ccrnnr9

Now that summer has hit and I am able to work 40+ hours weekly, I am looking at buying a new frame as I had planned for my moto grand sprint and transferring the wheelset, components, etc to the new frame (ultegra groupset, ritchey parts, and FSA wheels and carbon slk crank). As the thread title says, I am on a budget. This is my first season in Cat5. I have only done 1 race so far but I will have completed 8-10 by the end of the season. I will be doing all road races and crits (mainly crits) and no TT's. The bike will be set up with aerobars later for use in a triathlon but the main concern is for road racing. Weight is obviously a concern but I am beginning to think that weight is not too too important as long as the frame weighs in under 3 lbs (~1360g). I plan to eventually ride on topolino c19's as I am probably getting a job at my LBS and can apply my employee discount to them. That being said, here are some of my choices I have considered thus far:

Orbea Mitis: The LBS that sponsors the team I ride for has a 2003 mitis that has never been ridden or built up on display with Zeus fork in 57cm (my size). I can get the whole rig for right around 750$ with my team discount and get a complete fitment and bike build for a very small additional cost. The frame looks great, I love the ride and fit of other orbeas I have ridden.

Pedal Force frame (prob QS2): I hear nothing but good things about PF. I like the idea of an all carbon frame and the super light weight but I am skeptical about the fitment readings they have given me. I am also skeptical of riding an all carbon bike....call me crazy. 650$ + 150$ for a PF fork...also very light

Blue RC5-AL: They also get great reviews. I like the idea of riding something different from what everyone in my area rides (lemond, trek, giant, specialized, cervelo, etc). The price is good and the weight is dead on even with the Orbea Mitis 1306g (2.8lbs). The fork sure is heavy though. I will have to try to test ride one of these at a shop near me but it may be hard to find one. According to their website, the 58cm blue is very close to the 57cm orbea mitis.

I am open for suggestions. Another brand I want to consider is bianchi but I cannot seem to find much usefull info from their site concerning their framesets. Do they sell anything under 1000$? I want to spend as little as possible while still getting a good product. I race at the collegiate level and this summer I am racing for a local team. I ride 200-300 miles weekly. A comfy ride is preferred as I have lower back problems...stiffness is most important though.
~Nick

dekalbSTEEL

Why not just use the frame you have?

nitropowered

You can find good deals on ebay sometimes if you are patient

domestique

Is the Orbea just the frame and fork? you said the "whole rig"..... Orbeas are really nice, very OCP, but common.... I have never seen a Blue on the road... they too are also really nice.

However with your shop sponsoring your team and being a spplier of Orbea I would prolly go with the Orbea. How do the warranties between the two companies compare? Since it is your normal shop maybe they would be willing to work with you if would crash.

All this being said I wouldn't want to race a new Orbea in a Crit. I would just stick with your old frame.

Stjtoday

You can find a new 2004 Look carbon frame for $850 - $1000, (includes the HSC4 Fork which is actually better rated than the current HSC5). All the Looks Ediscountbike sells come with a full manufacturers warranty.

Check the Steel frame Rad55 just snagged to see what a little patience, and far less money could yield.

Zurich

I'm a grad student, so I actually have less money than you do. That being said, I managed to find a guru racelite frame w/ a look fork on ebay for like $250. That is the route I would go.

ccrnnr9

I am having a little trouble getting a good fit on it. I may end up sticking with it but I am keeping my options open at this point. Before I do anything I am going to work with some the current frame regarding its fit. I just wish the seat tube were a bit longer. Maybe I am just being bit with the bug to upgrade to bigger and better things when the money would be better spent on other aspects of the bike. Anyways, I was looking for frame suggestions.
~Nick

urbanknight

Agreed. If you're racing cat5, save your money so you can buy a replacement if/when you wreck yours in a crit. When I was racing on a budget (I was in high school) I bought decent take-off frames for around $100-200 from local shops and built them up with my existing components or stuff I got at swapmeets or shop sales. If you really think you need a new frame, though, I suggest getting an inexpensive aluminum one for crits. Nice and stiff, yet light.

urbanknight

Ahh, see if a longer stem helps with that. If so, you can spend your money on a decent set of wheels. Then you will have a lighter pair to race on, and your old ones go in the wheel pit as spares and/or for training rides. That is assuming you don't already have your own spares.

ccrnnr9

Ya the bike was originally equipped with a 100mm stem and then I bought a 120. I still am getting some lower back pain. I need to try a 110. In the meantime I have the bike on my trainer and I am going to try refitting the bike to myself using a new fit method I located online. It looks good and Ive got good reviews on it. Keep the suggestions coming!
~Nick