"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - I'm afraid to race my new carbon frame in a crit.

Yep.

Can't afford to replace it. It's my only road bike.

that sucks.

ouch...

however, very few people (As a percentage of those who race) get in and out without trashing their frame- but you must be willing to drive it or you will be endangering everyone else on course.

I've been in spots where I couldn't afford to replace my cheap, disposable alum frame, so I know how you feel. (heck, I couldn't afford to get my wheels trued after a wreck) - that said - frames that are 100% raceable can be had for 300 and less, so I'd say "go race!"
All things considered, you have low odds of needing to replace it.

Doctor, it hurts when I do this.

So dont.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oShTJ90fC34..

There are about just as many crashes in road races as there are in crits. Are you going to race on the road with it?

If you want to race, get over it.

The op should just do group rides on open roads instead.

I've raced and wrecked my Orca a bunch of times. Big deal. Buy a cheap AL bike.

i'd rather crash-damage a carbon frame than an aluminum. carbon can be repaired. calfee and road runner velo both do carbon repairs for significantly less than the price of a new frame. so... be less scared?

Buy a Spooky

crash replacement. budget for it.

or don't race.

A. Why did you buy a new carbon frame if you knew you wanted to race?

B. Sell it & buy a used alum frame & some better wheels.

C. What's the problem?

You can destroy a carbon frame just riding to a mellow tempo ride. (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?604718-Caloso-and-the-Terrible-Horrible-No-Good-Very-Bad-Day)

i'm about to get one. i am excited.

a spooky, that is.

I'm afraid to race my new carbon frame in a crit.
Yep.

Can't afford to replace it. It's my only road bike.

This is a common problem.
You'll need to get something you are comfortable throwing away or you'll end up riding around at elevated speeds trying to avoid crashing/crashes and that's not racing

Time Trials on padded surfaces. :D

I sold a frame once for exactly that reason. It was a beautiful frame and much to pretty to waste in a crash. I always preferred to race on replaceable frames when I was a cat 4 then 3 senior. It got much better in the masters and I never worried about racing my Ti frames.

Replace the frame with one that is more expendable and save your nice one. Save up your money and buy parts for it as great deals come along and you have the cash. It becomes a project bike that you don't have to worry about hurrying to build and when it's done you have two nice bikes. One for racing and one for your "feel great" rides. If you use the same basic drivetrain the wheels can be used on both saving more money.

http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2008/05/racing-worrying-about-crashing.html

When you're fluent in the field, you won't be afraid of crashing.

And don't worry too much about equipment. Trust me, you want to wreck your frame if it means saving something on yourself. I'd gladly trade the $7k + broken pelvis + messed up shoulder + 6 weeks of life in exchange for a mere frameset.

As it ended up my bike was fine, my body wasn't.

cdr

@cdr - of all the articles on your blog, I do believe I point people to that one the most often. Excellent, excellent writing.

What happened to the stell Bianchi?

FWIW, after a quality issue with my current carbon frame, I've decided I'm not interested in maintaining a bike with an expensive frame. I'll be going budget on the race frame (aluminum completely replaceable for less than a carbon repair).

That said, I also haven't crashed in a race since 1995 (no bike damage then), and that includes racing and winning in rainy road races and crits since then... and I still don't want the risk.

Not to sound mean, but I'm afraid to race next to anyone who is afraid to race his bike.

Not to sound mean, but I'm afraid to race next to anyone who is afraid to race his bike.

completely true... I'd avoid anyone in a race that I knew was particularly hung up on their bike.

if you total your frame (highly unlikely), just buy a scattante frame and fork at performance for $200. at least you'll have something to ride for a while

if you total your frame (highly unlikely), just buy a scattante frame and fork at performance for $200. at least you'll have something to ride for a while

That or one of the Bike Island Motobecanes for $274 shipped to your door. Just add parts.

Not to sound mean, but I'm afraid to race next to anyone who is afraid to race his bike.

It's a good point. Usually, in tight situations, the riders afraid of the group naturally drift back. If I know someone's a bit sketchy, I just get cozy with them in the field. In 2-3 laps they're closer to the back than I am, and usually unwilling to move up.

The folks I'm afraid of are the ones that have no idea what they're doing but they think they do. They won't back off and get themselves into serious trouble. For those riders I tend to stay either slightly in front of them (say they're 4 rows to my left, I try and hang out 1/4 bike length in front). This way, when they cause a huge stack up, the domino effect will hit my rear wheel. That's fine, versus my front wheel or bars or frame, which is not fine.

I'll also ride at the back, this in crits with free lap rules in effect. I figure I can avoid the crash given enough time/space. Not ideal, but I'm not strong enough to stay at the front, so this is the other alternative. Given enough space I can navigate around all but the biggest crashes without losing contact with the field.

cdr

Yep.

Can't afford to replace it. It's my only road bike.

Then don't do it. It seems to me you really don't have the desire to race anyway, that you are more a bike parts geek. Theres nothing wrong with liking high end bikes and parts for the engineering marvels they are. Don't feel obligated to race just because you have a race bike.

I thought I had the same problem a few months ago, I just bought a carbon bike two days before the race that weekend. I decided to break the new one in instead of racing my old schwinn for that race. And break it in I did... I went down on the 3rd or 4th lap of a crit and I wasn't sure if I should check the bike or my body first. I was fine and so was the bike just a scratched up r. der. and right brifter(which by the way makes for terrible shifting performance). Frame damage is unlikely and I AM glad I raced it. Go for it.

The line of guys who are afraid to race crits, on carbon bikes orotherwise, is very, very long.

...but so is the line of guys who are afraid to race at all.

...and the line of guys who are afraid to ride in the rain.

...and the line of guys who are afraid to ride in packs.

...and the line of guys who are afraid to ride on open roads.

...and on and on and on.

Do you want us to tell you not to be afraid?

Bob

You can destroy a carbon frame just riding to a mellow tempo ride. (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?604718-Caloso-and-the-Terrible-Horrible-No-Good-Very-Bad-Day)

I was going to say the same thing. I wish you didn't have a personal example.

I'll add that I've raced/trained the bejesus out of carbon stuff for years and have only replaced one frame 5 years ago after a nasty crash.

Tool.




The bike I mean.

I broke a steel frame in a road race last year. The frame was probably rideable (large-ish dent on top of the top tube), but why take chances? My sample size is pretty small, but I haven't so much as crashed in a crit yet.

But that's just the stupid anecdotal stuff. Broadly speaking, you are probably no more likely to wreck a bike in a crit than any other type of race. This is not the sort of thing that scientific data exists on, unfortunately, but chances of your frame buying it are pretty small, and lots of the kinds of crashes that would wreck a carbon frame would wreck any other frame. The tubes are more vulnerable to crushing, but that's about it. The parts likely to get damaged are basically shifters, handlebars, wheels, derailers. After that, forks, and then everything else is way down the list. If you're that scared, than you shouldn't race, but I would worry less about the bike and more about the other things that crop up in racing.

grolby's answer should be cut and pasted into any further thread that comes up about this as soon as it's asked since it comes up every 4-6 weeks or so it seems.