wintershade wrote:
I'd be interested in hearing from folks who own a high-end road "race" bike but do not race competitively. Why do you own a "race" bike as opposed to something more "endurance" oriented which presumably is better suited to what you're actually doing on the bike (i.e., long rides, group rides, the occasional fondo, or days when you just want a break from your TT rig).I typically ride 5 or 6 days a week. I have 2 TT bikes, 2 road race bikes and I just bought a new Litespeed titanium all-road bike. I don't race cycling competitively other than the occasional gran fondo, but I can go all day on a race bike, so "endurance" bikes have no particular attraction. I bought the Litespeed simply so I can participate in some long distance gravel rides on dirt roads, not because of the slack geometry. My road bikes are an Argon 18 Gallium Pro and a BMC SL-02. I've bought all my bikes brand new except for the BMC SL-02 which I got from a female semi-pro who changed sponsors after one season (i.e., a great deal).
I would ask you why you think an "endurance" bike is better suited for a long ride? Is the geometry faster? Are endurance bikes lighter? Do they handle better than my top end road bikes? Cheaper yes, but that's it.
I train a lot, I train hard. And I ride hard even with nothing on the line. So yeah, give me the race bike please!