"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - racers: advice on bikes for a beginner??

I'm going to try out racing in about a month.

history: long time endurance racer both on and off road. ultra endurace road, 100mi type stuff off road.

anyways, i've, a pretty expensive custom IF crown jewel steel frame fork, new this year with top end components. I'm not rich, and am very nervous about trashing it racing around central park. since it's steel, it's pretty easy to fix, but...

would you a: buy a cheaper bike like a caad 9 and toss it around not caring if you wreck it.

or b: say screw it, race the IF and use all that money for the caad 9 and finally go to power training, something i've been wanting to do for awhile now.

while i did crash in my first race in CP, it's not that sketchy of a course.

my advice - race your boutique bike. if you actually like racing, invest in something you're comfortable racing on.

If you're fairly confident in your ability to stay upright, I say race the IF. I've raced my steal Serotta 1000's of miles and never crashed it. If you're worried about crashing, buy a disposable aluminum frame like the Caad 9 or similar, and put your components on there. If it were me I'd race the IF and not stress it. You didn't buy it to hang it on a wall like art did you?

I've crashed way more JRA than I have racing.

I'd race what I was comfortable on. I think that means the IF.

if it were me, a custom ride that saw serious hours would hold tons of sentimental value and transcend the duty of training crits

are you a 58cm by chance?
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/17739-180_SETXM8-3-Parts-60-Frames/Sette-Ximo-Road-Frame-White.htm

if it were me, a custom ride that saw serious hours would hold tons of sentimental value and transcend the duty of training crits

are you a 58cm by chance?
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/17739-180_SETXM8-3-Parts-60-Frames/Sette-Ximo-Road-Frame-White.htm

yeah, I am. Thanks for the link.

It's a tool, not a jewel. (http://www.abovecategorynews.com/2008/11/racing-pegoretti.html)

It's a tool, not a jewel. (http://www.abovecategorynews.com/2008/11/racing-pegoretti.html)


That's why I'm going to race the crap out of it!

are you a 58cm by chance?
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/17739-180_SETXM8-3-Parts-60-Frames/Sette-Ximo-Road-Frame-White.htm

Wow, that's a great price for a disposable frame. Hopefully, when I put my 58cm CAAD5 on eBay, any potential bidders won't see this link!

I've crashed way more JRA than I have racing.
Same here, and many of the crashes - both racing and JRA - end up with only some torn bar tape and a scratched derailleur.

I purchased the Sette frame from Pricepoint a couple weeks ago ($79 then) and built the bike up with parts from an older Cannondale and leftovers from upgrades to other bikes. I also bought a CF/aluminum fork from Performance for $80. I will use the bike for some crits and training rides on bad days.

I purchased the Sette frame from Pricepoint a couple weeks ago ($79 then) and built the bike up with parts from an older Cannondale and leftovers from upgrades to other bikes. I also bought a CF/aluminum fork from Performance for $80. I will use the bike for some crits and training rides on bad days.

how does it ride?

Have you raced it yet? / trained with it? ??


I would like to hear a review =)

i've crashed way more jra than i have racing.

+1

Same here, and many of the crashes - both racing and JRA - end up with only some torn bar tape and a scratched derailleur.

My worst "crash" was when you ran into the back of me in that pileup at Chuck Pontius last year... My bike never even touched the ground :p

i've only managed to trash wheels and derailleur hangers so far

My worst "crash" was when you ran into the back of me in that pileup at Chuck Pontius last year... My bike never even touched the ground :p
That's the only crash I've ever been in during a race, aside from getting wedged to a stop at a curb but not actually hitting anyone. As for my crashed during training, many of them are pretty stupid.

how does it ride?

Have you raced it yet? / trained with it? ??


I would like to hear a review =)

I haven't raced the bike yet, but have taken it on a 44 mile, hilly training ride and have done a sprint set workout on the bike as well as a couple recovery rides. It rides and handles very well and is not a harsh ride. The smoother ride could be the result of the CF fork. I actually like the bike more than the original Cannondale CADD 3 frame. I lucked out with the Performance fork, the paint and trim match the frame perfectly. I also purchased some gray,white and black bar tape from PricePiont that I still need to install. I have also switched some of the spacers on the stem since the image was taken.

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr256/sru75/IMG_0961.jpg

ive been racing, commuting, crashing you name it on this for the past 2 years. Cant seem to kill the darn thing.

I will agree riding a budget bike per say is great piece of mind. If i crash it I could order a replacement the next day without missing a beat :thumb: in fact a year ago i took the initiative and ordered a replacement when Mike was offering a x-mas deal in white. Still sitting in a box brand new now for over a year...

will add that i recently replaced the brakes that came on the bike with dura-ace and WOW what a difference - had no idea what i was missing.

http://www.fototime.com/48AC2B34BEB53A9/standard.jpg

I would have bought that bike if I hadn't bought a CAAD9.

(the moto, that is)