Fast bike required! Any ideas? SSE vs C68 etc!

sebbyp

Hi all,
I fancy a new bike! Done nearly 10k Miles on a Boardman road team 2012 size M and fancy a change, I'm abit of a mountain goat so something light would be ideal and fancy competing in some crits/roadraces/hill climbs so could do with a decent bike. Problem is I like a good deal so last years models look appealing although I've kind of missed the boat on 2015 deals.

Currently looking at these.

Cube C68 SL
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p614 ... 68-SL-2015

Cannondale SSE Red 22
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p577 ... M-RED-2015

I like the Cube as it has Dura-Ace and is rarer than the SSE. No-one seems to have feedback on it though. My ultegra pedals dont exactly go with red 22 either. Bit disappointed there are no hi mod SSE frames about in 56.
Open to ideas upto £2.2k spend

Geo of current bike & C68 SL Frame Geometry

c68
Size (cm) 56 58
BB Drop 69 67
Chainstay 406 406
Crank 172.5 172.5
Head Tube 160 180
Reach 398 403
Seat Tube 520 540
Seat Tube Angle 73.5 73

Boardman Road Team 2012

Sizes: M
Top Tube Length: 555
Seat Tube Length: 530
Head Tube Length 150
Head Tube Angle 73
Seat Tube Angle: 73
Chainstay: 405
Fork Offset: 45
BB Drop 68
Handlebar Width: 420
Stem Length: 110
Crank Length: 172.5

andcp

Hello seb,
I'm not being miserable, but if you really want to compete in some crits/roadraces stick with the Boardman - there is a fair chance you will be 'taken out' and it probably won't be your fault. Racing is a dangerous , and expensive, game. As "they" say, only race what you can afford to give away......

imposter2.0

Agree with the above. Same goes for kit too. Unless you are wearing club kit, I really would not be lining up for your first 4th cat race in your best Castelli or Rapha threads. All I would add is that in the real world, bikes are not fast - riders are.

sloppyschleckonds

sebbyp wrote:

My ultegra pedals dont exactly go with red 22 either.

Whut

sebbyp

cheers for the input guys.
The Boardman isn't a bad bike, I've upgraded it a fair bit and it's no slouch. Just 10 speed and a compact!
I've done a Cat 4 Crit already which didnt go great was following at the back and got dropped eventually so back to the training I went! now I'm in a better position to get back out there soon. Did a road race too and few hours in it dawned on me that everyone around me had shaved legs, carbon bikes and aero wheels. Must be a reason for that.

The guys at my club keep asking when I'm coming to the TT'S but the bike just isn't built for that and I like to be competitive so maybe a TT bike is in order rather than a new roadie. Or some pimping wheels... hmm back to the drawing board.

imposter2.0

No offence, but I'm not sure if you've grasped the concept of TTs or racing. Just turn up and ride. If you are good enough, you can do well on any bike, without shaved legs, carbon frames or aero wheels - none of which is necessary.

If you were to ask any 4th cat why they had any of that stuff, I doubt if they would be able to explain.

OnTheRopes

Don't go out and by a low profile TT bike, they are very single purpose and you can't really use it for anything else. Leave this for a couple of years and if you want to TT then do it on a road bike and after a while you may decide you want one.

Nothing wrong with going out and buying a nice new road bike though if you have the budget.

My first road race I rode on a crappy old bike, windy day and got blown out the back, it wasnt a lack of fitness though more confidence and technique and positioning. Second race I finished in the bunch sprint having had one doomed dig off the front. But then I was away, bought a nice new bike and started getting results. The moral of this story is that the reason you got dropped may well have been technique and lack of confidence and not fitness.

Do you need a new bike? No
Will you enjoy a new bike? Yes
Should you get a new bike? If you want one and can afford it then if it was me I would go for it but spend some time researching, maybe you would be better buying some good wheels for the boardman this year. Remember its the stuff with rolling resistance to spend the dosh on, hubs, wheels, bottom bracket, pedals etc.

Also I dont think its inevitable you will crash in racing, I have raced regularly for years and never crashed. More likely in 4th cat circuit races though I must admit, road races less so

Bobbinogs

sebbyp wrote:

...I've done a Cat 4 Crit already which didnt go great was following at the back and got dropped eventually so back to the training I went...

Yepp, training, ability and luck are the general components needed to do well in a race.

sebbyp wrote:

...Did a road race too and few hours in it dawned on me that everyone around me had shaved legs, carbon bikes and aero wheels....

...and yet if an ex-elite rider with hairy legs turned up on a decent alloy bike with shallow wheels he would still be in with a good chance of winning.

sebbyp wrote:

...The guys at my club keep asking when I'm coming to the TT'S but the bike just isn't built for that and I like to be competitive so maybe a TT bike is in order rather than a new roadie. Or some pimping wheels...

My club has a very active TT scene. A fellow rider did his very first TT last week on a simple road bike with cheap wheels and no other 'fancy' kit except some very basic clip-on bars, he turned a 25 miler in just over an hour (something like 1.02) which is competitive for most clubs.

Conclusion, get out there and race :-)

fenix

Some TT's have prizes and categories for road bikes too.

It's not the bike that makes the difference - it's you.

And if you have a boardman already - why not just go up the range ?

sebbyp

Fair enough guys I guess I'll get out there and get some more experience in various events before making any rash decisions on gear.
The reach on the Boardman seems way too much for clip on bars, the seatpost has a set back in it though so maybe just a change of seatpost and or stem will do it. Got decent power to weight but doesnt seem to translate to TT speed.

I'm probably too eager to get to the sharp end as I've come from a successful running background but injury has led me to cycling. Hence the ideas for sharp end equipment. I'll just chill out for another year and keep building the leg muscles. enjoying the massive improvements that come with being a relative newbie to a sport hopefully wont plateau yet!

Bobbinogs

Why not just start TTing? As said above, some clubs have special race bike only events and others have rubbish riders so a good rider on a race bike still stands a good chance :-)

Joking aside, a TT is all about YOU so get out there and start riding. You will learn lots of important stuff like prep, pacing and suffering...and doing some TTs sooner rather than later gives you some times to beat as you progress and get better equipment, etc.

imposter2.0

sebbyp wrote:

I'll just chill out for another year and keep building the leg muscles.

Don't do that. If your aim is to race, just work on your aerobic endurance, your threshold and your ability to suffer.

sebbyp

Yes I'll get out and start TT'ing, should be next Wednesday nights 10Miler. Having an easy week as saving myself for a tough sportive on Sunday. I did do a 5m TT at the start of the season but was slow, high 13min and it was really windy/wet not particularly fun so went back to training!

Imposter wrote:

sebbyp wrote:

I'll just chill out for another year and keep building the leg muscles.

Don't do that. If your aim is to race, just work on your aerobic endurance, your threshold and your ability to suffer.

Will do, I just meant I think the legs are mainly holding me back, Cardio fairly strong from years of endurance running. the legs blow up when I do a threshold session on Trainerroad, cardio wise its not too taxing. need standing hill repeats outside to really raise the HR. But I'll get there! Quads much stronger and bigger after 5months of proper training.