Whats the worse bike you've had a good result on....
milese
Posts: 1,233
Posts seem to constantly pop with the general theme being is my bike good enough, and I can see why people think that way, given that if you go to any race (or sportive) from 4th cat upwards the place is littered with carbon superbikes.
I've fallen for the trap, as I'm sure we all have to some degree.
So, whats the worst bike, or the lowest spec of equipment that you've used in a race and actually done really well?
I'll start with a fairly bad example because its actually a really good bike, but I've won 3 crits so far this season, and two of them (a 3/4 against less than 20 and a 2/3/4 against more like 35) were won on an alloy Cannondale CAAD9 that I picked up for under £500, and rode with my 32 spoke open pro powertap rear wheel.
Others must have better examples!!
I've fallen for the trap, as I'm sure we all have to some degree.
So, whats the worst bike, or the lowest spec of equipment that you've used in a race and actually done really well?
I'll start with a fairly bad example because its actually a really good bike, but I've won 3 crits so far this season, and two of them (a 3/4 against less than 20 and a 2/3/4 against more like 35) were won on an alloy Cannondale CAAD9 that I picked up for under £500, and rode with my 32 spoke open pro powertap rear wheel.
Others must have better examples!!
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76/1500 people on the bike course @ Bolton Ironman. Allez with tri-bars, spd pedals, mtb helmet and surrounded by pointy tw*t hats, disc wheels and all the aero gear you can dream about.
However a CAAD 9 is probably the perfect criterium machine! You're just dropping in the wins
Lookup 'ventoux on a chopper'...0 -
mmmmm a CAAD9 depending spec/wheels could be around the 1.5k mark as new plus PT and head unit is another 1k.... I think ipete is right... you r just pleased with yourself!
But your point that you don't need a Pina F8 to do well is totally correct.0 -
Alu frame, 105 and Fulcrum 7's. Between the flexiness of the more comfort oriented frame and the Fulcrum 7's I wore the paint off the chainstays (tyres were 23mm so plenty of clearance) but that bike got me my 3rd Cat license.
I've been thinking of building up a Ribble 7005 with 2nd hand Sora and spare parts just so I can race crits on it rather than worrying about trashing a frame I both like and wouldn't want to pay to replace. That and so I can beat people on a £400 bike...
That CAAD9 might not have cost a lot but as others have said. Nice frame, especially for what you've been doing on it.0 -
That is pretty special madasa....
And yes, I probably am just pleased with myself. Can I subtly drop in that I won again on it on Wednesday (and am now a 2nd cat). That is 3 crit wins in a row, and 4 crit wins out of 5 races this season.
TT is an area when you can buy speed up to a point, but that doesnt mean you have the engine for it....
I had 3 objectives at the start of the year, win something, get 2nd cat and do a 25TT on my road bike in under an hour.
I've not tried a 25TT yet, and dont fancy my chances!!0 -
I won the British Best All Rounder and two national TT championships (50 miles and 100 miles) on a second-hand aluminium Giant OCR road frame with Shimamo 105 groupset and Mavic Cosmic Carbon wheels.
I wouldn't recommend it though - not an ideal set up but I didn't know better at the time. But it does show that it's possible to do quite well without spending a fortune.
Ruth0 -
Milese wrote:That is pretty special madasa....
And yes, I probably am just pleased with myself. Can I subtly drop in that I won again on it on Wednesday (and am now a 2nd cat). That is 3 crit wins in a row, and 4 crit wins out of 5 races this season.
TT is an area when you can buy speed up to a point, but that doesnt mean you have the engine for it....
I had 3 objectives at the start of the year, win something, get 2nd cat and do a 25TT on my road bike in under an hour.
I've not tried a 25TT yet, and dont fancy my chances!!
Not very subtle... but well deserved too - I think you can do a sub 1hr, I managed a 54 on a steel 7speed Peugeot, on the same course as the clubs 25 in September, so there is your goal
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Last week, wearing Mtb shorts and trainers, I clocked 30 minutes dead in a sporting 10 mile TT riding a £100 second-hand Claud Butler Classic commute bike with flat pedals, fat tires and a rack on the back.
I'm still recovering from a crash in a crit race back in May and it's the only bike I'm currently able to ride!
Tonight we have perfect weather, so I'm hoping to crack 29 minutes.
*** Yep, 28.48 Superstition begins with pinning race number 13 upside down and it ends with the brutal slaughter of Mamils at the cake stop.0 -
I started racing in 2012 on this 2004 Specialized Allez Elite with 9-speed 105 and Shimano RS80 wheels. 11 races, 3 wins, 4th -> 2nd cat. Good times.
My Canyon Ultimate CF is way better but this one was certainly Good Enough and I do miss it.
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Blue bikes are awesome!0
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My road bike was in the shop being fixed when I entered my first 10 mile TT so I did it on my Scott Sportster which I paid £100 a couple of years ago. It was a bit knackered, gears were fooked and the rear wheel was so buckled that the brake rubbed. I still managed to come 7th out of 35 on the day and my time was 25:56 0
