Soloist team (s1) is a wonderful crit bike.

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Pedal Force RS2, Cannondale CAAD8 are the tops on my list. The key is for it to be replaceable.

The entire point of a crit bike is that not only must it have all the traits if a race bike but it must also he durable and ultimately easy to replace.cannondale caad series is where it is at.

 
2011 Specialized Allez E5.

It's actually slightly more torsionally stiff than the S-Works Tarmac SL3 (really??!), with the BB stiffness just slightly less. Frameset retails for less than $600 and the only "drawback" is that it weighs ~1 lb more than the equivalent size carbon SL3 model (not that weight matters for crits). Tough to beat that...(although I still have a soft spot for the Cervelo S1, it's been discontinued).

Here's more about it from the man who designed it, Mark Cote (MITAerobike on ST):

http://iamspecialized.com/...er/jordan-rapp#/blog

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Excuse my ignorance, but why must it be replaceable ? Because of all the bumping and touching? I never did a crit. But was thinking about it and have been looking at new and used road bikes also.

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It needs to be replaceable because one day you will wreck and even metal frames can be broken.
I raced for 2 years before I went down and thought wrecks would never happen to me. I was wrong and it cost me a carbon frame that at the time I could not afford to replace even at a discounted price.

The rough part about crits is that you can be the best rider/bike handler in the world but when a pack of ten fall around you there is little you can do. I am also looking for a cheaper bike to race crits with as well. I get scared every time I race with my current bike.

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"Remember the lumberyard, go balls out!"

Race the R3 - that is what it is for, right? You didn't get an RS ;-)

Crit crashes usually don't break your frame, usually just lots of missing skin and bar tape or possibly a wheel or brifters.

Oh, the knee jerk answer is generally an old super stiff Canondale or Klein AL frame (which really isn't any stronger than your R3 in a crash). To be different, I'll add Aerocat R509 (since that is my crit steed). Enjoy them!

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
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Just ordered this!

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Sweet whip! I love caad bikes.

It's like nascar only with bicycles.

for cat5 anything will be fine. find something cheap on craigslist with a paint job you like.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

You could get an ancient Raleigh and you'd be fine. Most important is durability and reliability and how comfortable you feel bombing through corners on it.

Aero basically doesn't matter in crits- the most important things are timing and conserving energy. As we discussed in a different thread, a lot of Cat 4/5 sprinters like me can get worn down badly if we have to chase every break, and lots of sprints are won by guys who don't actually put out a lot of power but have stayed fresh and know when to attack at the end.

If you don't know if you're going to get into it, anything cheap.

If you're planning on racing a lot of crits, here's my short list of aluminum crit bikes:

Caad 8 / 9 / 10
Allez E5
AL Soloist / S1
Salsa Podio
Spooky Skeletor
Cinelli Experience

If you're willing to race carbon then obviously there are a ton of other options.

*edited to add the Allez, can't believe I forgot that one!

dissonance!

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Hong Fu....

add a Giant TCR to your list. Great crit bikes, kinda twitchy, probably be able to find a frame pretty cheap.

Get a Van Dessel Hellafaster. Its super stiff and a bit aero but it's aluminum so it'll probably withstand a good beating. I love mine.

I would strongly suggest a good aluminum frame over a low end carbon one for a crit. I personally prefer a stiffer platform than what low to mid range carbon fiber can offer. As someone said in an earlier post the Allez is a lot stiffer than the older Tarmacs (I don't think it is stiffer than this year's S-Works SL3 though, perhaps the Pro/Expert SL3). If you're under 150 lbs maybe you'd prefer a softer ride, ride and decide.

I rock the 2009 e-5 allez

Love it.

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/...plete-bike-6676.html

plenty stiff and nearly impossible to beat for price or components...

Thats is a great deal on the ridley, shame ridley geometry is so weird.

To the OP, I wouldn't rush out and buy something immediately as the interest in Crits can soon fade once the initial buzz wears off. Just hang somewhere relatively safe and see how it goes then if you want to mix it up more get a crit bike, for which you're probably looking at at least >$1500 which is still a fair amount of cash. It depends where you live but in my experience traveling miles regularly to get to a crit that only last a short time and interupts your tri training soon becomes a PITA, but everyone is different.

+1 Just bought and am building this bike. Yes its heavy, but stiffness is great.

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http://flexthatframe.blogspot.com/

Having sponsored a few cycling teams over the years, teams/riders want a work-horse frame that will have a better chance of surviving crashes. They don't want to be spending sponsorship dollars buying frames all the time. The full aluminum frame is always a go-to frame. We ended up developing an aluminum frame with carbon seat/chain stays that received a lot of praise from our riders due to its resiliency after crashes.

I would stick to aluminum or AL/CA frames. I don't like crit racing my full carbon bike due to the crashing risk. I still do, but not as much as I used to (because I'm broke.. haha). When I had my full aluminum bike, crit racing was even more of blast. I don't know why, it was just more fun, and my results were better.

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