Recommendations for a first road racing bike

AndyCouchman

Hi all
I'm looking to re-enter the world of cycling after a thirty year break but this time competively.
I'm seeking advice / recommendations for a lightweight racing bike. Budget ideally £1000 but will stretch to more if necessary
Thanks
Andy

homers_double

It's a vauge one, best advice is to go to a shop and try a few to get a feel for what is suitable.

Then buy a red one.

keef66

You don't need to spend a grand on a bike for racing. I'd get a second hand Allez or CAAD8 or 10 and stick some basic wheels / decent tyres and a 105 groupset on it. Be a lot less distressing when you crash...

jgsi

My Caad10 in race prep, cost a bit more than a grand to build up..... dont worry about crashing as long as you avoid chopper BC races on tight cycleways or motor race circuits.
Racing LVRC, last thing on my mind is hitting the deck, its more concerned with the fact that racing never gets any easier or less competitive.

Mr.Mouse

New member, so bear that in mind with regards to anything i say. I agree, CAAD 8, or spesh Allez would be perfect. if you could find a Cube 'Peloton' on the bay that would be 75% of the price of the others, at most, and near the performance.

you really don't need to spend a lot on the bike. just buy a cheap one, and 6 months down the line you will either stop using it/upgrade/or be on here asking which wheels you need to buy.

Mr.Mouse

that was being jokey, not arsey

AndyCouchman

Thanks guys
Seem to be plenty of CAAD 8s out there
Andy

giropaul

We are assuming, from the bikes you are considering, that by competitive you mean road racing. My advice would be to get together with a club ( or similar shop - based group) as soon as possible, and start riding with them, ideally in chain gangs. Even though I raced a lot until my 40s, a few years out meant that it took some time to get back to cornering and riding on a wheel at high speeds.
JGSI is right, vet racing has less crashes, the only problem ( for me) is that 65 year olds are still faster than 4th cat youngsters.!
Some very well known/famous riders who have had breaks reckon it takes 2 seasons to get back to being competitive, so stick at it, you will get there with commitment :-)

supermurph09

Save a bit more and buy a Canyon

OnTheRopes

Agree with JGSI and giropaul regarding crashing. Ride LVRC and crashes are rare. Riders are experienced.
However, I don't agree re how long it takes to get competetive if you are an ex racer and if you got results in the past. It took me five to six months from zero to hero and I won my first race.
You will know how to train and you will know when you are race fit.
Good advice to start training with some fast riders on group rides/ chain gangs to get you up to speed.

Regarding the bike, buy something you like with decent lets say Ultegra or equivalent, you can upgrade wheels later. You don't want to be blaming the bike when you struggle.
Don't buy anything with a fully compact chainset (34x50) for racing. These days I use a semi compact 36x52 with 12-28 11 speed and that suiots me fine

taon24

For racing at about £1000 it will probably be aluminium unless you get a heavily discounted reputable brand carbon bike in a sale.
Crashes are a possibility, so don't buy anything you aren't willing to insure/replace.
Presumably this will be the best bike and you will be riding it a lot to be competitive. That means it needs to be comfortable, though I would probably avoid an endurance frame, and easy to maintain, even when it gets covered in mud from riding in the rain.
Has to be rim brakes to race in this country.
105 will be fine for a groupset and will be probably the best you will get with a £1000 budget. I'd go compact, and buy additional chainrings if needed, 50 x 11 will be a high enough gear for almost anyone.

andcp

This very website has an article that may be of interest:
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/arti ... 000-29719/