an interesting thing about cyfac is they can,and do, build anything - stiff, soft, anything in between, and then geometry to match the kind of riding you do, and then custom fit to your dimension. so pretty much whatever performance charateristics you want - they can build into a frame set - its a totaly different mentality than this "trek vs specialized vs steel ve etc.." throw all that out - define what you want (or work with eric to create that deffinition) and that what you will get. (of course they sell stock sizes/geometry as well, for a good bit less)
my bike is basically road race geometry, custom fit, extremly stiff for accelerating and sprinting (if i am going to win, thats how...) but it is not harsh, i rode a 235km race through the high tatra's in poland, 500 mile week in france, and feel fresh as a daisy after - i am in disbelief that a bike can go like stink, be instantly reponsive, yet handle smooth and descend like a dream, and be as comfy as any frame... its weird - hence why i praise them so much. stiffnes AND compliance... (that's what i wanted)
wierd french juju in that frame - i love it. (alain prost carbon engineering
)
off the self - moderate priced frames will allways be a compromise between the two.
personaly i think top of the line trek frames are the worst i have ever riden, i can't imagine how anyone rides them... jittery and dead. but... different strokes for diffferent folks! you gotta go with what you like, want, need, value. everyone has their own opinion of whats "good" and they are all right for themselves, but maybe not for you.
i have old dura-ace 10sp, and hate it... will switch over to scram red next year i think.