Good enough

cdy291 said:

Whats a bike that you guys would call good enough to race with. As in the cheapest parts that will work. Talking about road bikes.

Just want to compare your answers to the bike I have now.

Let's see, a 20 year old steel frame, maybe some old Mavic clinchers, an assortment of older parts like some circa 1989 Shimano 600(or was it Ultegra by then) brakes, maybe a 6 or 7 speed cluster. Yep, that should be race worthy... wait! that's the bike I've ridden in a dozen races including three stage races this season and have finished top ten to fifteen in GC in all of them. Sure, I'd love to have the latest carbon or titanium ultralight frame coupled with some high end Campy parts but it's not in the budget right now and frankly it's not the weak link in my racing. When I lose the leaders after a couple of hours of fierce attacks on relatively flat roads it's sure not my bike making the difference as I work to collect a chase group and get on with the race.

If the bike shifts when you want it to, handles descents and fast turns without threatening to kill you, has brakes that will stop you when needed and isn't made out of plumbers pipe then it's plenty to get started in racing. Sure we'd all like more, or less as it were but don't go down the pyschological path of worrying about your bike.

If you come into a lot of cash then go crazy but in the meantime train on what you have and race on what you have and don't spend any mental energy wondering whether it's enough. And definitely don't let others tell you whether or not your bike is race worthy, that's a sure path to pre-race psych out. Better yet, get very fit and very fast and make them wonder how you can put the hurt to them on the bike you have, that's the kind of psych out you want 🙂

Good racing,
Dave
Edit... Actually the one huge upgrade I made was PT rear wheels which more than doubled the total cost of the bike relative to buying it new back in the day. And with the new wheels I went to a used 8 speed drive train since it's pretty darn tough to find 7 speed cassettes But it's still a vintage steel frame weighing in over 20 pounds and still rides like a dream.

Hallo everyone my first post here. Sorry for my english, I'm from Pisa and I've learnt english @ school.

I think a steel frame + 6-7 gears rear derailleur is enough, as davery[...] said; anyway consider that 1) handlebar commands for the gears are a SAFETY device and a FUNCTIONAL device too (you can shift gear without taking off hands from handlebar + you can shift gears very quickly when you respond to an attack or during a sprint).

Use the right gears when you put it up, and consider using aluminium: here in Italy a frameset in alu built from an artisan on you costs about 350 euros (450 dollars?) and weights about 1200 grams (that's not so far from top line carbon frames, that are 900 grams...). You should find somewhere a used Cannondale (caad 3?), they're pretty good frames, we use them also down here in Yurop ;P

It's all about the engine mate. I regulary spank guys on $6000 Colnagos and Merlins, yet can always find some old guy on a steel bike to kick my azz.

I would say that I fit into the spaking category. Every racer in this area knows who Cody Hall is. I started the year as a Cat5 and have had enough points to be a 2 since the first of June. I just cant help but to look at those $6,000 bikes and wonder what I'm missing. At races I usally have the cheapest bike there, or one of them.

- back to the OP's question , me thinks that the line is/was drawn
with the advent of the STI shifters. Downtube mounted shifters
are/were a real disadvantage.

cheers.
.

Once you're in the $1k range, I would say that almost all the gains are pure engine.

pistole said:

- back to the OP's question , me thinks that the line is/was drawn
with the advent of the STI shifters. Downtube mounted shifters
are/were a real disadvantage.

cheers.
.

Yes sti/ergo shifters on a bike that fits well and is well tuned will keep you out of a lot of trouble - I met a guy the other day on a 20+ year old cheap steel roadie (with downtube shifters I might add) and he could out ride me.

What has been said, it's the engine - plus the love of riding - that's what really matters in the end.

I love riding carbon frames, but I crashed one out in a crit 2 months ago and swore I'd ride a cheap AL frame beater (Raleigh frame, Tiagra/105 component mix) in all my crits since then because replacing CF frames hurts the wallet way too much. Guess what? I'm still having good finishes!

Now, back to the original question. Frame material is immaterial; steel, CF, AL, Ti or a hybrid ... none will make you a better racer. This is especially true of crits (the majority of US races) where bike weight is far less critical. At a minimum you're going to want STI type shifters as others have noted. Tires and wheels would be the next items to assist, but again it all goes back to the engine in a race. Are you at your optimum fitness level? Do you have any extra pounds to shed. Racing is just a total blast, pure adrenaline filled fun. I've never seen a situation where a better bike alone would have put someone on the podium.

Let's start with you telling us what you are currently riding.....

I'm about to be racing on a world class level. A UCI stage race in Canada. All my other team mates have Campy record or Dura ace. And here I am with 105 9 speed shifters and Ultegra derailers. But the thing that bothers me most about my bike is the Bontrager Race Lite crank. It is so un-stiff that I can feel it flex when I put the power down. My wheels are actually kinda nice though, Kysrium SSL.

Ain't nothing wrong with 105 9-speed components. As far as the cranks go, that might be more personal preference if you don't like them. Ride on, worry about the race, not what the other guys are riding.

I raced a 27-mile road race on the 4rth of July.

One fellow showed up on 1980's steel frame with down tube FRICTION shift levers, 7-speed freewheel, a frame pump taped to the top tube with electrical tape...and he finished in the top five.

The course had one triple-step hill that required me to drop into a 39 x 19 and several intermediate rollers.

I managed a 10th place on carbon fibre and new Campy. It's the motor far more than the bicycle. What Skoorb stated is pretty much right on the money.

cdy291 said:

I'm about to be racing on a world class level. A UCI stage race in Canada. All my other team mates have Campy record or Dura ace. And here I am with 105 9 speed shifters and Ultegra derailers. But the thing that bothers me most about my bike is the Bontrager Race Lite crank. It is so un-stiff that I can feel it flex when I put the power down. My wheels are actually kinda nice though, Kysrium SSL.

Are you going to have some sort of neutral support? I think you may have a problem getting a wheel if there's support. I'd imagine they're all 10 speed, whether it's Campy or Shimano. Other than that, if you're winning on what you have, why change?

Good luck in your race.

pistole said:

- back to the OP's question , me thinks that the line is/was drawn
with the advent of the STI shifters. Downtube mounted shifters
are/were a real disadvantage.

cheers.
.

I agree.

I loaned my old, low-end bike with downtube shifters to a young kid and he won a race with it last weekend! (I've never "raced" so it's a first for this thing). I asked him to sign the top tube with a sharpie before he returned it, but I don't think he takes me seriously being that I'm an old coot and all.

The point is he did have to learn how to use those downtube shifters as the only bikes he's ridden are MTB's and his father's modern bike. This was a pretty flat course, so there wasn't a lot of shifting. If not for that, I do think that the shifters would be a disadvantage both in terms of efficiency and safety, him being a novice with them and all.

I thought it was fun to watch him encounter and ride the bike. I don't think he even knew what "downtube shifters" were, and then kind of got a kick out of riding such an old fashioned bike. I also think he had a lot of pride winning a race with an arguably inferior piece of equipment. I know I was proud for him.

cdy291 said:

I'm about to be racing on a world class level. A UCI stage race in Canada. All my other team mates have Campy record or Dura ace. And here I am with 105 9 speed shifters and Ultegra derailers. But the thing that bothers me most about my bike is the Bontrager Race Lite crank. It is so un-stiff that I can feel it flex when I put the power down. My wheels are actually kinda nice though, Kysrium SSL.

Sounds like you getting good enough to have some sponsorship come your way--or at least good enough to seek some out.

John M said:

Sounds like you getting good enough to have some sponsorship come your way--or at least good enough to seek some out.

Maybe next year. The team I am on now is BS for sponsorship. We have Bianchi all over our jerseys but can't get any kind of a discount on them.