Originally Posted by
gomango
Toavii hit the nail on the head with the Cannondale choice.I see a lot of the junior racers on these. lots of bang for the $$$$.
Same was true 25-30 years ago as well. Before i procured my first lugged Italian bike, i ran through a series of welded aluminum bikes to include a Cannondale Criterium.
Effective short course race machinery at a price that wouldnt make you cry too much if you damaged it in a pile up
The stuff i like to ride today are the type of rides you only saw under sponsored riders or well heeled vet class guys. The average cat 3 rode C'Dales, Specialized, Giants- typically with either 105 or tri color components
Nowadays, everyone is a superstar in their own minds though- even the cat 5 class at our local Tuesday night worlds is full of $6500 bikes with Di2 and Enve wheels
Its good for the industry though-- somebody out there has gotta buy the new stuff