Top end bikes really necessary for racing?

[User16625]

Physical leg strength and fitness are obviously critical, but do you really need fistfulls of cash to be competitive? I have heard of bicycle frames that weigh less than a kilo but cost like £7000. Is it possible to perform well with something priced more down to earth? How much of a performance difference do you think there is between a £1000 bike and a £7000 bike ridden by the same rider in the same conditions?

 

[Alun]

Depends if you're racing your mates to the cafe or trying to outsprint Cavendish for the green jersey, I suppose !

 

[Alembicbassman]

My £1000 bike weighs 8.9kg, the top of the range in the same make for £4000 weighs 7.9kg, that's £3000 for 1 kg. If you're a slightly overweight 37 year old, like me, it makes no difference whatsoever.

For most club racers it makes little difference

For pro riders - the sponsors pay for the bike anyway

Alan Sugar has a £7k custom bike, I bet I could beat him on a Penny Farthing

 

[colly]

I've never raced but I'm sure a good bike will make a difference. Training would make a MUCH MUCH bigger difference I would think.

I suppose it's no different to being able to play a passable game of tennis with a £50 racquet. Spending £250 pounds on a racquet would only make a marginal difference to your game. If you don't have the skills to make use of the edge it would give you it would be a waste of money.

Didn't someone once say?: Armstrong could win the TdF on my bike. I couldn't win it on his.

 

[JonnyBlade]

Went from alloy to a full carbon Boardman. Stan has made a big difference to my times

 

[maurice]

My £1000 bike weighs 8.9kg, the top of the range in the same make for £4000 weighs 7.9kg, that's £3000 for 1 kg. If you're a slightly overweight 37 year old, like me, it makes no difference whatsoever.

A bike's weight plays only a part in it's performance. It's more important that it's stiff, transmits power efficiently and handles well. Even an overweight 37 year old should be able to tell the difference in acceleration when they stamp on the pedals!


For amateur racing in the UK I think the average-ability reasonably-trained racer could be very competitive in Cat 2 on a 1k bike, but I'm not so sure about E/1/2 races, could be done but may need more than average talent!

 

[Alembicbassman]

What's the prize money for Cat 2 vs E/1/2.

£7k would be a lot of money just for a few silver plated trophies. I would hope your earnings would pay for the equipment

You can get a Lot of bike for £1k

http://planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPSP/planet-x-pro-carbon-rival-road-bike

 

[brockers]

My £1000 bike weighs 8.9kg, the top of the range in the same make for £4000 weighs 7.9kg,

Blimey! I reckon it's possible to put a 6.8kg or less bike together for a couple of grand.

 

[Will1985]

Alan Sugar has a £7k custom bike, I bet I could beat him on a Penny Farthing

You might not want to make that bet.

Top end bikes are absolutely not necessary for racing. I use an alloy Ribble frame with Campag Xenon for racing which means parts are cheap to replace when damaged. On the other hand, I use a Felt F1SL (skirting close to the UCI limit) for hillclimbs.

On the flat cruising along they are comparable....the superlight carbon bike comes into it's own on acceleration and going uphill. I know that on a local rolling loop I need 0.3W/kg less on the Felt which could make a massive difference at the end of a race. When the road goes up, the power requirement increases significantly for every extra kilo you carry.

 

[HLaB]

Whether its a necessity or not, depends upon what you are doing on it; if you are competing hard with people who are equally as fit and its hard to get much fitter (i.e the pro peleton) its a necessity to either gain a slight advantage on others or to at least be on the same level.

 

[oliglynn]

In general you should get less weight, stiffer frames and more efficient drivetrains the more you pay, but I suspect that the cost per kg less weight, increase in stiffness or efficiency increase goes up exponentially. The more honed you get in your sport, and the closer to the limits you get, the more you'll pay to get that extra tiny bit of edge. If you're like me, then just getting out on the bike, improving technique and losing some more weight will make more of a difference than getting a shinier, lighter more expensive steed.

Doesn't stop me drooling over potential n+1's though....

 

[Keith Oates]

I certainly notice a difference when I ride the number one bike and I enjoy the feeling. Whether it's worth the extra cash is really down to the individual, I know that when I'm out with my club, riders on cheaper bikes than mine can and do beat me but that is because they are better and fitter than me. I will always get the best bike that I can afford because it is the hobby/sport that dominates my life.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[marzjennings]

Yes, absolutely, expensive bikes help win races ( at least that's what I tell myself each time I want a new bike).

Can you race on a cheap bike? Sure.

Is it possible to perform well? Maybe Cat 3 or 4, but in Cat 1 and 2 folks usually train pretty hard and some mechanical advantage will make a difference.

 

[monnet]

The bike is only part of it. Training is the most important thing. I race on a carbon £2k bike (which I admit, worries me sometimes). When I got the bike I was already race fit so I noticed the difference immediately. In 2,3,4 races you'll see all sorts from MAMILs cluttering up the bunch and generally out of their depth on 7k cervelos (always cervelos, for some reason) down to people looking pretty handy on old alu Treks. Train hard and the bike won't make a massive difference.

What does make a huge difference is wheels. Lighter, better rolling wheels are worht a lot more than a few grammes off the frame weight. Deep section will also make a huge difference. However, having seen a pair of the new carbon spoked Mavic cosmics taco-ed at a race the other day I see no need for a lowly 3rd cat as myself to risk that amount of money!

 

[Alembicbassman]

In general you should get less weight, stiffer frames and more efficient drivetrains the more you pay, but I suspect that the cost per kg less weight, increase in stiffness or efficiency increase goes up exponentially. The more honed you get in your sport, and the closer to the limits you get, the more you'll pay to get that extra tiny bit of edge.

In F1 One tenth of a second per lap performance advantage is rumoured to cost £500'000.

Anyhow here's big Al and his Pinarello