I have The Hour and raced it last year at the local track. It's no where near as fancy as the other bikes out on the track. I'm sure there are people making jokes and laughing at it. I'm okay with that because it's what I could afford.

I could have saved up for something better, but this is a stop-gap measure for me. The rental bikes aren't quite my size and you aren't supposed to change the gearing.

Also consider your dedication to the track. Will you be one of those guys out there regularly racing several times a week and training the other days, or does your schedule only allow once a week at best? I can't get out there every week so it doesn't make sense to drop $600-$1000 on a bike that might only get ridden a handful of times a year.

I enjoy racing and hope to be able to race regularly and then I will get the nicer bike, but until then I say ride what you can afford and just enjoy your time on the track.