Originally Posted by
EKW in DC
As my friend who dislikes the term race bike says, any bike is a race bike if you ride it hard enough or fast enough.
I still don't think my Surly Long Haul Trucker counts as a race bike, though. :-)
I don't blame your friend because it's not always clear to me what people mean when the say "race bike". To some folks that's anything with drop bars so your LHT would qualify.
People have looked at my bike and asked if I race. I always hesitate and then say, "I've done a few triathlons." because while they are races, triathlons are not bike races in the traditional sense. They also tend to complicate the question of what is a race bike.
This bike qualifies I think. Notice the disc wheel. The shoes are pre-mounted to the bike for a quicker swim to bike transition.
Here's a few thousand other bikes. Triathlons are great places for bike porn:
The balloons aren't there to make the atmosphere more festive. Some folks tie them next to their bike so they can find it when they come out of the water.
Below is where the concept of a race bike gets a little confusing:
Is bike #3221 a race bike or not?