Is it stupid to race a bike you've just gotten the same day?
 

My new bike was shipped in to REI and I can't pick it up until tomorrow, which is the day of a race. I can ride it maybe 10 miles, do some dismounts, work on the position. That's about it.

I can't ride the bike I have before, it's being sold and I don't want to beat it up anymore.

Is it stupid to do this, epecialy since I'm a noob to begin with?

I would say it's not stupid, but it would probably be stupid to have high expectations. For me there's always a feeling out process that I go thru with each new bike.

Questions come down to 2 things-
1- do you trust the build up/mechanic enough to have built the bike up safely?
2- do you trust your own skills to be able to handle the bike safely?
If you question either one of those, than yes its a bad idea IMO

well, it needs a shakedown cruise.

when you race it, bring a set of allen keys, small phillips, and a number 10 wrench

then beat the snot out of it. tune it on the course if you find that it is tweaked

I would only add to that, will the stem be too long/short for you? Blowing out your back/shoulders because the bike came w/ a stem 2cm too long isn't worth it. Measure up your current bike and know what changes to make right away if need-be.

+1

I had my bike stolen the night before a MTB race. The owner of the bike shop I worked at was racing that day and giving me a ride to the race. We drove to his shop, grabbed a bike in the box and I assembled it in the back of a mini van the morning of the race.

I had just enough time to register and line up. I got the hole shot but crashed on the second lap knocking the handle bar (quill not tight enough) off center. For the rest of the race I'd point the handle bar one way and the wheel might flop over.

Moral of story? Make sure things are tight. Get there early and shake out any potential problems.

I was fourth in that race.

I'll definately be giving the bike a thorough checking over either way (make sure all cables are tight, etcetera) I guess I'll just see if I feel comfortable on it. There's a park on the way back from REI where I can practice sand, cornering on wet grass, etc. Also, if the stem doesn't feel right, I have a Ritchey adjustable one I can throw on and tweak with the position (I knew that thing would come in handy one of these days).

So yeah, I guess I'll just see. I had been hoping to get the bike today and get everything figured out with a little more time, but the shop guys had a long wait list. I even considered just getting it and building it up myself...until I realized that I don't have a car to get it home :p

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

Also, I don't have high expectation of placing anyways, so that's not an issue ;).

I raced my first cx race in the beginner's class on a mtb. Then the following week my cx bike was built on Saturday night and I raced it on Sunday morning. No probs! But I *do* definitely echo the advice above.. make sure you take some tools, and also make sure the bike fits you.

Well, I decided not to do it. I like the bike, but I wasn't really comfortable handling it on rough stuff quite yet. Plus I wasn't able to ride it around and get it dialed in as much as I thought I would be able to.


The good news, of course, is that I have a new bike :D I'll try and post some pics tommorow.

Good for you. Safety first.

Enjoy your bike !!!

+1 on checking your new bike out thoroughly before you race. After only one ride I raced my new bike Sunday and the bottom bracket/crank loosened up on the first lap.

Chain into BB + me looking down at it while bombing down a trail = endo into the blackberry bushes. :eek: Ouch!

Bottom line, be safe.

Yeah, it's fun enough to havea new bike without needing to race it right away. Hard to concentrate in class though, I just sit there with a stupid grin day dreaming about my next ride. Kind of like this: :D

i serously doubt he's gonna blow out his back/shoulders because of 2 cm on the stem. sheesh. make sure everything's tight first. and make sure you can get out of your pedals. now go race.