pickycat

I want to race.
I've got a mate in my Chemistry class at my College who is CAT 3 and has a $7,000 bike or something gnarly like that (Gnarly for me at least)

He tells me $3000 is a reasonable price for a bike, clothes and shoes to START.

I'm a college student, I choked on my Goldfish crackers when I heard that number.

Just speculative thought. I'm interested in the sport of cycling, but have no clue what kind of reasonable investment should be made to get my foot in the door.
I'm just looking for some suggestions on "first-step" approaches to my situation.

bikemig 

Buy a 2d hand racing bike; what's your budget? You certainly don't need $3k to start.

pickycat

2D is unfamiliar to me
Is that lingo for Second hand?

(Yes it is apparently..

Where are some good places to start looking for second hand bikes?)

I'm willing to spend maybe $1,500 For a setup that would last a few years at least.

TenSpeedV2

You could race on a Wal-Mart $99 bike if you wanted. It is more about the motor than the bike. I would check your local Craigslist, local race club Facebook page for people selling their old racing bikes, etc.

Dan333SP

You can be perfectly competitive on a $400 used bike versus a bunch of $12,000 bikes, it just depends on your fitness and race tactics. There's a forum here dedicated to racing that has a lot of great advice for beginners. If you haven't even started riding road bikes, you should spend a few months doing that at least to learn how to ride safely before even thinking about racing or training.

Still, assuming you're already fit and have experience on a bike, the bare bones foot in the door approach to racing would probably be a used aluminum bike with Tiagra or 105 for under $500 (make sure the size is right), plus a couple hundred for shoes/pedals/shorts/helmet/jersey and accessories like a floor pump and flat repair kit.

Point is- $5,000 as a baseline to start racing is absurd. 5,000 miles of experience is more reasonable, but there's no specific dollar amount that anyone can put on it other than the cost of a race license and entry fees.

lsberrios1 

With $1k u could get a heck of a bike, 400 for race fees and 150 for shoes and helmet. You could have an awesome race seaon for less than two grand not including hotels and gas.

FBinNY 

As noted above, it's about the engine, not the bike.

the vast bulk of your effort when racing is to overcome wind resistance. The next biggest factor which is much, much smaller is tire drag.

So just about any road bike, properly fitted to the engine can work right will get you into the ball park. Switching to narrow high pressure tires will get you down into then infield, then the rest is up to you.

I'd say that you want to be spending $4-500 or more if your budget allows for it. That will get you started, then it's a question of finding a club with a development program, who's people are more interested in finding and nurturing good candidates than poopooing newbies who don't have the latest and greatest wheels.

BITD it was common practice for the most experienced and strongest club riders to pass along their used bikes to the newbies at very favorable prices to help them get started.


By the way, you might enjoy this story showing that it really is about the engine.

PepeM

I race on a bike that cost ~$800 new. No need for much more, really.

Sizzle-Chest

Bike racing is a rich man's sport. Yes, you can race on an inexpensive bike and if you have the fitness you'll do fine. But considering most cyclists believe it's necessary to spend exorbitant amounts of money on equipment, from wheels to socks, you might receive some raised eyebrows and a few negative comments. To be blunt, people might treat you like sh*t just for not wearing or riding the "right" stuff. I speak from experience racing and winning on inexpensive equipment and having people make all sorts of derogatory comments and assumptions about me, which I put up with because I enjoy the sport.

Tunnelrat81

Another reason to take the above advice and spend only ~$500 on a bike is that sometimes the unexpected happens in racing. Crashes, mechanicals etc. can happen that are out of your control. It's been said "don't race what you can't afford to replace" because one bad day at the local criterium can take your friend's $7000 bike and make it worth $1000 or less. It's much smarter to race an aluminum bike with well maintained 'middle of the road' components (i.e. shimano 105, which is great stuff).

Also, don't ignore the above advice to spend some time riding with groups of riders who are faster than you before signing up for your first race. If you show up to your first race day and get immediately dropped and pulled off course, you could easily get discouraged and quit without giving it a fair chance. Some folks can get dropped repeatedly and only get more determined to improve. Others will lose motivation and quit.

Keep in mind. If you struggle to keep up, don't let anyone tell you that it's because of your equipment. You will see a large improvement in fitness over the first year or two of riding with fast groups and racing, none of which requires expensive gear. Expensive enough gear doesn't exist that would help me keep up with the really fast guys in my area, and you could put any of them on a walmart bike and they'd still drop me. That's the beauty of cycling. Once you are competitive in your racing category, then you can revisit the question of upgrading gear. You'll be more experienced by then and less likely to crash/destroy it, and the very small benefits will be more apparent to you.

-Jeremy

exmechanic89

^This is all very true. I agree with many of the comments in this thread in fact. If you cant compete well on a basic 2nd hand ride, you wont be able to on a $12k super bike either. Just as a crap guitar player wont sound any different on $100 guitar or a $5K guitar. It's all about the motor/skill level.

Inpd

Sure he could but he would suck big time.

OP The challenge you'll find is that most cheap bikes are endurance not racing geometry. Cannondale have the CAAD 8 which is the cheapest race geometry bike for $750

The drive train is Claris, but its usable and will get you started. If you rally like racing you could easily upgrade to a 105 drive train for $350 if you DIY.

See Cannondale 2016 CAAD8 Claris - Suburban Ski and Bike

Doge

How old are you? If over 23 - no hope - you fund. If under 18, unlikely for college, you are golden. In the middle, you can maybe get some support if you are good at begging.

I think the truth is - it sucks. At low 20's I just skipped college classes, sold car so I could ride. And I sucked (racing), well, not so bad, I just didn't win.

You are pretty screwed IMO if nobody wants to sponsor you. Finish college, make money and buy your 3K bike. You are not likely going pro at your age anyway.

Doge

At an un-age / gender handicapped class?
No you don't beyond a men's Cat 3.

American Euchre

I think at cat races, carbon + ultegra is the typical ride. Figure $2500 or so to start, at the low end if you want to match up equipment wise. A few (or many) hundred more for standard gear: clothing, a computer, shoes, helmet, maybe a fit, pump, cages, bottles, etc.

I'm sure you could ride just about any road bike however. An $800 allez might be a good place to start.

CliffordK

Why not build up a $500 to $1000 bike. Plus gear and etc.

Try it out for a year or so.

If you can hang with the fast guys, then consider some upgrades to give you that "edge".

If you're always eating dust on your $500 bike, that expensive bike might help a little bit, but it isn't going to make a night & day difference.

Also, once you start riding your bike, you'll start learning some of the finer details to watch for in your next bike.

Rowan

To my mind, aluminium is the place to start with a frame. You can crash without causing you heartache over whether you've smashed the CF on the inside where you can't see (and the chances are you *will* crash at least once, if not more often).

Aluminium is cheap to start off with. Depending on who you believe, it's stiff so that power transfer is excellent, and almost as light as CF anyway. You can train in a bit more comfort by reducing tyre pressures a little.

Probably you can pick up something pretty cheap used with 105 as a durable but reasonable-quality groupset. You will probably need at least one pair of bike shorts, maybe a cheap jersey with pockets in the back (but an ordinary synthetic T will do), pump, patch kit, chain lube and maybe road shoes, although you can get by with MTB shoes and pedals so the shoes can double-duty as everyday college wear.

Then... concentrate on getting yourself fit, which isn't going to cost you much except in time and food. If you are at college, see what might be available as a training program if there is a bike team. Join a group ride with the local bike shop or club to gauge where you are the moment. And take it from there.

Bike Gremlin

I'd start with an aluminium frame and 2x8, or 2x9 Shimano groupset, as an inexpensive start. That should suffice for amateur racing. If you ever really need a more expensive bicycle, it would mean you're so good that sponsors will be buying you one.

Good shoes (you can go MTB SPD style here as well, no problems) and you're good to go.



The chick in the pic is a former national representative of Yugoslavia, now she wins amateur veteran races. Her bike is the yellow Giant, with 3x8 Sora groupset, about 10 years old. Doesn't bother her.

American Euchre

Impossible.

You need a 2 lb. carbon frame, 1200 gram wheels, hydro disc brakes, $600 sidi's, $300 bibs, a $350 aero helmet, $300 oakley sunglasses, $35 socks, $50 water bottle carbon cages, and $30 gloves to even finish a race, much less win one.

Claris asplodes after the first pedal stroke, second tops.

FBinNY 

IMO there's too much focus on the bike.

Regardless of what bike you end up with, you need to find a club or loose bunch of guys to ride with. You'll need to develop some basic skills, and learn the ropes, so want to find riding buddies that will bring you along and get you to where you can at least hang on with the other novice racers.

So, I'd start by taking your friend out for a beer and asking if he has any interest in helping you get started, or if you should seek out someone who will.

Regardless of how you start out, you'll want the support of a club or something because this is not a cheap sport, except maybe for folks here in NYC that can race in Central or Prospect parks. There'll be transportation to races, plus in many cases the need for lodging the night before or after, carious out of pockets, etc. So riding with friends who can share rides in a van. or split the cost of a cheap motel room, can help keep things affordable.

spectastic

I've gone from my first $800 bike out of college to a higher class carbon bike, all the way up to a specialized venge, which is something like $3000 new. Now, I'm back to racing on my aluminum beater, which I can build up for $800. Why? If you can't afford to replace it, don't race it. Also, I doubt my 19-20 lbs bike holds me back as a cat 3 (hopefully cat 2 by end of season). People are right when they say it's about the engine. Invest in the engine, and get a power meter. Stages and pioneer are two good examples that are in the $500 range, and they do the job. in my opinion, $3000+ bikes are for chumps who buy into the marketing hype being promised by the global bike manufacturers, who are constantly trying to come out with the next best thing and use it to grab more market share. Things like internal cable routing, press fit bottom bracket, di2, one piece construction, etc. all provide marginal performance gains, at a very flat diminishing return for your dollar.

So in conclusion.. get a cheap bike on bikesdirect, nashbar or whatever (I recommend shimano 105 and up), find a saddle that fits you (got to different shops and ask nicely for them to let you sit on them), find the correct fit frame (this is also important), get a power meter (when you get good enough for it to matter), and get a nice pair of wheels (when you get good enough for it to matter)

lyrictenor1

Here's a good race geometry bike with mostly Shimano 105 components. This should serve you well for starters. $1199

Product: Fuji Roubaix 1.3 Road Bike - 2016

spectastic

Save Up to 60% Off Ultegra Road Bikes Shimano Ultegra Road Bikes - Windsor Knight

had this one since 2012. they made some improvements using compact bars and better wheels.

redfooj

are the top cross country runners stratified by their shoes?

kbarch

I've never known anyone (who wasn't a colossal jerk to begin with) to treat another rider poorly on account of the thriftiness of his equipment or kit. Perhaps rather than just putting up with it, you can share their amusement. After all, pointing out the inferiority of something is not derogatory if the thing is lacking in the merit in question to begin with. And if that merit is little more than prestige, well, let them have it. Isn't it GREAT that you can enjoy racing without spending as much as the other folks?

I'm proud of my bikes - they're fancier than a lot of folks' bikes - but I know they don't make ME a better person. In fact, I'm kind of ashamed of what they say about me - that I'm a spendthrift. I should be proud to race on a $500 bike that I could barely afford, but as it happens, I can afford more, and shiny bikes are like a tempting siren I can't resist.

The only thing you're missing out on if you don't spend thousands of dollars on a bike is self-indulgence; you aren't missing a thing when it comes to what's essential to racing. In fact, I'd venture to say that the more you spend, the more you lose out on in terms of the satisfaction of getting out there and accomplishing something. Who really wants to spend their way to a podium anyhow?