Originally Posted by
brittle
Seven cat 5 races, and it's clear that while all aspects of my riding (of course) need improvement. But the one area where I'm _dramatically_ lacking is cornering skill. Now, I'm sure that at least 80% of the problem lies w/ me, and I've been working on it ... but I'm wondering if this is one place where the bike itself might actually matter. I've been riding a bike w/ a 'touring' geometry; would 3cm shorter wheelbase & a few degree steeper seat&head angle make a significant difference? I've half-convinced myself that a change'd be a magic fix, but suspect this may be delusional. Raced my first (non-technical) crit on sunday, and my corning deficiency was painfully apparent. Is it just a matter of practice, or would a bike w/ a proper racing geometry really help?
Sorry to say it, but the bike's not likely to make a heck of a lot of difference in a cat4/5 race. Go practice your cornering in a parking lot and ease off the brakes man.
Buttttt, if getting a new bike for racing makes you happy, who am I to deny you the inner self-loathing that can only be expressed through new bike schwag.