Category: Articles

Without exception, carbon frames ride harsher than well-designed titanium frames.  A harsh frame transmits more vibration to the rider.  Vibration requires the rider to expend energy to control the bike.  This significant energy expenditure is reflected in increased heart rate, higher VO2 at a given wattage output, and higher blood lactate during and after efforts.

The point is, if you ride carbon, you’re beating up your body and slowing down your recovery time.  You’re also reducing your work capacity and endurance.  (Keep in mind that a harsh riding frame is not the same as a stiff frame.  Read Seven’s carbon white paper for a full explanation of this seeming contradiction.)

All of this is often referred to as rider durability, and it is the latest frontier in professional cycling‘s ongoing pursuit of improved performance.  Tadej Pogačar exemplifies a rider with significant durability.

Seven’s white paper on carbon’s shortcomings places the vibration issues within a holistic framework.  In summary, greater vibration yields lower training effectiveness.

We use third-party data to explain the issues.  The figure below illustrates several vibration problems.  Additionally, to describe the obstacle, we’ve included quotations from some relevant sports and medical journals on the topic.

“Vibration increased oxygen uptake and heart rate.  […]  heart rate supports the existence of an elevated metabolic demand. This is consistent with previous studies that reported a 7% increase in heart rate and an increase in oxygen consumption.  […]  The findings align with other studies of full-body vibration or high exercise intensities that report increased oxygen uptake.”  — The Effect of Cycling-specific Vibration on Neuromuscular Performance, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

“Vibration as an external stimulus produced a significantly greater and quicker energetic demand to the body and thus it was perceived as a greater workload.”  —  The Effects of Vibration During Maximal Graded Cycling Exercise: A Pilot Study, Journal of Sports Science & Medicine

“[T]ime above 90% of V̇O2max and mean V̇O2 during HIT work intervals were higher in vibration session than traditional [no vibration] session. This may at least partly be due to the increased muscle activation in lower and upper limbs observed.”  —  Adding vibrations during high intensity cycling increases acute physiological responses, Journal of Science & Cycling

“[I]ncreased acidosis generated during the Vib trial might be not the only cause of the anticipated skeletal muscle fatigue.  […]  relatively long exposure to Vib, generally more than 7 min leads to a decreased power and force production. Authors reported that an acute reduction in maximal voluntary knee extension force and a depression of the voluntary activation of the leg extensor muscles up to 180 min after an exercise bout were obtained in participants exercising on a vibrating platform.  […]  vibration can negatively affect cycling performance in terms of exercise duration when exercising at a constant submaximal workload.”   —  The Effects of Vibration During Maximal Graded Cycling Exercise: A Pilot Study, Journal of Sports Science & Medicine

“The experimental hypothesis stated that the VCE [vibration cycling exercise] […] would have produced a significant variation in the monitored physiological parameters compared to the effects of traditional cycling. The results of this study confirm this hypothesis in terms of the increased energetic demand generated by the Vib  [vibration] exposure.”   —  The Effects of Vibration During Maximal Graded Cycling Exercise: A Pilot Study, Journal of Sports Science & Medicine

This is an excerpt from Seven’s white paper about the broken promises of carbon fiber, aerodynamics, and ever-improving bike technology.

The most common carbon bike misconception is that frame technology and ever-improving aerodynamics are making racing faster and faster. The figure below illustrates the simplest reason the Tour de France is faster:  there are far fewer hard climbs.

Media proclaim that races are getting faster every year, and the speed is primarily due to technological advances (aerodynamics, lighter weight, rider position, shorter cranks). However, the Tour de France exemplifies increasing speeds that are well explained by fewer major ascents and shorter distances. The number of Category 1 and HC climbs tracks race speeds inversely and perfectly.

To see the figure’s references and sources, visit the Carbon Frame Downfall page.

Seven’s Rider-Ready bikes are our unique approach to building predetermined, curated designs. Sort of like stock bikes, but not at all.

Step Up From Stock.

Seven’s Rider-Ready bikes are handbuilt one at a time in our Massachusetts factory. We call it Simple-Custom because Rider-Ready strips away the complexities of full custom and provides a straightforward pick list of our most popular custom features and options.

Stock bikes don’t compare on any meaningful long-term measure.

This chart illustrates six ways in which Rider-Ready bikes are overwhelmingly better than stock carbon bikes. You can get all of this at a competitive price and have it built in the USA by Seven.

Chart Footnotes:

Sources for the Rider-Ready Vs Stock Carbon above. Data as of 2025.

Gravel Models
Trek has two gravel models: Checkmate and Checkpoint. Specialized has two gravel models: Diverge and Crux. Seven has seven Rider-Ready gravel models.

Tubeset or Carbon Layup Options
Trek has one layup for each of its two models: Checkmate is OCLV 800 Carbon; Checkpoint is OCLV 500 Carbon. Specialized has one carbon layup for the Diverge: SWAT 4.0 and two carbon layups for the Crux: 12r and 10r. That’s three layups for two models equals one point five layups per model. Seven offers five or six tubeset types (S, SL, XX, CT, PRO, and sometimes A-Frames) per model.

Drivetrain Stiffness
Seven’s drivetrain stiffness is, on average, about 50% higher than Specialized or Trek’s performance carbon drivetrains.

Seven uses Tour Magazine test data as our third-party source for drivetrain stiffness. The average drivetrain stiffness for performance carbon framesets in 2025 was 61 N/mm. Specifically, the Specialized Tarmac tested at 61 N/mm, while the Trek Emonda tested at 49 N/mm.

Seven offers three Rider-Ready tubeset designs to tune drivetrain stiffness to rider preference. Our RocketShip tubeset is about 70% stiffer than the average Tour-tested carbon drivetrain. Seven’s Benchmark tubeset averages about 50% stiffer than the average carbon drivetrain. Seven’s SuppleState, our lightest and plushest Rider-Ready tubeset, is about 15% softer and more lively. These percentages average all of Seven’s titanium tubeset offerings (S-Type, SL-Type, and XX-Type tubeset designs).

Note: We use Trek and Specialized’s closest Tour-tested models as stand-ins for their gravel designs; that is, the Emonda and Tarmac, respectively. We acknowledge that these frames are slightly lighter than their gravel equivalents and, as a result, the drivetrains are not as stiff. However, any possible stiffness variance cannot match the 50% gap between carbon and Seven’s average proprietary titanium drivetrain designs.

Ride Smoothness
Seven’s vertical compliance, or flow, is about 800% smoother than Specialized or Trek’s performance carbon framesets.

Seven sourced the Specialized and Trek harshness information from testing data published by Tour Magazine. The average vertical harshness of a 2025 carbon bike is 170 N/mm. The Specialized Tarmac is 156 N/mm, or 9% less harsh than average. The Trek Emonda, with a 131 N/mm stiffness rating, is 30% less harsh than the average carbon frameset.

The average Seven titanium SL-Type tubeset with Moto seat stays is about eight times smoother than the average results from Tour Magazine’s 2025 testing.

To further improve Seven’s smoothness, we offer three tubeset stiffness levels. Our SuppleState tubeset is the plushest. Seven’s Benchmark tubeset averages about 750% smoother than the average carbon bike. Seven’s RocketShip, while our stiffest Rider-Ready offering, is still about 600% smoother than the average carbon frame. The percentages average all of Seven’s titanium tubeset offerings (S-Type, SL-Type, and XX-Type tubeset designs).

Note: To estimate carbon frame harshness, we use Trek and Specialized’s closest Tour-tested models. That is Emonda and Tarmac, respectively. If anything, given that these frames are lighter than their gravel counterparts, the gravel designs will exhibit even harsher rides than the data we present.

Frame Sizes
Trek and Specialized both offer 6 sizes in their gravel models. Seven offers 36 sizes in the Rider-Ready bikes: Three stack heights for each of 12 top tube lengths.

Parts Kits
Seven offers an average of 20.1 parts kits per gravel model. Trek has an average of only 2.5 kits per gravel model. Specialized has an average of 5.5 kits per gravel model.

Shimano: Seven has 6.4 Shimano kits on average per gravel bike. Trek has zero Shimano offerings. Specialized has, on average, 2 Shimano-equipped gravel models.

SRAM: Seven offers 13.7 SRAM kits on average per gravel bike. Trek has 2.5 SRAM offerings. Specialized has 3.5 SRAM kits on average per gravel model.

Base Price
Seven’s US-made full-titanium A-frame with SRAM Rival AXS is $6,900. Trek’s carbon Checkpoint with Rival AXS is $4,300. Trek’s carbon Checkmate with SRAM Force AXS is $8,300. (Trek does not offer the Checkmate with a Rival kit as of the close of 2025.) Specialized’s Crux Rival AXS is $5,700. Specialized’s Diverge Rival AXS is $6,100.

The base prices above include a $70 service fee from both Specialized and Trek, which is not included in the price shown on their websites. When you add a bike to a cart, the service fee is displayed. That fee appears to change often.

We show prices for current parts kits only. Sometimes, Specialized and Trek display old inventory with previous-generation parts kits. We do not include outdated inventory in the bike comparison data.

A clip from a recent Seven livestream:

“Gravel for seven really bridges from allroads kind of bikes to classic gravel bikes, all the way up to a 2.4″ tire, and everything in between. We have six different tire sizes in our Rider-Ready system of bikes, and then it’s infinite for our custom offerings. Right now in the gravel world, popular are really big tires. This is a 2.4″ that Seven offers.  Very few companies offer a stock bike that goes beyond about a 2 .1”, but even that is very unusual. So you’ll see a lot of articles and racers, Dylan Johnson and others, that are big proponents of bigger tires.  We offer that it’s very easy to think, “oh, I should just get the bike that fits the biggest tire ever made, and then I can use a smaller tire.”  That can work, but there’s a reason we offer six different tire sizes within our Rider Ready bike line.”

— Rob Vandermark, Founder, Seven Cycles