Buying a Bike

So what does it take to get into bicycle racing? Well a bike for starters. I have three bikes in my garage, four if you count my wife’s road bike. My racing bike is a late 90s Cannondale R-900. I have a 2005 Felt Tri-bike I use for time trials (more on this bike, and bike races later in this blog) and a Cannondale tandem bicycle, when my wife and me prefer to take our arguments on the road.

When my wife is not looking I’ll replace my racing bike with a modern, read 2005 bicycle. Since you may just be starting out in your racing career and need a bike let’s look at what you might spend and what your hard earned money might buy.

There is a good chance that your new racing machine will have an aluminum frame. It doesn’t have to. You can find frames made out of aluminum, carbon fiber, and titanium. And you can still find frames made out of good old fashion steel. All my bikes are made out of aluminum. Hang around a group of racers or just fast group riders and you’ll hear all kinds of arguments like, “carbon bikes are more comfortable, the carbon makes a smoother ride.” You’ll hear them talk about the merits of titanium, it doesn’t rust, it’s hard to dent, you just can’t beat the durability of titanium. Steel seems to provide a great ride but it weighs…well it weighs like steel. And that is another thing to consider about your racing bike – how much will it weigh?

“Parts is Parts.” Your bike is going to be made out of components. All my bikes have Shimano components other bikes will have “Campy” or components made from the Italian company Campagnolo. The same group of riders who are arguing about frames have a lot to say about parts. They will discuss at length the hierarchy of Shimano or Campy components. For example, the pecking order of Shimano (from lowest price to highest) is Tiagra, 105, Ultegra, and Dura Ace.

The bottom line is you’re going to buy a lightweight frame that has 18 to 30 speeds; 700C wheels (about 27-inch); smooth, narrow tires; drop handlebars; and a narrow saddle. You should expect to pay $500 to more than $3000. So let’s get started.

$500 - $700
You’ll have a non-specified aluminum frame with carbon fiber forks. The bike probably have Shimano Tiagra components and an average wheel set. It will be relatively heavy.

$700 - $900
An aluminum frame again but with Shimano 105 components. At the higher end of this range you’ll start to see Easton Ultralite frames. What does this mean? The frame will be lighter, around 3lbs, which will give you a complete bike that weighs around 19lbs. You could easily start racing with a bike like this.

$900 - $1200
You will start seeing Shimano Ultegra components now. Usually a mix of 105 and Ultegra but I’ve seen a full Ultegra gruppo at bike stores in this price range. You might even start seeing a few carbon fiber frames in this range. I personally would be leery of carbon fiber at this price – riding on plastic seems scary to me – but that’s just me.

$1200 - $2000
Dura Ace, the flagship line of the Shimano chain, will start showing up in this range. But most bikes will probably be Ultegra. Carbon fiber makes a bigger appearance in this range.

$2000 and up
Full Ultegra and full Dura Ace all the way. You’ll be able to find full Dura Ace bikes at the lower end of this range but you will probably be giving up something else, like a truly high end wheel set. So expect the full Dura Ace bikes with other equally good components to be at the $3000 and up range.

Start shopping around today – the internet is a good place to start. My racing bike is getting a “little long in the tooth” so I’ll be shopping soon too. I think I’m going to buy a frame without the components and build up the bike myself. But that is, what they say, another story.