LIUser22

im thinking about racing but the one thing that's stopping me is my bike. As of now i have a Specialized Tarmac that it my baby, i could never fathom crashing it. I'm not a strong rider so i would not be racing cat 5's, but i hear a lot of crashes still happen at the lower levels?

would it be a waste of time to get myself a caad9 with 105? It's within my budget to do so, and it's another bike

or am i just wasting money and i'm being too negative about the situation when i could put that towards a set of zipps

cat4ever

What do you mean?

wanders

LI,
I just did exactly that. Except mine was not to protect any thing more than my dignity. My road bike is 9 years old with a flexy TI frame so I thought I wanted something stiffer. Note I didn't say need.
Anyway here she is. I got Ksyriums for stiffness as well. Good luck racing.

pcates

yea i'm confused about not racing the cat 5's because you're not a strong rider as well......thats what cat 5 is there for?

sure get another bike......or stop being a baby and ride the one you have...and why get zipps if you won't race them? if you're going to race you have to accept the fact that at some point you may (odds are will) destroy some equipment. If you're not ready to accept that then why buy racing gear?

zzzwillzzz

you will be racing cat 5s, unless you a woman or junior.
if you're worried about ruining your baby don't bother racing, it's not for you. do not buy another bike to race on, that's lame. use your brain, have some experience riding in a pack, and some decent fitness to keep you out trouble and you'll be pretty safe
cat 5s are not the demolition derby, yes you might crash, but it's not as bad as some make it out to be. i.e. you won't win because you were the last one riding

zzzwillzzz

zipps for racing

zipps for not racing

curiouskid55

Race the Tarmac , that's what it was built for. Buy yourself another bike to baby.

MDcatV

If you've not raced before, you'll be racing cat 5. That's the entry level category.

I'd race the Tarmac, you already have it, I assume it fits, and as someone once wrote "it's a tool not a jewel." Very few crashes that I've been around have actually broken frames, but it does happen. Take the $$ you'd plunk down for a new caad9 or for zipps, and either put it toward coaching so you can become more fit, or put it into a savings type account so you're self insuring your tarmac should a frame damaging crash happen.

Crash716

most cat 5 crashes i have seen have been the fault of the guy going down...not caused of someone else....there are times when someone in front of you crashes and you go down with him...learn to bunny hop...i seen guys bunny hop bikes and crashed riders and make it out ok.

it's scary....but damn is it fun man!

Bobby Lex

Psssst. You can crash your bike even if you're not racing it. Really.

Bob

waterrockets 

Yeah, race your bike. Don't buy a bike because you plan on crashing. I didn't crash in a race until I'd been racing 5 years, and I've still only crashed in that one race, back in 1996.

To be clear, you will be racing Cat 5, as that's where you start. Stay in the front 10 in the race until you either get shelled out the back or finish there. Lots less crashing up front, and it's less work as long as you stay out of the top 3 or so.

LIUser22

my bad everyone, i meant i'll be racing cat 5's not any higher

Thanks for all the replies so far!!!

DrWJODonnell

If you are thinking of buying another bike, why not put the money aside, wait to crash your current bike, then fix the damage there?

Enjoy your races. It's addictive.

MDcatV

well, now you've gone and jinxed yourself. maybe you should tell everyone that you cant even remember the last time you had a flat it was so long ago.

Duke of Kent

No, according to the great cosmic deity that governs bike races, you only crash as result of talking about crashes on RACE DAY. From midnight onwards till the end of a race, it is forbidden to talk about crashes. Cooldowns are fine, even if you're still on the course. Crashes can also be talked about on training rides, or teh intranets.

But never, ever on race day. You'll eat it hard if you do that. I've had to walk away from my mom when I only had a towel on (changing before race) because she wouldn't stop talking about crashes, and I refused to absorb any of her bad vibes.

MDcatV

I'm not buying it. I'll talk about crashes, even discuss ways to minimize the odds, but I wont dare utter the words "I havent crashed since ..." even on teh intranets in late november!

waterrockets 

That would be this Monday

You can search for "waterrockets" and "crash" and see that I've been saying this all season, through several crits I've had two crashes in front of me, one right behind me with a broken hip, and a crash beside me where I swear the guy's upside-down bike kept up with me for 20 meters. I've been off the course three times, slid my rear wheel, crashed in training twice, but kept it all good in races.

king-tony

Race your bike. Stay away from Crits until you are comfortable racing and you will be fine. Most CAT5's that are not running single day licenses are fine. It's the guys that have never gone into a corner in a pack that tend to cause the most crashes.

caloso

Yup.

NoRacer

Proof positive of that--did this on Turkey Day; wet wooden bridge at the bottom of a descent @ ~20mph:

Coyote2

+1. And if you want to be extra safe, make your first few races some out-of-the-way road races with few competitors. And do start and stay near the front of the pack, as the yo-yo-ing is much more severe (and risky) towards the back.

LIUser22

sounds good, ill try to keep these in mind

Duke of Kent

A couple of things to think about, that I forgot earlier, and others have mentioned:

1) You're far more likely to break a carbon wheel in a Cat5 race than you are a frame.

2) Stay towards the front. Easier said than done, though, as EVERYONE wants to be there. You should see the up-the-flanks swarming that happens in Pro/1/2 races and some Cat3 races. In my limited experience, if the pace lets up for 5 seconds, in the slightest amount, you aren't safe in 15th position in a 125 rider field, because after you get to the end of that long straight, you'll have lost 20+ spots. Head on a swivel at all times, and pay attention to what is going on several riders ahead of you as well as at the front of the race.

classic1

'Crash' sounds so extreme. So does 'fall'. I prefer 'touch down' or 'losing some bark'.

waterrockets 

I have a friend who races motorcycles, and he says anything under 75mph is "stepping off."