mollusk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAST

Fat Boy

I think the term 'crit bike' is kind of a dead term anymore. Pretty much all reasonable manufacturers turn out a 'race' road bike. Others also have a 'comfort' road bike and possibly even a 'touring' road bike. the 'comfort' model has a taller head tube and a little longer chainstays. The 'touring' model has room for bigger tires and mounts for racks.

As long as you stay on the 'race' bike page in the catalog or on the website, I think you'd be hard pressed to come up with a truly bad bike.

Ed7

Wow.. Didn't expect Julian Franco himself to be tuning in. That's pretty cool.

Crash716

Hey Julian, It was great to meet you at the Ride for Ronette a few weeks ago, this is Jason, the guy from Capools that was eating with ya.

Hope the Masters team is coming together well Look forward to racing against you guys this year!

Ed7

Along with asking for recommendations on a good choice of frame/bike for crits; (now this i'm sure is a real lame question to ask and i'm sure i'm going to get flamed for this, but I am a newbie to road cycling let alone racing so please forgive me), is there any other tips or recommendations on say component selection to look for that helps for this style of racing? Like gear size selection, tire selection, or am I just looking way to far into this and I should just get something that's fits well and race knowing i'm not going to win any titles anyways

carpediemracing 

Figure a reasonably close ratio cassette (I use either an 11-25 or 11-23 10s) so you can make 1 tooth shifts. Tires, fresh rubber that has good traction, size is dependent on rider but 23c clinchers are fine. What quality clincher? I've raced on Armadillo like tires and Krylions mainly, when doing clinchers. Super light clinchers I don't have luck with, cuts etc. Any bar mounted shifter (bar end or almost any current Shimano/Campy/SRAM brake lever / shifter).

Yes, aero wheels help. Yes a lighter bike helps. Will those help me beat a better rider? No. On my best carbon aero tubulars I can't stay on the wheel of a guy on a heavier frame, non-aero Mavics, with similar components, forget about trying to beat him.

It's more about fit and tactics.

shovelhd

You'll never know if you're going to win any titles or not until you try. Assume that you will have success, and define success in your own terms.

Fit is #1, and as someone else said, assuming you'll have one bike for training and racing road events, it's just as important to have comfortable fitting bike for long training rides as it is for short races. If you go crazy aggressive, that may hurt you on the long rides. A good quality road frame will do everything right. Which is best for you is very personal. For me, I've never really been comfortable on a full compact frame. I prefer a traditional geometry. However, there are plenty of people riding and racing on compact frames. It's really up to you.

As for components, 105/Rival should be your entry point. They will do just fine for any kind of racing. As you get better, you may demand more from your shifting. That's why I use Dura-Ace. Just start with what you can afford. You can always upgrade later.

waterrockets 

Tires, yes, that can make a difference. Michelin Pro Race 3s are popular, as are Continental GP 4000. I usually just buy a bunch of Specialized tires every winter, and have done well on my Pro II tires.

Gearing will take care of itself, as long as you have a 12 on the back, no crit will spin you out (compact rings or not).

Equipment wise, I'd say setup is really important, but you can win on SRAM Red or Shimano Tiagra. The thing a lot of people miss (as mentioned by CDR several times) is that when you're out of the saddle in a full-on sprint, in the drops: make sure you can upshift without digital gymnastics. The shifter/bar tilt needs to be low enough to allow you to reach the shifter when your forearms are nearly vertical coming into the drops.

Brian Ratliff

In the tires department, nothing beats a veloflex-like tubular tire. For clinchers, Michelin pro race tires are pretty good, though if it is wet, I would go with a conti tire with their soft carbon rubber tread. The silicone rubber tread (which means any colored tread), at least in my experience, doesn't work as well as carbon rubber tread when wet.

topflightpro

As already mentioned, aluminum is cheaper to replace, but carbon is becoming more durable and easier and cheaper to repair. For example, I paid $600 for my Caad 9 frame, which replaced a broken Specialized aluminum S-Works, whereas my buddy paid $400 to repair his Argon 18 Galium Pro.

Also, aluminum tubes keep getting thinner making them more susceptible to large dents, which eventually tear (this is what happened to my S-Works).

And while riding smart can generally keep you out of crashes, I have been taken down by guys crashing behind me.

As for tires, I've been racing on Continental SuperSonics the last year and really like them - though I don't use them on wet ground. I also run Sram Force on my race bike. I would have gone Rival, but I got a deal on a Force group that cost less than Rival.

fordfasterr

tires:

Tubular: Vittoria Evo Corsa CX (23mm)

Clinchers: Schwalbe Ultremo ZX (23mm)

GirlAnachronism

+1, I love these tires.

Hida Yanra

the clinchers are very good - the tubulars are incredible... but at MSRP +/-$200 a tyre, I wouldn't ride them for that price.
The head wrench at my bike shop said they were the nicest road tyre he'd ever put on a wheel - and he glues up wheels all the time.

fordfasterr

I want to try the tubulars but my shop doesn't stock them (yet).

carpediemracing 

Lemme add just one more thing:
https://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...team-bike.html

carpediemracing 

heh. I stock tubulars for myself. I have 6? 8? new ones in the basement, maybe 8-10 more on wheels or recently on wheels. And two out on semi-permanent loan (on wheels). If you make the move to tubulars you may have to do this. I also buy glue in bulky numbers, I think I grabbed a box of 12 tubes last time I bought some. I bought a can of it once but that was when I rode tubulars more.

jeebusaurousrex

I feel like they don't work as well as black/carbon when dry either. I tried to be fancy earlier this year and got Vittorias in red. Slid out and crashed making a very tame turn. Changed back to black and behold, no problems again.

caloso

I also love my Schwalbe Ultremo tubulars.

carpediemracing 

+1 on the shifter placement thing.

Also, although a 12 will work in a pinch, an 11 is nice as insurance. If there's a fast bit on the course, where everyone goes 35 mph, moving up in the 11 will be easier than in the 12, at least it is for me.

Also, if your front derailleur stops working for any reason, the 11 can be a godsend.

I've raced with a 12-25 by accident (chose wrong wheel) and I won't say that I've ever lost a race because of the 12, and I admit to overgearing in sprints in the 11, but given my druthers I'll take an 11T.

Racer Ex 

Yep. The corners were a big help in keeping the gap.

As an ex MotoGP guy my two cents on tires is that most folks don't go hard enough to really push tires...if they do get skating it's more from bad technique or lines. Haven't tried the Schwalbe tubulars but have been on most everything else. While they don't have fabulous rolling resistance because of the butyl tube, the Conti Comps stick the best of what I've been on...seem to work welll in the wet also. I can get the Vittorias and all the others to skip around.

The Michelins are my pick for a clincher race tire.

Ed7

Great article! Thanks so much for the help so far everyone. I'm glad I posted this here, helped me put some things into prospective and taught me as well.

Ed7

Sorry to bring this thread up again. I still haven't pulled the trigger on a bike, and time is running out. After all the searching I've done on the net I came to the realization that Carbon is a foolish way to go. So now I have come to these 3 options.1- Buy a Caad10 with so/so components from my LBS, 2- start shoppin on Ebay and score a Caad9 frame then build it with better components to my liking, or 3-Save some money and convert the bike I have now (90's Cdale 2.8 R800), to ergo shifters, new rear derailleur, lower stance quill stem, wheels and tires. Not sure if the frame would even be worth all the money. Thanks guys!

Fat Boy

Option 4: Race the Cdale 2.8 just exactly like it is. Use it for the 10 Cat 5 races you're going to have to race. No one gives a toss how you finish in these as long as you do indeed finish. In the meantime, keep an eye out on Craigslist for a 'race' bike. A buddy of mine bought a perfect CAAD10-Rival bike for $1200 on CL. Hang around and you'll find something like that as well.

markymark69

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Van Dessel Rivet. A bunch of us in MABRA ride them. There is a off-camber turn in the bryan Park crit series..I can take it at 40+ and easily hold my line. I have yet to do that on several treks.

Ed7

I could go with option 4. But the down tube shifters are my biggest concern. Having never ridin in a crit, are shifters on the down tube going to hinder me all that much or do you not really shift all that much to even matter?