Guess it was only a matter of time that we'd be saying farewell to the good-old diamond-shaped bike frame, which has been the standard, well, basically since bikes were invented.
The makers of the Tortola RoundTail road frame have taken a different approach, ditching those angles and boring straight lines for a whole new take on bike frames, basically taking the back half of the bike frame and transforming it into two large, shock dampening circles.
Here's the logic behind this, according to Popsci, where I first learned about the RoundTail frame: "Shock waves travel in straight lines, so when most bikes hit potholes, the shocks run through the frame and into the rider. One way to avoid the discomfort that can cause is to channel those vibrations onto another path, as the Tortola RoundTail road frame does."
Testers rode these frames for a week on every bumpy road in Vermont they could find, comparing the vibrations they felt in their backs and arms with the ride on carbon-fiber and titanium frames. They felt no pain, even after 50 miles on the RoundTail, while the achiness was starting to set in on other frames after only two. According to the testers, this frame--fleshed out with Shimano components--matched the ride and speed of any other road bike.
What's your opinion of this bike? Comment below.
Links and related articles
- Tortola RoundTail bike frame website
- Popsci article on the Roundtail bike frame
- Alternative bike styles
- What kind of bike is right for you?
- Road bike
- Mountain bike
- Hybrid bike
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Comments
Carbon fiber and titanium frames with Shimano components? This is an extremely expensive bike, no doubt about it. I think I will stick with the boring, painful, old frame until the price comes down to earth.
I saw this bike @ Interbike this year. It looks to me like someone had an idea for a round bake and just built it to see if he could, then went looking for reasons it would be a good idea.
The most amazing things about these roundtail frames is not mentioned.I think that these rings act like a gyroscope,so the energy from the road is translated into forward motion.The bumpier the road the faster you go!No other suspensetion system does that that I have seen.