Help! I'm test-riding 2 Sevens

[DebW]

The steel bike was so smooth and soft - it actually felt a little too smooth to me. There was a kind of delay when starting up from a stop or standing and sprinting. It was very comfortable. I liked it, and it made me realize how on my bike I really do feel every little bump. But I didn't feel much "zoom" on it.

Whippy is a word often used for a bike like this. Soaks up shocks, but soaks up your pedal energy too. Not stiff enough in the drivetrain. You can't accelerate quickly.

Then I tried the Ti bike, and I liked it much more than the steel. It still felt smooth, but was more responsive somehow. Starting up and sprinting it felt much quicker to get going. My loop on the Ti bike was much faster (going by my watch only - so not super-accurate) - some of the feeling of being faster might have been being more warmed up and more enthusiastic.

Snappy, responsive, but still smooth. Sounds very nice.

I tried climbing standing up on both bikes and the steel felt really wobbly when I stood - I thought this must be the narrow handlebars, but the Ti had the same too-narrow bars yet felt much more stable.

That Ti Seven sure sounds sweet. If you like steel, you could certainly find a steel bike that is much stiffer and more responsive. But it would weigh more and probably not absorb road shocks as well. BTW, you were comparing straight-gage Ti and double-butted steel.