starting to race next season...

masterchef

what price and spec bikes should i be looking at??:) il be spending anything from 750-1500( possibly abit more depeding it i like it) lol

jgsi

I'll get in 1st and as I am a Cannondale 'fan'
CAAD9

Pross

Whatever fits you best and you most like. Certainly no need to shell out more than £1500. At entry level the bike you are riding is really a minor factor, I would stick with your current bike at first to see how you get on. If you just want an excuse to spend some money on the other hand, well that's a different matter

Monty Dog

I would get a winter of riding with a club first before you make a decision - being able to race is more about your 'legs' and then be able to make an more informed decision on that basis. For beginners, value and durability is key, particularly are there is a chance of crashing and to consider the cost of replacement parts.

furrag

What about the Nanolight planet x SRAM red? £1499 for a 6.9kg bike!

Of course, it doesn't make up for race craft though. I too am looking to race next year, so the training starts now; Group riding, sprinting out of corners, and spending time on rollers to improve handling are on the agenda. 4x 5min and 2x 20min intervals as well as some Tabata I guess are the way forward, as well as spinning, though I'm sure (hope!) I'll be corrected.

softlad

Furrag wrote:

What about the Nanolight planet x SRAM red? £1499 for a 6.9kg bike!

Of course, it doesn't make up for race craft though. I too am looking to race next year, so the training starts now; Group riding, sprinting out of corners, and spending time on rollers to improve handling are on the agenda. 4x 5min and 2x 20min intervals as well as some Tabata I guess are the way forward, as well as spinning, though I'm sure (hope!) I'll be corrected.

realistically, if you are not planning on racing until next season, I wouldn't bother putting in any intervals or speedwork until the new year at the earliest...spend the time until then getting some distance and endurance in your legs...

masterchef

atm, i am working on my endurance getting pretty gd, i can cover 25miles at the speed of 27mph all the way:), @ monty dog....im riding with southport cycling club atm have been for half a year now:) im doing 10m tt and local races up in liverpool:) but ye its just an excuss to spend more more at the end of the day, the bike i have is great but its not racing spec, and id have to spend more than £600+ to upgrade this bike to the spec i want it at:)

sub55

"25 miles at 27mph all the way".
What with a gale force wind on your back?
I`m always surprised at some of these claims. if you can average that .
why on earth are you asking basic questions in the beginners section.

sorry

softlad

masterchef wrote:

atm, i am working on my endurance getting pretty gd, i can cover 25miles at the speed of 27mph all the way:),

so you've ridden a 55 minute 25 then..?

Anyway, that's not what I meant. Riding 25 miles quickly does not really constitute 'endurance' unfortunately. The idea is to get out and be able to ride 60/70/80 miles comfortably, which will give you a good endurance & strength base, on top of a well developed CV system, on which you can then build speed work ready for the start of the new season.

**edit - Paul beat me to it..

sub55

yeah, softlad.

I rekon the blokes talking out of his arse. Like the fella on here the other day, rekoned he was averaging 20mph over a 100 hilly miles , solo. Bollocks.

softlad

sub55 wrote:

yeah, softlad.

I rekon the blokes talking out of his ars*. Like the fella on here the other day, rekoned he was averaging 20mph over a 100 hilly miles , solo. Bollocks.

maybe they're on the same brew that Mr Staite was taking..

Matt the Tester

softlad wrote:

sub55 wrote:

yeah, softlad.

I rekon the blokes talking out of his ars*. Like the fella on here the other day, rekoned he was averaging 20mph over a 100 hilly miles , solo. Bollocks.

maybe they're on the same brew that Mr Staite was taking..

excuse me there...

im his brother and you may think he's taking the piss but he isnt.. maybe he didn't full understand the statement he made by claiming he can ride that far for so long without backing it up.. but how can he? it's an internet forum sure people might lie our of their arseholes but some people actually tell the truth.

riding back from preston Sports Arena to our house is Exactly 25 miles and he was doing that because i was setting off at 3PM and he got home at 3:55PM but i got home before him as i got a lift because i was involved in a crash..

please don't naturally assume people talk bs all the time because it's not always false..

redddraggon

steady rider wrote:

softlad wrote:

sub55 wrote:

yeah, softlad.

I rekon the blokes talking out of his ars*. Like the fella on here the other day, rekoned he was averaging 20mph over a 100 hilly miles , solo. Bollocks.

maybe they're on the same brew that Mr Staite was taking..

excuse me there...

im his brother and you may think he's taking the wee-wee but he isnt.. maybe he didn't full understand the statement he made by claiming he can ride that far for so long without backing it up.. but how can he? it's an internet forum sure people might lie our of their arseholes but some people actually tell the truth.

riding back from preston Sports Arena to our house is Exactly 25 miles and he was doing that because i was setting off at 3PM and he got home at 3:55PM but i got home before him as i got a lift because i was involved in a crash..

please don't naturally assume people talk bs all the time because it's not always false..

I'd like to see a garmin file with that data in.

Matt the Tester

lol srry ill make sure i buy one tomorrow, do you want one too?

redddraggon

I already have a garmin thanks.

If you are going to post something that is probably unbelievable, it's a good idea to show some evidence, like Will does (and spams Bikeradar, Twitter, Facebook, club forums with links to his garmin rides)

anto164

27mph average?

You need to teach the TdF guys how to ride! that's a fair bit faster than them!

redddraggon

anto164 wrote:

You need to teach the TdF guys how to ride! that's a fair bit faster than them!

I think you may need to check your figures on that one. A 200Km stage at 27mph is nothing spectacular for the tour.

50.355 kph over 194.5km - fastest average over a flat stage (Mario Cipollini from Laval to Blois, 1999) (over 31mph)

sub55

anto164 wrote:

27mph average?

You need to teach the TdF guys how to ride! that's a fair bit faster than them!

umm probably not . i`va gone quicker but not often

masterchef

noooo, it was a tail wind:), but i dont average 27mph lol i only average 22mph, also ino 25miles isnt far but as iv only just started out id say is quiet good:P lol( i done the bill bradley ride last sunday 120miles including THREE 20%hills and a few tricky climbs and i was fine after that ride and was fine the morning after to go out with my mate on a 10mile ride at my mates pace lol hes trying to loose weight so i couldnt exactly ride off on him lol)

EKIMIKE

Is this a subtly disguised game of Number Wang?

27, 22.....

rjh299

sub55 wrote:

anto164 wrote:

27mph average?

You need to teach the TdF guys how to ride! that's a fair bit faster than them!

umm probably not . i`va gone quicker but not often

Contador's average in 09 was 25mph

cougie

As the others have said - before we got distracted - race on what you have and upgrade next season. Novice races often have crashes so you'd be better off on your old bike and build up your skills.

Anonymous

EKIMIKE wrote:

Is this a subtly disguised game of Number Wang?

27, 22.....

Thats Numberwang.

His posts are innocent enough, stick to the bike you have and see how you get on.