Road "BUZZ"

dennisn

Not sure this is in the right forum but here goes. There seems to be more than a bit of talk
and questions as to whether buying carbon fiber parts and frames cuts down on "road buzz". All the advertisements seem to hint at it, if not claiming outright, that this is the case. Are there or have there been any actual studies on the subject of whether
steel, aluminum, carbon, titanium, bamboo, or whatever dissipates this "buzz" and compares one to the other? Or is the whole idea of road buzz sort of something that
frame and part makers have told people that it's a problem and WE have the solution.
i.e. they invent a problem and them invent the solution to it. If I was to guess I would say that "buzz" does exist to some extent but that it would be best handled buy tires and tire pressure IF it was a real problem. Maybe I've been riding so long that I no longer notice
this "buzz". Either that of it doesn't really exist.

Dennis Noward

redddraggon

It's definitely all about tyres pressure, the difference a frame makes is negligible. I first experienced "road buzz" months after starting cycling, and it happened to coincide with buying a track pump :? I was unwittingly pumping my front tyre to what it said on the tyre meaning it was rather rock solid.

Peyote

I have to admit I'm somewhat sceptical about the whole road-buzz thing too. I can accept that some materials are more compliant than others and have better vibration absorbing capabilities. It's when these are taken out of the lab and used in the real world where I think it falls down.

If we had nice smooth tarmac roads everywhere, without the stone chips, potholes and other imperfections then road-buzz would probably be noticeable. In my (admittedly limited) experience I haven't been able to tell the difference between an Al and a carbon fork, all other things being equal.

PS- the Chromoly fork I'm currently using is much smoother, but I reckon that's down to the 35mm, 80psi tyres, compared to the previous 25mm, 120psi tyres!

Wappygixer

I'd have to say that a frame makes all the difference.
Look how stiff bottom brackets are these days, years ago you have to trim the front mech depending on how hard you were pedalling.
My old 531 frames were alot more comfortable than the alloy Altec that replaced it.I also remember borrowing a full alloy Cannondale in the 90's and it soaked up nothing at all and is probably the roughest ride I've had on a road bike.
Things have changed a bit now though as most frames are stiffer as technology has evolved.
The other thing to factor in is wheels as these to are stiffer thans years gone by and as Reddraggon says tyre pressures have also increased which in turn makes a difference.
At the moment I have 2 road bikes which are both very different and the most comfortable one is the one with the most carbon on it but also has much different wheels where the spokes may also make a noticable difference.
So many variables can make a difference these days.

GavH

I've also got two road bikes. My first, an all Alu Carrera Virtuoso running no-name 32 spoke wheels and 700x25 no-name tyres. Replaced the front forks for Alu/Carbon and the seatpost for all carbon and felt a noticeable, but not convincingly significant improvement. Then got a track pump and started running my tyres at higher pressures and as Red said, noticed a much rougher ride, almost like I was being jarred to bits (also noticed the bike went quicker and handled better!!).

Recently bought a Bianchi 928 C2C, all carbon fibre, kevlar inserts in the stays and forks to dampen vibration and geometry supposedly to make for a comfier ride. So I suppose the key question is, Is the Bianchi more comfortable and is there less road buzz. The answer is a definate Yes! Key point is though, just how much of that improvement is because that's what I was expecting anyway??

I'll also throw a couple of other variables into the mix as well. The bars and saddle that came with my Bianchi are far more comfy than that which is on my Carrera. I think that makes a big difference too. So, frame, forks, saddle, post, bars, tape, stem, wheels, tyres and their pressures even gloves and good shorts all seem to play a significant part in how noticable road buzz actually is. In fact, brakes and drivetrain are perhaps the only bits that don't!