Help! Deciding on a new racing bike

[girlracer]

I am planning on buying a new racing bike. I currently race a Litespeed Ti bike and it is just too big (I was told it was the right size when I bought it yrs ago). It is big enough that I am having problems with fitting the bike to comfort and overall control issues. I have been racing for three years and want a bike that fits well and handles great. I am primarily a crit racer, and can sprint really well. In the future, I dont just want to do only crits (I would like to try some longer races so I do want a comfortable bike) although I will keep that a crit type of race as my focus - so need something that is responsive to explosive speed and can corner super well. I am thinking of the Diva, Specialized Ruby or another Litespeed Ti bike. I have heard so many things about each one, ie: squishiness, too stiff, frame snaps easily. I am not sure what to do and can't afford to make a mistake. Anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks!

[NJBikeGal]

I, too, have been shopping for a new racing bike...for about 5 months now! I have only a few brief words of advice...

#1 - ride as much as you can. By riding, I don't mean tooling around a parking lot for 10 minutes. I mean, RIDE the bikes. Get a feel for them on the road, on different terrain. A good bike shop should let you do this (with proper collateral held, of course!)

#2 - listen to people, but don't LISTEN to people. I tried a bike because a girl on my team LOVES hers...I HATED it. Not my style, not the bike I want.

#3 - unless you are particularly small, i.e. petite, don't think that you have to buy a WSD bike. Boys bikes are just fine for us girlies! I'm not particularly petite, so I actually fit better on "men's" bikes than women's.

ummmmm....I think that's it. HAVE FUN!!! Keep us updated!

[RoadRaven]

Well, I may be biased but our stable holds mostly Giant, Cervelo and EMC - and those are what I would recommend

My bikes are Giant TCR2 which I have made into a TT bike, and a women's specific EMC2 FemmetapePro.

The EMC corners very well - although I have never ridden a crit (our club doesn't do them). It's light and very responsive.

The thing I like about the women's specific is that it came with narrow handlebars and short reach levers.

I agree with NJBikeGirl though - don't limit yourself to WSD. Look for the frame you love and whose geometry fits your body best... all other components can be swapped and upgraded.

I would recommend getting narrow handlebars - I am 5'10" with wide "swimmers" shoulders and technically 'normal' bars should be fine... but the fit of the narrower bars has meant so much comfort...

Likewise the short-reach levers, but you can easily pop shims in to make the reach less.

Good luck - what an exciting shopping outing to be on

[rhiannon008]

I recently spent a couple of months searching for the right bike myself, and I would second the idea of spending a good chunk of time test riding. I would also recommend spending the extra money to have a proper fit done from someone who understands your needs and the type of riding you will be doing. It isn't quick or cheap,but once the fit has established the geometry that places you in the most effecient position, you can begin shopping in earnest.

All the top brands are claiming their frames to be "stiff yet compliant" blah, blah, blah. Only the fit can tell you which of these brands geometry makes sense for your body and riding style. There are many bikes that I eliminated this way before finding the perfect match with a Cervelo R3.

Best of luck in your search!

[girlracer]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I am totally clueless. I am a petite woman and most like want a 48 cm bike but not 650 wheels and compact crank (my racing and training wheels are 700c). I have been looking for months but everyone seems to give me a line. Some one told me that carbon snaps easily and Ti is better. A bike shop owner recently told me he has only seen one carbon bike snap (he now sells many carbon bikes) but plenty of Ti bike break in 2 (he is getting away from selling Ti frames). I have a Ti bike (a 51 cm) and it seems pretty sturdy to me? has anyone heard this about carbon frames? I'm confused!!

I will definitely be test riding a few bikes using my own as the collateral. I am going to start with the Orbea diva. I am thinking about the Litespeed vortex...I think it is just as expensive as the diva.

[7rider]

Anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks!

Seven Axiom Race.

To keep costs down, pirate drivetrain parts off your current bike.

Custom fit.
Custom ride.
Dialed in handling, stability, and control.

[Andrea]

I just got a Blue Rc7 and it's freaking AWESOME.
You can check them out here: Ride Blue
If you need help with sizing, get your old bike and a tape measure and give their customer service dept. a call. They're very nice, and they'll help you size your old bike & pick the right size for your new one.

Oh yeah, and here's Tina Pic from Colavita winning a crit on her Rc7:

[Jo-n-NY]

You will probably hear plenty of opinions on the different frame materials. As far a carbon "breaking" it is none different than other materials per say in they all have their quirks. Keeping in mind that carbon has been used on bikes a long time for forks, seat says, seat posts etc. Some companies have been making the frames for years.

I can only compare aluminum vs carbon. I had a wonderful aluminum Specialized Dolce Comp 2005. It was my first road bike and I really loved it. I just wished going over rough terrain would not be as harsh, even thought it had the carbon fork. This year my husband surprised me with a all carbon Ruby Pro. The ride is truely amazing. Rough terrain is absorbed and I feel I have more control over the bike adding that the bike just flows up hills.

The bigger companies like Specialized, Trek and I am sure there are others do very indepth testing of their bikes, especially carbon. Specialized states & explains their testing process in their catalog. Can there be a bad one in the bunch, sure, but the same holds through with Aluminum and any other material. I would not use material as your deciding factor. Test different bikes and get what best suits your needs and what feels best to you.

~ JoAnn

[smilingcat]

Def' don't base your judgement on the material of the bike.

years ago, carbon was a problem. Today, it's not a problem unless you have a major crash, then again, aluminum, steel, mixed al and carbon and even Ti frame will be tweaked too. So really no different.

Aluminum being unforgiving is due to the oversized tube the designers use. It's not the material. Ti have much higher modulus than Aluminum.

48cm with 700C wheel may pose some difficulty with frame geometry and toe overlap problem. Steer tube & head tube is going to be very short less than 10cm and this will result in premature wear of the head set.

Brand of bike, try different one to see which you like. So many brands to choose from. or you can go full custom bike if you have $$ to spare. Custom where the frame is tailored to you.

We all have our own biases so go with what makes you feel good and avoid people who have a chip on their shoulder about material.

One thing to note though. Ti frame using 6Al/4V composition do have problems with cracking. The material is just too stiff and brittle. So stay with 3Al/2.5V composition for Ti. I've heard 2 or 3 cases where the 6Al/4V Ti frame cracking.

There are duds made in every material. Its more of craftsmanship problem not the material or the design.

If you want a smoother ride, look at the rear triangle. If the seat stays are curved, then chances are pretty good that the frame will give you a smooth ride.

Anyway, set the price range you want to narrow your search. Then try the different makes. You can spend $2,000-$10,000 for a bike thesedays...

Personally, I would be looking at how the frame fits and the groupo I get for the $$. I don't care to spend extra for DA, settle for Ultegra though its bit heavier. SRAM force I like with the double tap feature. And if its Campy I'll use Chrous anything less just isn't worth it. And for the price, Record just doesn't do it for me. Chrous is a much better deal.

Having said that, I may be getting a DA cause I might be able to et the groupo for about the same cost as Ultegra at retail

Smilingcat

[smilingcat]

oh yes, Blue is a very nice bike I hear... highly recommended.

smilingcat

[rhiannon008]

I am also a smaller rider 5'4ish/110lbs. During the course of regular riding or even aggresive racing, there is not much I can do that can stress the frame to anywhere near the levels it was tested at in the factory.

I would not get too bogged down with frame material choices at this point. Test ride as many different bikes in as many different materials as possible. For me, the key was to go to a shop where I could test ride the Ruby S-Works, Orbea, Cervelo, Cannondale,Titus and Serotta side by side. Each bike was set up with the fit measurements I provided them for the test rides. Doing this allowed me to focus more on the ride characteristics of the bike, rather than the fit. Being able to ride them each for 45-60min., often going back and forth between the top contenders was very helpful.

Trust me, I know finding a decent selection of high quality race bikes in smaller sizes is not always easy. If you have to go to a number of shops, insist that the bike be set up with your fit measurements, and take some notes after riding each bike for comparison sake.

Ignore all of the sales b.s., and take personal recomendations with a grain of salt. Find the geometry best suited to your needs.

[Eden]

I was in your position just two years ago. I'm probably a bit smaller than you are - I ride a 44cm, so I found my choices to be quite limited. Well limited is probably an understatement. I found one high end bike that would actually fit me and fortunately I love it. I have a Ruby and yes, even in a 44cm it still has 700c wheels and does not have a compact crank (which for most crits would be pretty darn useless...).

As far as breakage goes - I know carbon sometimes has a bad reputation, but remember if you break Ti, it can be hard to impossible to find someone who will/can repair it too. In fact the only person on my team who has broken a bike in a racing crash, broke a ti bike....

Like the others said worry first about how the bike feels and fits than the material - unless you know you end up on the ground a lot, I wouldn't worry about breaking a frame. If you do crash often, forget Ti and carbon and go for a light weight steel frame....... (you might have to go custom for that, but Kona's doing one made for racing this year!)