Road Bike Racing - Can I be competitive

Ok, so I'm 17 and dont have tons of money so I went out and purchased an early 90's specialized allez with rx100 components. It's just an 8 speed but seems to ride quite nice. Can I be competitive starting out with this bike and what kinds of obstacles or things should I focus on in my training.

Ok, so I'm 17 and dont have tons of money so I went out and purchased an early 90's specialized allez with rx100 components. It's just an 8 speed but seems to ride quite nice. Can I be competitive starting out with this bike and what kinds of obstacles or things should I focus on in my training.


Trust me, the first thing you'll find out is that "it's not about the bike" :D :D

If you're good, it won't matter what you're riding, as long as it rolls forward properly and you can shift without having the chain fly off heh

Yeah sure you can! The important thing is not to burn out in a year or two which is common for your age of rider.
Ride with a club and get your legs, learn the basics and test your level.
good luck

its not about the bike... but a good bike helps..

RX100 is not that bad. Its equivalent to the current Tiagra groupset. But I think the RX100 quality exceeds that of the current Tiagra.

I had a riding buddie who used to run those on his bike.. It was good! Light enough.. The only downside is the Finish... I didn't quite like the paint finish.

RX100 from the early 90's is no different functionally than 105 from the same period. They were identical except for the finish.

If you a serious about racing check out www.usacycling.org and find a local club with a junior team, and you may find a coach in your area www.bicyclecoach.com.

Buddy B

A used allez with RX-100 was my first racing bike (in the mid-1990s). You'll like the satisfaction you'll get flying past guys on bikes that cost 5-6 times what yours did. Maybe that won't happen if you're racing juniors, but still. Its a solid bike and good enough components. Train right and you'll be in business.

Ok, so I'm 17 and dont have tons of money so I went out and purchased an early 90's specialized allez with rx100 components. It's just an 8 speed but seems to ride quite nice. Can I be competitive starting out with this bike and what kinds of obstacles or things should I focus on in my training.
put the miles on the bike(I mean your legs), and you will be competitive, don't pay to much attention to your components,

how much did that bike cost?

It's better to start with a bike like this anyway to test the waters and see if it's something you really want to. Chances are, that you will and in a year or two you'll step up to finer bike.....or you my bag it and switch to synchronized swimming :D

That RX 100 is alot better than some of the groupsets on the market today(Sora, Tiagra, and some of the Campy stuff). It's very durable. I rode it for a while a few years back. That Allez carbon was a good frame too. I think it was a better frame than that Trek composite one that Trek had out about the same time(2100, 2300, 2500). You have what you need...now just keep it clean and maintained regularly. Go ride!!!!!!

whoa!!! you never mentioned carbon did you...I think that was the 'Epic' frame..so perhaps your Allez is aluminum?