Race bike

kawaspresso

Hello,

I'm looking for a new bike, an upgrade and to begin racing.

I have the Giant TCR advanced 2 and Trek Emonda S5 in my mind, and Canyon Ultimate CF SL 7.0 but I'd rather buy a bike in a shop where they can fit it, and Canyon delivery require patience... Others brands are out of budget or no shop around.
I've got an alloy TCR, and I live in a pretty flat area.
What do you think of these bikes ?
Is the Emonda S5 a good carbon frame for the price ?

iron-clover

The good news is you have lots of options. You probably won't go wring with the Emonda- the frameset gets good reviews.

Other bikes you could consider: Caad 12 (I know it's alloy, but apparently it rides as well as a Supersix Evo if the BR reviews are to be believed)
Also the BMC teammachine- although these are only available through Evans, but you can get a bargain if you wait until just after X-mas when next year's stock comes in. Also go for the lowest groupset- the price difference between them is more than the cost of the complete groupest bought separately :roll:

These two bikes have racy geometry, whereas the Emonda will have a slightly taller head tube.
Kinesis also make great alloy racing frames- and if you really do plan on racing lots then it could be worth going for a frame you know you can replace if it gets smashed.

Good luck!

Bobbinogs

kawaspresso wrote:

...
I'm looking for a new bike, an upgrade and to begin racing.
...
I've got an alloy TCR, and I live in a pretty flat area...

Depending on which model of TCR you have, you may find that it is perfectly adequate for racing. The biggest factor in winning a Cat 4 race is usually being upright at the end Ok, that is in jest but they can be a bit scrappy so you may want to ensure your setup won't hold you back (no need for high end wheels but something like Quattros could be a good option) and then put some nice rubber on before getting out there and starting to race. If your goal is to do well in racing then spending some cash on training or a week somewhere sunny could really help.

I know some lads who have bought really nice bikes for racing but then, after a few rounds, gone back to racing on the bikes they had as they didn't want to risk their new pride and joy on the circuits.

trek_dan

Don't buy an expensive bike for racing. Stick with what you've got or build something with second hand parts.

kawaspresso

What do you think of the Trek Emonda ALR5 ?
I saw it in a local shop, I found it really beautiful in the Trek Factory Racing color, and the vendor told me it is a good high end aluminium frame.

fenix

Your alloy tcr is fine for racing. If it's bunch racing you're after stick with that as it can be quite crashy.

kawaspresso

Fenix wrote:

Your alloy tcr is fine for racing. If it's bunch racing you're after stick with that as it can be quite crashy.

I know my TCR is good enough, I don't need to change my bike at all, I just want a better looking bike with a 11spd groupset and that can be as good as my current bike !