opinion on softride

I will assume first that the bike fits you. Sure, Softrides will give you a lot of leeway for saddle position, but there are still fore-aft balance issues as with any bike.

That said, I'll say that I have 3 Softrides. Two are custom road bikes (one by Paul Barkley, who made many of the original Softride branded bikes, and one by TiCycles), and one is a custom track/single speed.

The difference between a Softride and a rigid frame is like the difference between the darkest moonless night and the brightest sunlit day. Cush. Comfy. Some people have problems with their pedal stroke not smoothing out, so they bob up and down. Others have no problem with that.

I never had any back problems, so I can't address how the Softride concept helps with those issues, but I know several people who say that the Softride allowed them to ride, when otherwise they wouldn't be able to. What I did find is that I didn't fatigue as quickly. My theory is that by being isolated from road vibrations, you relax a lot more.

Softride purists say that you can descend faster by letting the beam take up vibrations when leaned into a corner. I was never such a fearless descender to test that, so take that for what it's worth.

Now with all that positive stuff about Softride, let me say this -- Softride was looking for a buyer last year, and to my knowledge they are not producing bikes now (no buyer came forward). That's nothing against the bike itself, that's just a data point on the company. Yeah, they look strange. But I raced them in USCF races for years. Got plenty of comments, but they tended to shut up when I finished in front of them (especially on climbs).

My first road bike was a Softride that I bought in 2004. I agree with what has been shared. The bike is highly adjustable but takes some fitting adjustments with someone that is familiar with the bike or creative. The bike is set up for someone your size but what is their leg length? Their torso length? Weight? Weight caused the beam to sag (supposed to) so two folks exactly the same build will have the beam height different if you weigh different amounts.

I did have back issues which is why I got the bike in the first place. I have found that I can ride any bike as my core is stronger now. It is super comfortable to ride for sure.