theory is that you've become complacent with the initally noticeable (well, preceived, at least) benefits of your new bike, so it no longer blows your socks off.

When I first got my alu Soloist, it felt like an absolute rocket, but now, about a year later, it's bit ho-hum, and actually feels slow on some days.