Originally Posted by
merlinextraligh
I didn't say it never happens. Just not all that likely. Obviously if you can't afford to replace it or do without it, then you shouldn't race it.
However, the idea that you should race expensive stuff as a 3 or a 4, but not as a 5 never made that much sense to me.
Crashes happen, and stuff breaks at all levels, take for example Cavendish's wheel.
It makes perfect sense not to invest in $1000 race wheels if you've never done a race. Most new racers find they have very big holes in their fitness or handling skills which no amount of trick gear will overcome. So racing with expensive wheels is just a liability to their wallet at that point. Especially in Cat 5 which is the most crash prone of all categories.
OP if you walked up to a bunch of cyclists at a race around here and explained that you wanted to buy some race wheels before doing your first race, the overwhelming response would be "Just get out there and race, don't worry about the equipment." I doubt you'd find even one guy who thinks it would be a good idea for you to drop $1000 on wheels beforehand.