i know many of us cross function between road race and tri…so here goes.
next year i’m really thinking i want to give a good go at road racing on the local scene with some gal pals that are quite fast and amazing cyclists (trigoneroadie who posts here is one of them!). i would feel honored just to share the road with these ladies, and the thought of it really motivates me.
with that said–i’m not inclined to race my Baby Girl–she is my treasured Bianchi Boron frame that is beautiful and set up so sweetly right now. if anything happend to her, i wouldn’t forgive myself!
my supremo bike shop tells me to get a light frame–carbon–and aim for just a “good enough” group. the kicker is keep the cost low; and not race a super high end bike…just one that is light, fast, a bonafide rach machine, and relatively “disposable”…just in case something bad happens out there (God forbid).
the best price is with this LBS–i do 98% of my business with them, and my business sponsors the team (Midwest Flyers). it’s a well oiled relationship, and these guys are people i consider to be great friends. telling you this because it makes sense to buy from them…i wouldn’t do it any other way; i totally trust them, and road racing is their speciality.
again…looking for light bike, a “good enough” group, and a bonafide race machine that i won’t cry over.
the brands are Cannondale and Felt. what bike out of that bunch?
would it be realistic to get something that fits the above criteria and drop no more than 1,500 bucks?
if that’s too low, what’s more realistic in expected cost? just trying to get an idea…
bikes are made to be ridden hard… so get out there and use it for its intended purpose. however… if you really want a crashable race rig I would highly recommend a Felt. The F55 is a great bike with true race geometry and D/A - Ultegra components. You could go another notch up and get the carbon fiber F4, but if you are serious about laying this thing down then I’d stick with aluminium.
Yeah, Kitty, just race your Bianchi! Seriously, the womens races are REALLY docile compared with the ugly mens Cat5 or 4’s. In fact, I’ve never seen a crash in the women’s race in any of the Spring Series events. Just stay out of the crits …
Nice to have Mary Downey (Womens Cat 1/2 state champ) that rides with us G4Bers to, heh? She is a blast to talk with as well.
Ferraris weren’t made to be driven to the grocery store. Once you race your beloved bike, you’ll have MUCH more appreciation for it!
I’d be cautious about a shop that generically recommends carbon. There are many different types of carbon bike…some of which are nice, and some of which are inferior to legacy bike materials.
thanks guys for the reco on the felt. i was thinking felt too–the prices seem good! i could get alot of bike for a good price. i will probably want to go carbon; only because i have never ridden it and would like to try it out to see what all the fuss is about. FWIW, i do race my bianchi in tri actually! she is the main ride–through all kinds of weather; short course, long course, you name it, we’re doing it. but i’m just not sure she is right for road racing; hence the questions.
roof, aside from laying my Baby Girl down…i do wonder if the boron is appropriate for road racing.
sure, i can ride on that frame for hours…and hours…it is quite a nice ride.
but racing those types of races, i was thinking the carbon (or alum) would be stiffer, probably lighter, and might actually be a faster frame with less flex. but i don’t know if this is right, or just hype? maybe i’m believing too much of what i read–my bianchi is down to about 17 or 18 pounds now.
what i do know is that i don’t want to work my ass off to get ready, but not have the right frame. especially if i can get one that doesn’t break the bank. you know what i’m saying…
as for Mary D, i really love her; she is a blast and this is the first year i’ve actually been fit enough to ride with her a little bit! all of the womens are just great; really think it would be a ton of fun to ride in that environment and would be very motivating for me personally.
this is something i’ve thought about for a few years, but didn’t have the framework until now to actually be able to follow through on it (now i have the fitness thanks to this IM stuff, and riding with your crazy gazelle asses)
Please don’t fall for the carbon hype (even though both of my bikes are made from the infernal material - well, not my MTN bike)! Your bike will be just fine for road racing. Actually, with your nice Record gruppo and wheels, you are set up perfectly. You will see all types of bikes in the Cats with lots of guys on “flexy” Titanium frames to uber stiff aluminum Canondales and everything in between.
Definitely save your $! If you really wanted to make a different in a bike purchase, it would be to get a real steep angle tri bike instead of riding your road bike for tris/Ironman events.
1000, not for road racing. I would not buy carbon. I would buy aluminum, unless you are rich…
105 or Ultegra level components and an aluminum frame. Racing hurts, and if you race enough, you will crash, it’s not a matter of if, but of when, and I know personally, that if I trash a 500 dollar aluminum frame, I won’t be as sad as wrecking a 1000 dollar carbon frame. Keep your Baby for the Tri’s, and get some aluminum work horse to race in. I’m assuming you’ll start with crit racing…Good Luck…
Are you ever actually going to purchase another bike?
Or do you just like to think out loud here on ST?
I’ve lost track of how many times you were mulling buying this bike or that bike or the other one.
Why not race the bike you have? For starters, you already have it. Zero cost.
And if it gets dinged, NOW you have an actual reason to think about and talk about buying a new bike.
I’ve done 2 crits this year on an 8 year old 9 speed Klein alu frame road bike. Horrors!
(it’s my one and only road bike, and will be until it cannot be ridden anymore)
IF I’m gonna risk putting a bike down, I’d really rather it be an older one that’s gotten some good use, rather than something I just bought.
But since I only actually buy a new bike about once every other presidential term, I’m not really the expert on that anyway.
Another vote for saving the dough and racing your Bianchi. The bike itself does not really matter much for your overall performance as will team tactics and training/racing smart.
Some Bianchi dealers may have some san lorenzo’s left over. Bianchi was offering huge discounts… maybe they still are. It’s the perfect race bike. Cheap, comfortable aluminum with Dura ace @ 16lbs for 2200. I would steer clear of expensive frames… like carbon because one crash will ruin it. Bianchi may also have some '05 1885 aniversary bikes left - sluminum/carbon mixes with campy on them.
alright, alright, i hear you guys–thanks for the information. was just thinking i could get a deal on the carbon…maybe it would be less expensive. but i haven’t had that conversation with the LBS guys yet.
the reason i’ve not bought a new bike, despite lust, is because i haven’t wanted to replace this frame. i’m reluctant to let her go because of the enjoyment. so, instead, i’ve made her the best she can be…hope that makes sense. (if you’ve read alot of my posts, you’d see there was not only alot about new bikes, and also new upgrades…i choose upgrades).
and soph, this is for 2008; not now! i’m 7 weeks out from IMWI, that is the singular thing on the immediate horizon.
Roof, you realize Barry is trying to get me to commit to FL? already told Evan i have to have a tri bike for that. there is no way i’d do that on a roadie–it’s freaking flat and straight for crying out loud! that course might bore me out of my mind though, so not sure about it. also thanks for debunking some carbon myths–with all of the hype around it…
If racing the Bianchi is going to make you tentative at all (in a race situation), then ride something that you’ll be able to take into places that you’re not sure it’ll come out of unscathed. Cheap aluminum with a 105 group, like JoB said. Ride with abandon.
Not at all. Bodies heal (mostly – road rash is temporary). Bikes break and have to be bought again, IF the budget allows. Me, I’m in a situation financially where I can hardly afford to maintain the bikes I have, let alone have to replace one of them from a crash. If I were to start crit racing again, I’d be so tentative it would be futile.
Seriously man, once the whistle blows at the start of that first spring series race you will forget about what bike you’re riding. It’s gonna be freezing cold, windy and hard and the last thing on your mind will be frame material. As for crashing, A) you are probably much more likely to crash in one of the group rides you do than one of the SS women’s races and B) that Boron is probably bomb proof. As for performance, if that thing is really only 17-18 pounds you should be good to go. I’ve never weighed one of my bikes but I bet I’ve never had one that light (granted, bigger frame size but still). And I’m pretty confidant that all of my poor performances have been caused by weakness on my part and not being weighed down by my bike!
All that being said, there is no such thing as a bad reason to get a new bike. I have been feeling the urge for a new super-duper carbon bike lately, but I will probably have to wreck my current one (inevitable) before I actually do it.
points taken! you’re so right, especially about those crazy group rides.
as for you, don’t crash dude. seriously, you’re already a gimp, man.
just get a new bike already; if anything that can make up for the lack of pampering you got on your busted up foot (i must add that the lack of pampering was because of the late nights and beer consumption with the fellas. there is no doubt you brought some of the “cold shoulder” from the girlfriend on yourself you realize, but hell, at least get a new bike out of it. you’ve got to create a win/win somehow!)
KC- Thanks for the shout out I say race the Bianchi!
This person is right: “As for crashing, A) you are probably much more likely to crash in one of the group rides you do than one of the SS women’s races”
I can say that, having raced 6 years of the Cincinnati spring series races and doing a lot of group rides in the area too. Group rides are your more likely candidate for crashes. Honestly, majority of the women that I know that have crashed recently have done so on a group ride. Of the ones that have crashed racing, I can’t think of any whose bikes were hurt (bodies, maybe, but bikes…no Rod is right, women’s racing here locally is different than the local mens races, in terms of numbers, aggression and speed.
For women’s road racing around here, you are better off spending your time learning pack skills (holding line, predicting rider behavior, learning to react to pack movement, etc), practicing accelerations, doing some intervals rather than spending time worrying about getting a new bike. Just my opinion.
I am confident that you can do just fine on any bike material. It comes down to the motor
She is a blast to talk with as well.