Second Mouse

....maybe some of you folks have gone through this. I've been working on the engine, still a lot to do, but it's coming along. Anyway, I'm currently riding this:



LeMond Reno--triple, Tiagra, upgraded wheels. Tuesday night, 30-minute Cat 5 crits, 5 races so far. OTB the first two, flatted the third and finished in the pack the last two races.

So the question before the membership is how much of a boost would something like this give me?:



It's Heyduke's bike. Let's say the Leader frame/fork, Ultegra group, my new Easton EA70 wheels, etc. Seems like a good budget alternative.

I'm not expecting a magic pill, but what do you guys think? What's the likelihood of a noticeable difference in my race results? Or is it really all about the engine?

Thanks. Cheers.

waterrockets 

I don't think there's a performance difference in there anywhere...

bdcheung

No performance difference.

kudude

we could just lie to him.

Placebo effect is probably the most useful upgrade of all.

gsteinb

if you buy that bike I'd expect your next finish to be top 5.

patentcad

If I ever get a new bike I'm not riding it around you pal.

wfrogge

Zero

Scummer

At the race 2 weeks ago I brought my heavy steel bike and my lighter Madone 5.2.
It made not a lick of a difference.
Race 1 with my steel bike cat5/citizens: 19.2mph avg.
Race 2 with Madone 5.2 cat 4/5 : 19.1mph avg.

Got lapped at least once in both races.

Thomas

patentcad

It's not about the bike, it's about the

SCHAAAAA-WAGGGGGGG!!!!!!

MDcatV

1 - is that a saddle or a sliding board? level that thing up.

2 - you'll notice no appreciable difference other than placebo. save your $$ or spend it on becoming more fit and more skilled.

3 - when you've got some experience, skills, and fitness in your legs, get something that is more in line with what you WANT instead of a "budget alternative"

waterrockets 

Yeah, for the price of that bike, I'll bet you could pull a PowerTap off ebay...

Second Mouse

Jeebus, a bunch of gearheads and this is the best you guys can do? This isn't going the way I expected at all.

Mrs. Mouse says thanks.

wfrogge

For the money you could get a coach for (maybe) a year or a PT and coach yourself. Going this direction you would see improvement.

Or

You could pocket the money and just train/race harder on what you have.



If you want encouragement to buy the bike ask the same question in the regular road forum

patentcad

If you get a new bike, you'll be a slow guy with a nifty new bike.

Nothing wrong with that. PM Pcad for any specific input about how to cope with this particular condition, I am an expert.

urbanknight

Correct. I did a junior national pursuit on a disc wheel that must have weighed 2000g but I felt faster and ended up 10th.

So in that mindset, to the OP: It will save you 5 watts at 20 mph, 1 mph over a 20k time trial, 5 place finishes in your next crit, 15 minutes off your next century, or whatever speaks to you the best.

rizz

Keep the bike and ride harder.

GuitarWizard

It will actually make you slower

FatguyRacer

Are the Leaders stickers under or on top of the clear coat?

ridethecliche

Were they flat crits though?

I raced just fine on my 84 steel trek, but I felt the weight when we were accelerating hard out of corners. It took me about half a second longer to get up to speed than everyone else. I'm guessing I wouldn't have been that much faster overall on my cannondale, but I would have been able to accelerate a little more efficiently.

JF1

I vote get the nifty bike. It may motivate you to work harder. That and you know you want it.

cmh

Either way I think you'll place in the pack your next two races, then pull in a top ten in one of the next 2. Finally you'll make the podium in your last cat 5 race and move up to Cat 4. The bike won't make a difference, but it might be more fun to ride so get it if you have the cash.

And by the way - you are going to improve by leaps and bounds with or without a power meter. Save the PM for a year or two when you start to plateau so you can keep getting faster and keep your interest in the sport.

wfrogge

Youre doing it wrong

patentcad

Can't we all just get the Schwag?

mike9903

Reno is a good bike, but it is time to move on!

My Reno has served me well, but I NEED something a lot fancier. . . . .

Second Mouse

Are you still racing your Reno, mike9903?