"race-ready" vs. not
 

I hear a lot of talk about certain bikes (particularily entry-level road bikes) not being "race-ready". I am very new to this sport and recently bought a Masi Alare as my first bike (I had ridden on a really old schwinn for awhile that was about 5cm too short for me). I have the bike, look pedals, shoes, shorts, and jerseys. What exactly makes a bike "race-worthy"? I am in great shape (although I'm still getting used to cycling). I have been riding a little over 100 miles per week since I got the bike and typically ride at around a 19mph average on 20-30mile rides. I just want to know what else is needed to make my bike "race-worthy". I understand that a higher end bike will have some advantages, but for a college student like me who cant afford more than an entry-level bike at this time I figured a bike was better than no bike.
~Nick

It's really a matter of whether or not the rider is 'Race Ready' and the bike is mechanically sound.

Does it seem like a lot of people live in very flat areas?

Yep....the rider makes the bike "race ready."

You mentioned you're in college. What conference do you want to race in? I raced in the MWCCC and I can guarantee you'll see something a lot less "race ready" than your Masi. I wouldn't worry about it- just ride.

so you would consider a 50 year old bike weighing 50 pounds is race ready if the rider is "race ready" and the bike is mechanicly sound?

your bike will be fine to race. If money were no object, you could get a lighter bike, with better components that are both more durable, and work more smoothly. Also, if you were buying a bike to race, you probably wouldn't buy a triple chainring (unless you were doing some exceptionally hilly races). But the performance difference between your bike and the best bike out there is not that great, and you can definitely compete on your Masi.

Don't be an idiot. Of course there are limits, but most road bikes are 25 pounds or under, and I'd consider all of them race ready- from steel to carbon and Sora to Ultegra.

I saw a guy on a Dawes Lightning (most of you would scoff at such a bike) at a race in Kentucky last year. He had some duct tape over some holes in his bar tape and was riding platform pedals. The route had a couple of tough hills (by Midwestern standards, at least), and he beat over half of the field.

The OP's bike is fine. He can kick some ass on it if he so chooses.

I think having a bike where you can shift when in the drops is pretty important. I guess that's pretty much Tiagra and above. Sora-style thumb trigger shifters are passable. I wouldn't recommend downtube shifters though, unless you've been riding forever.

there are certain USCF and UCI rules to what kind of bike you must use.

for example, you can't race with a recumbant, have a bike over certain dimensions, attachments on your bars (exception being time trial events), small electic motors, oil spray nozzle out the back, etc.

most any road bike built recently would pass the rules.

I'd say "race ready" is a serious thing to consider. By "race ready" I'd mean the tires and tubes are in good shape so you're not going to blowout or flat, the chain and shifting system are strong and reliable so you're not going to skip gear teeth when you sprint, the bike's going to shift reliably, the chain's not going to break or fall off, etc. All spokes are checked to make sure none are loose, the wheels are trued, the seatpost bolt is in good shape and in general there aren't any loose or marginal parts on the bike that could created a danger for you or for other riders :-)

Oh yeah, and no oil spray nozzle out the back etc too.

at the startline of a race i was in earlier this season i saw a guys handlebars come completely loose. it was like they weren't even tightened. this was about 5 seconds before we were off. crazy! i would have been pissed if he caused a crash because of that. so, yeah, the bike should be in perfect working order. that's the most important part.

I think the term "race ready" refers to road bikes that are light and expensive. As others have said, it is the rider that makes a bike truly race ready. I can assure you that if you put me on the finest racing cycle and Lance Armstrong on the ugliest heaviest bike one could imagine, he would clean my clock handily.

I have seen people race on all kinds of bikes, from 25 pounds older schwinns to 15 pound non UCI legal cdales, etc. If you bike is safe to ride in a fast group ride then it is race ready... the motor on the other hand.

When I hear the tem race ready I think of a bike that comes ready to race out of the box... a little different terminology. The only way that you can be race ready though is through months of training... I am definitly not race ready right now!

If the rider has been trainning on that bike then yes

Out the BACK!!! That's what I've been doing wrong, I had mine out the front. Along with all the other things that lilHinault mentioned, I'd double check and then check again that my brakes were properly adjusted, and not dragging.

Steve W.
Who stands and cheers at racers.

umm, training on the 50 lb bike makes it race ready? What if I train on a tricycle is my bike now race ready? If yes, wtf do you mean race ready? Like it can ridden so it's race ready?

(lol... don't even answer me.... i'm being a jerk)

You put lance on a $600 bottom of the line giant ocr3 with sora components, he will waste 99% of the people here.
Most modern road bikes, even the cheapest ones, are infinitely better than the bikes they had in the TDF 20 years ago. You'll be fine.

You need to tell me where I can find a Giant OCR3 for $600.00, please.

wasting the ppl here isn't that special... More interesting to see is what would it do when competing agaisnt the other tour contenders.

Pretty much any lbs can hook you up.
My first roadbike was a giant OCR2, the previous year's model, and I got it for $550.

The "rubber glove" price I gather.

Who whould that 1% be?

Hmmm, I just got one last week. I believe that is the MSRP.

The guy on the R600? :)

I'm kidding I'm kidding. :)

Really? Why didn't you tell anyone, we gotta go riding.