Road buzz is killing me. Which frames deal best with peeling road surfaces?

Lizard Skins DSP bar tape (3.2mm) will be much cheaper than a new bike. Maybe one of Flashy’s comfy seat posts too.

Tyres make a lot of difference and a 25c is only marginally bigger than a 23c and doesn’t make that much difference. How big a tyre can you fit in frame/forks

I moved to 700x52c (not a typo) on a Singular Gryphon. Works well for me but I’m only doing a 20 mile each way commute.

Never really considered that different wheels could make a difference. I have the light-bicycle 40mm deep u shaped carbon wheels. Love the wheels but maybe they are just super stiff and don’t help?

A shallow / box section ally rim will be a lot more flexible in the vertical direction than a deep carbon rim! But ive not ridden wheels like that so it could be they dampen the vibrations also, worth a try if you have a set though.

As mentioned wheels make the difference(imo) I regularly switch between 38mm u shape carbon clinchers and normal alloy shallow wheels … Don’t race now but still keep carbon for nice weather/fast rides ..

Bike is less of a bone shaker on the alloy wheels but I do like the super stiff feel on the carbon fellows 🙂

My current Sunday best is an alloy frame(which feels more compliant than any carbon frame I’ve owned)

The simple solution is to stand up more. If you are just plonked firmly in the seat riding over rough ground, you are gonna feel it. Fiddling about with bike components may make a little difference, but nothing will be a magic bullet.

There is a skill in riding standing up or just off the seat, without tiring yourself out. Drop a few gears, lower cadence, relax and push.

Even seated, if you are spinning instead of grinding, you are getting more pressure on your arse. Put more power through the pedals lifting you off the seat a little more.

Never really considered that different wheels could make a difference. I have the light-bicycle 40mm deep u shaped carbon wheels. Love the wheels but maybe they are just super stiff and don’t help?

Had this experience yesterday, riding back from Tring (Herts) to London.

Normally I’d ride my Shimano C24’s which are excellent for absorbing road buzz with an aluminium/carbon laminate rim design.

Instead, I had left on my deep section wheels, which I’d been using during the week for fast laps in Regent’s Park, London.

Deep section were very fast, but a harsh ride (vibration and thuds) on the peppered roads going from Berkhamstead through Hemel into St. Albans.

Nobody mentioned gloves – a decent pair of gel mitts/gloves is way better than bar tape – can highly recommend Altura Pro Gel as I rode 150miles offroad yesterday on a rigid bike and my hands / wrists are fine today.

Even my carbon frame felt rock hard especially on 23mm’s.

25/28mm tyres and depending on your weight, suitable pressure.

Been using my CX from the comfort and 35mm tyres.

Some interesting points raised here. I have no idea about the frame itself. All I know is that the Argon 18 Gallium Pro frame has thick chain and seat stays. It also has a carbon post, but it is a 31.6mm, which is not going to flex much.

I’ll put the alloy wheels back on and I may even go with a 27.2mm post and get a reducer for the frame. That might give a little more spring in the rear.

As has been mentioned on here, I am one of those riders who always likes to stay plonked in the saddle.

I think a trial of a few different bike on the same stretch of road I ride to work is the best option. Shelling out 3k on a new bike in the hope it’s going to be a magic bullet is a bit nuts.

I’ll post back with the results of using the alloys.

I’ve got a carbon roubiux and they spec a flexy seatpost (cbl goblr) and have thick gel padded bars, which seems to work well although it’s not a sofa ride and I do pick the less trashed roads as I’m sorta getting the feeling that the lack of love on the road surfaces make any bike harsh unless your riding a fat bike 😉

ti railed saddle made a massive difference for me

ride corrugated gravel roads a lot and found this helped for me as well and hovering above the seat isn’t something I can do all day

Have recently bought a Ridley X Trail “gravel” bike.
A few mates decided to do a local Sportive. I decided to change the 38mm gravel grinder tyres for some 28mm Continentals. They strangely don’t “feel” any faster than the “grinders” and the bike felt much the same except for grip on the crappy country roads we were on, had a couple of moments!!
I then went out for a ride on my old Ti Raliegh and didn’t realise how stiff it was compared to the carbon Ridley 🙄

What about bar grips or tape that has thick gel to reduce transmission of waves.

My diverge should arrive tomorrow and although I love conti gp 4000 tyres I’m going to order a pair of compass jon bon 35c handmade slicks, the American gravellers are raving about them for both comfort and speed. They also do a 28c tyre. Quite pricy though.

I’ve got the Bon Jons Extra Light tubeless on one (Ti) Fargo. Also have Barlows Pass 38mm on the other (steel) but they are tubed.
Ride quality in terms of road buzz is fantastic on both.
I don’t know for sure (who does?) but I have fairly basic components on one and better on the other (Ti is 9.3 kg, steel 14-15kg) and the ride quality is fantastic on both, so my suspicion is tyre quality/volume and perhaps long wheelbase are the biggest factors. Not to say the other things aren’t important but the difference in road buzz dampening between my old Trek alu framed road bike with 25mm Conti All seasons and my carbon Synapse with 27 mm carbon seatpost, thick bar tape and 28mm Grand Bois tyres, is nowhere near as big as between my Synapse and either of the Fargos. I’m 70kg and run lowish pressures on all my tyres pretty much as per Jan Heine’s tyre drop chart.
Of the bikes I can access, a friend’s Merckx EMX-5 would be right at the other end of the spectrum, especially with carbon rims. Clearly built for speed but the road clatter is very significant.
I’d recommend trying to borrow a Diverge/Arkose/Fargo type bike so at least you know what they feel like before deciding. They handle differently of course but at least you will know what that extreme feels like.
I’m selling the Synapse as I just don’t use it any more.

I don’t know for sure (who does?) but I have fairly basic components on one and better on the other (Ti is 9.3 kg, steel 14-15kg) and the ride quality is fantastic on both, so my suspicion is tyre quality/volume and perhaps long wheelbase are the biggest factors

I agree, on both points. Once tyres go beyond 32-35C and are at the right pressures I’d say frame material is only about subtleties or handling stiffness, the tyres take out so much of the road buzz. eg, comparing an Arkose on big road tyres at maybe 45psi to a very comfy premium steel road bike with shallow rims + 25cs, 1 1/8″ HT and Ouzo Pro fork – the Arkose is a lot comfier, it feels stiffer under power in a good way and on many local roads I’d say it rolls easier. It’s a ‘comfy’ enough frame but it’s the tyres that add most comfort.

Most ‘race’ road bikes are either made for speed on good surfaces or for Pros to suffer on over anything rough. UK roads are poor surfaces for race bikes. Bikes do vary a bit in ‘give’ but it’s generally a subtle range compared to the feel of a good road bike that fits bigger tyres.
It’s all perspective though – I remember being amazed maybe 8 years ago at what a nice steel frame and 25cs felt like in comparison to an average 23c-tyred race bike. Now that same steel bike feels rattly and slow over bad roads compared to a bigger-tyred bike, in the same way that a 26″ MTB hangs up where a 29″ rolls through easier (sorry / ducks, etc).

Carbon and Ti are better at damping down vibration.

Yet my new alu bike is more comfortable than my old CF bike…

I’d be looking at tubeless and 10 PSI less, also saddle, bar tape, seatpost, good bibshorts, good gloves.

Just fitted Specialized Bar Phat bar tape.

Makes the bars look bigger but really great at reducing the vibrations.

Ive an alu cervelo P1 as a second bike which was really great when I lived in Europe. Stiff and fast. Now I live in Cumbria my hands are buzz-destroyed in 30 miles of riding so its to be dumped via thief-bay. Now Im using my “old/2008” Look 585 (which was my best bike) for everything unless v shitty weather and then an old mtb. Even at 100-110psi the old Look bike is fine with reg tyres

25mm tyre has 20% more volume than a 23mm – means you can run lower pressure without increasing risk of pinch punctures, but it’ll make no difference if you’re dropping for 120 to 100 psi, more like 80. Go tubeless and you can run even lower still without increasing rolling resistance.

If you are an accomplished racer who rides everywhere at above 20mph, read no further.

Otherwise:

For rough road surfaces, trying to get a comfortable road frame usually ends up as turd polishing exercise.

The answer is bigger tyres with low rolling resistance. Schwalbe explain it well.

The simplest way to do that is to buy a 29er frame and convert it into a road bike. You can get 2.35″ slicks in there which is what I use, and they’re ok for offroad excursions if it’s not slippery.

Since doing that I’ve been far more inclined to do a road ride. On a 100+ mile day ride I don’t see any difference in the total ride time. (Almost all our roads are rough up here)

I still have a skinny fixie for when I need a dose of discomfort.

I still reckon it’s mostly down to position. That pic up there^ sort of shows how not to sit on a bike comfortably. Upright, arms locked, looks pretty stiff and rigid, hence I reckon you’d feel the vibrations much more.

Sit like the below; well balanced with no pressure on the arms or going up through your arse. Comfortable.