I rock the 2009 e-5 allez
Love it.
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/frame/2010-ridley-compact-sram-rival-complete-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.
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/...plete-bike-6676.html
plenty stiff and nearly impossible to beat for price or components…
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
+1 Just bought and am building this bike. Yes its heavy, but stiffness is great.
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.
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
+1 Just bought and am building this bike. Yes its heavy, but stiffness is great.
“Heavy” in a relative sense. With even a modest selection of components, it’s possible to somewhat easily build one up into the ~17lb range…plus, I’ve been told that you can drop a good portion of the weight difference between it and an SL3 Tarmac by replacing the fork with an SL3 fork (they use the same bearings). I understand they can be gotten relatively inexpensively on ebay 
If I didn’t already have an aluminum Soloist…
You know, if Mark Cote actually makes those BB area improvements he talks about in the interview with Jordan, I might have to spring for one anyway next year
just get a newer alum soloist with the BB and chainstay improvements. win win!
You know, if Mark Cote actually makes those BB area improvements he talks about in the interview with Jordan, I might have to spring for one anyway next year
just get a newer alum soloist with the BB and chainstay improvements. win win!
Sheesh…you can’t get one of those framesets USED for the list price of the Allez…and then, if you consider I get a team discount, well…you do the math
$4 - $2 = less aero = lose
just get a newer alum soloist with the BB and chainstay improvements. win win!
Sheesh…you can’t get one of those framesets USED for the list price of the Allez…and then, if you consider I get a team discount, well…you do the math
$4 - $2 = less aero = lose
True…true…I guess I’ll just have to wait for the “Allez Aero” then
.
I’d get something used for $1k until you can move into Cat 3s. 4s and 5s are too sketch to race a nice bike. I raced about 12 races last year and was involved in two wrecks and barely missed a third…
I’d get something used for $1k until you can move into Cat 3s. 4s and 5s are too sketch to race a nice bike. I raced about 12 races last year and was involved in two wrecks and barely missed a third…
You can build up an Allez E5 for under $1k fairly easily…and, IME, Cat 3s aren’t much better about crashing than 4s or 5s, and in some case actually MORE “sketchy”…
Soloist team (s1) is a wonderful crit bike.
beat me to it.
I like Giant geometry for crits. Stiff, fast, nimble steering.
My 2nd crit this weekend in Cat 5 in which I crashed twice. Crash 1 - Got taken out in the warm up lap hit the deck at 19mph. Crash 2 - Sprinting on the last lap two guys lock handlebars go down I end up crashing into a curb avoiding flying bikes and bodies and going down again.
My S1 doesn’t even have a scratch on it. Both of my Sram Force shifters are scratched up and body is bruised and rashed.
Get the S1 super crit bike.
I’d get something used for $1k until you can move into Cat 3s. 4s and 5s are too sketch to race a nice bike. I raced about 12 races last year and was involved in two wrecks and barely missed a third…
Another option is to get something with a good crash replacement policy. The Allez works for this as Specialized has one. Spooky also advertises $400 crash replacement on their Skeletor frame ($1100 new or thereabouts), and that is one sexy crit bike.
If I didn’t already own a Caad 9 I’d be getting a Skeletor.
I have an aluminum Alan that I use for crits. Not enthralled with the fork, but it’s good enough. I’m happy when I can finish with the group.
If you’re just looking for a frame, the Planet-X aluminum frame for $375 is a steal. Haven’t ridden it, though.
Last year, I purchased a lightly used 2008 CAAD 8 frame/fork (from ebay for around $400) specifically for use in crit races. Relatively inexpensive to replace if I need to. Then built it up mostly from used ebay parts. Excluding wheels, cost me about $1200 for full build - mix of DuraAce and Ultegra group.
Hard to go wrong with either the CAAD or Allez. I somewhat prefer the CAAD for the added BB30 but that’s mostly because I have an extra BB30 crank lying around.
Different, but related question: which of these sturdier bikes has better geometry for tall, long-legged people?