"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - race bikes and sunday bikes

i've just finished a build recently and only now have i tallied all the costs up- it almost made me faint. :eek: i'm a bit hesitant to race such an expensive bike, but building another bike exclusively for racing would only add to the issue. i wasn't intent on racing, but somewhere along the way...

i've got 2 bikes. one i use to commute with- and this bike gets locked up for hours on occasion, and the other was supposed to be my sunday bike. i'm thinking about building up a race bike to be thrashed and crashed.

so, do you have a bike exclusively built for racing and have another "sunday" bike"?

As far as road bikes:

I ride this one everyday
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y163/cslone/DSC_3551.jpg
I race this one every race with the occasional shakedown ride prior to the races. I don't have a bike that I'm scared to race, which is why I don't put a ton of money into my bikes. I'd be sick if I wrecked a 6K bike. I like my aluminum frames.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y163/cslone/DSC_3556.jpg

I think its more common for people to have a new/nice bike that they use for racing and an older race bike that they use for training and "everyday" riding. Some people have multiple race bikes for different types of races (i.e. crits vs. RRs).

Yep, I have a training bike and a race bike. They are pretty similar though.

Training bike.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b148/LowCel/sl2d.jpg

Race bike.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b148/LowCel/SL1complete.jpg

I have one bike.

Hi,

My bikes are generally well chronicled in these forums.

My race bike is my best and newest bike:
http://www.pbase.com/cleavel/image/91288584/original.jpg

My training bike is my prior race bike:
http://www.pbase.com/cleavel/image/95199717/original.jpg

If you build a bike on which you can crash, you will.

One TT, One Road, One MTB, and a CX on the way.

Commuter:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/NoRacer/0201081915.jpg

...

Racer:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/NoRacer/Misc/DSC00756.jpg

I've one good bike that I use to train and race. There's no way I'm spending that much money on a nice bike if it's only going to get ridden at most once a week.

Just one bike, but most racers would consider it a training bike, or a Roubaix bike :)

Only one, but I'd like to get a bike more suited for crits...
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n127/badfishgood/IMG_4091.jpg

How can someone live with only one bike? ;)

Currently I have 4 and they are all used differently.

-My primary Road bike (training and racing)
-Old steel bike that is left in the Computrainer.
-TT bike (well a road bike conversion)
-Mnt bike

I still want a second straight road bike or a fixed gear, a CX bike and a real TT bike... it never ends.

I have one bike to train on and that I use for RR and circuit races, basically anything except crits (look 595)
Another to do crits with, Higher BB, smaller frame, lower position, much cheaper. (system six)
Then I have a fixie for commuting (KHS flite 100, again cheap)
Then I am looking at TT bikes right now because next year there are 4-5 stage races with TT that I want to do and I'm going to need one eventually anyway.

I think its more common for people to have a new/nice bike that they use for racing and an older race bike that they use for training and "everyday" riding. Some people have multiple race bikes for different types of races (i.e. crits vs. RRs).

I dont know of anybody that does this.

i got's 4 road bikes (and a SS 29er), i use them all, a lot:


1. commuter/CX/touring/ultra distance/winter training bike... this thing does it all. full fenders, tool kit, rack, 3 bottle cages and burly tires. It's a scatantte CX frame. 4000 miles a year. It gets studded tires in the winter. Ive done 200k days, commuted through deep powder and done numerous training rides on this thing. Awesome.

2. Primary training bike: 2002 Trek 5500 with PT rear hub and raceblade fenders when necessary. It has a triple and gatorskins. It's light and reliable enough to race, too as I did for the Battenkill-Roubaix and a few training crits. It was on the trainer most of the winter, too. I beat the crap out of this bike and cant wait to destroy it so I can get a SOMA Smoothie. It has nearly the same position as the race bike and the same pedals saddle and H-bars. Having identical positions on 2 bikes has been very helpful.
3500 miles a year.

3. Race Bike: c-dale caad7 with Easton aero carbon tubulars. couldnt ask for more bike than this. it never leaves me feeling like "it's the bikes fault". I use clinchers for certain races (horrible weather or scary, less-significant crits...). 1500? miles a year

4. Fixed gear conversion. sweet 1984 Japanese frame with armadillos and full fenders. put 2000 miles on her this winter and now she rests rusty in the basement. Great memories...

1) Giant TCR Team Advanced. (the race bike)
2) Merlin Extralight ( the long ride bike, and the "Roubaix" race bike.)
3) Paramount OS (the former race bike.)
4) Paramount Track bike (fixed gear workouts, and if I ever get to a track, race bike.)
5) Griffen Vulcan (the TT bike)
6) Schwinn High Sierra. (the POS MTB)
7) Co-Motion Robusta. (the soon to be Tandem race bike)

How can someone live with only one bike? ;)

Currently I have 4 and they are all used differently.

-My primary Road bike (training and racing)
-Old steel bike that is left in the Computrainer.
-TT bike (well a road bike conversion)
-Mnt bike

I still want a second straight road bike or a fixed gear, a CX bike and a real TT bike... it never ends.

Well, if you're going to count those bikes... ;)

I've also got a tandem and two MTBs (SS and geared)

I have my old training bike as my commuter, and my new bike is my trainer/racer



If you build a bike on which you can crash, you will.

What?

How can someone live with only one bike? ;)

Can't afford / don't need more.

I know you're joking, but I couldn't resist.

What?

I think his point is that if you think you are going to crash, you will be in the mindstate that will lead to crashing. That said, most crashes don't destroy the bike.

I currently have two road bikes - my primary racing/training bike, and a rain bike. The rain bike is not because I won't ride my primary bike in the rain, it has full fenders for the benefit of training partners that draft behind me. I had a fixed gear that I sold - I'm looking for a new one. And I also have a mountain bike that I ride occasionally.

I think his point is that if you think you are going to crash, you will be in the mindstate that will lead to crashing. That said, most crashes don't destroy the bike.

Hi,

Basically correct. If you build a bike because you think you are going to crash, you probably will crash. That's my interpretation of bad Karma and I'm sticking to it.

Race with the intention of staying upright -- don't race thinking that you're bound to crash.

When you can grab the spoke nipple out of my hand... :rolleyes:

My next road bike will probably be a proper 'Sunday bike' for cruising the back roads quickly with a modicum of comfort. Likely a Moots or Hamsten or such. In the meantime I beat the holy hell out of my CR1.

In California we race on Sunday.

Hi,

Basically correct. If you build a bike because you think you are going to crash, you probably will crash. That's my interpretation of bad Karma and I'm sticking to it.

Race with the intention of staying upright -- don't race thinking that you're bound to crash.

When you can grab the spoke nipple out of my hand... :rolleyes:


i understand your point but i disagree. i used to race motorcycles, and we used to say that it wasn't a matter of "will i crash?", it was a matter of when- and "when i do, hopefully it won't hurt to badly". perhaps it's different in bicycle racing (most probably it is because getting in front is a matter of having more motor, not beating someone to the apex with an out-braking move), but still crashes happen. i don't line up thinking that i'm going to crash when i race, but surely, sometimes it's in the back of my mind, and it's silly not to take precautionary measures- isn't that why there's a helmet on your head?

i'm not some sissy worried about crashing all the time :) , if it does happen, i'd rather crash a bike that i didn't care about as much.

i understand your point but i disagree. i used to race motorcycles, and there it wasn't a matter of "will i crash?", it was a matter of when- and "when i do, hopefully it won't hurt to badly". perhaps it's different in bicycle racing (most probably it is because getting in front is a matter of having more motor, not beating someone to the apex with an out-braking move), but still crashes happen. i don't line up thinking that i'm going to crash when i race, but surely, sometimes it's in the back of my mind, and it's silly not to take precautionary measures- isn't that why there's a helmet on your head?

Hi,

Have I crashed during a race? Yes.

Have I crashed during training rides? Yes.

The question I was answering: "i'm thinking about building up a race bike to be thrashed and crashed. so, do you have a bike exclusively built for racing and have another "sunday" bike"?" Assuming that "exclusively built for racing" means expendable and "sunday" means good -- forget the expendable bike.

Building an expendable bike won't help your "hopefully it won't hurt to badly" concerns (but it will hurt your Karma ;) ). Crashing is always on my mind when I line up for a race or when I'm out on the road -- that's why I always wear a helmet (and did so when I rode motorcycles). Building a beater bike for races so I can crash it is what is counter to my thinking. YMMV.

maybe my logic is wrong, but i suspect that most racers crash more often in races than solo training rides. something to do with riding in a pack. i'm not intending on building a race bike "so i can crash it"- no one wants to crash- it hurts! i'm thinking of building one because of the aforementioned higher percentage of crashing during racing, and the fact that racing tends to wear equipment much more quickly than just "riding", and i'd rather thrash and replace cheaper centaur or veloce stuff on a ubiquitous aluminum frame rather than my more pricey chorus components on a handbuilt frame.

or maybe i should just race my sunday bike and save my cash for the next build :)

Although I still have my CAAD8 with Force, now I train and race on this (for training I used different wheels of course):
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m169/umneydurak/my_bike.jpg
Just too lazy to swap the cranks just for the race. Besides I don't want to re-remember how the other bike handles right before the race.

If you can't afford to crash your race bike, you need a less expensive race bike or you need to face the possibility of losing your expensive bike. Honestly, your chances of wrecking your bike in a race crash are pretty low. Damage happens, yes, but you're unlikely to really total something.

It's like this: you should race the best bike you possibly can. Why on earth would you deliberately build a bike that puts you at an equipment disadvantage just to save your "nice" bike? Equipment is not the most important component to racing success, but if you've laid down the cash for higher quality racing gear, you'd be a fool not to use it for its intended purpose: racing. Build a cheaper bike for trashing by all means, but that bicycle is your backup bike. HTFU and race the best you've got. Doing anything different is a bigger waste of your money than crashing and totallng the nice bike.

I beat the living hell out of my one and only bike. I think you should race what you got especially if it's nice. If you buy a bike, get your money's worth and stop worrying about wrecking it.

Road bike
Cross bike which doubles as a road bike, I've even got it rigged for a power tap :) I train more on the road bike though.
TT bike
MTB
Old MTB I can lock up outside and not worry about too much, soon to be single speed.

yes, good points, but the one issue that i'm dealing with is that the frame in question is a handmade steel frame. it's a rare frame and it's a bit like racing a richard sachs frame (not quite, but you get the picture). many bikes on the bf are much more expensive, but perhaps not as unique. it's tough to replace a frame like this in the event of a catastrophe. i wasn't intending on racing, but now here i am, racing :)

part of me just says race it, and if something happens, so what, get a new bike. the other half says, you would not be pleased, and wouldn't be able to replace it if something did happen- don't chance it.

Road race bike
Tri bike
FG commuter/rainbike
Italian steel neo-retro Sunday bike
POS mtb

Hi,

My bikes are generally well chronicled in these forums.

My race bike is my best and newest bike:
http://www.pbase.com/cleavel/image/91288584/original.jpg

My training bike is my prior race bike:
http://www.pbase.com/cleavel/image/95199717/original.jpg

If you build a bike on which you can crash, you will.


Nice bikes Cleave.

Only one, but I'd like to get a bike more suited for crits...
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n127/badfishgood/IMG_4091.jpg


A race bike is a race bike. There is nothing wrong with that bike being used as a crit bike. There is a very good argument that a lower bracket (and centre of gravity) and neutral handling bike like that Merckx is the ideal crit bike. McEwen slaughtered all when he rode crits on one of those Merckx bikes in Australia.

Do what makes you happy.

I have a buddy who is National Team in duathlon and he only has one bike, carbon / ultegra, and he uses it exclusively. Then there are other guys who have a different bike for every day of the month. *shrugs*