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What To Look For
Racing bike are available in a wide array of builds. Frame material, components, wheel sets and other accessories all work together to create a road-racing bike built for your specific needs.
Frame and fork materials for road-racing bikes are most often made of carbon fiber or titanium. The manufacturing processes involved in making frames out of both of these materials results in a higher price point yet creates a lighter frame than the aluminum and steel frames previously seen in racing bikes.
Component groups also significantly contribute to the overall performance of a racing bike. Component groups usually include the brakes, shifters, derailleurs, chain, crank, hubs, cassette bottom bracket and headset. The seat post is sometimes included, as well. Weight is a factor in the pricing of component groups, and the higher-end component groups have performance advantages over the lower-end groups, such as smoother shifting.
Wheel sets add to a racing bike's performance by enhancing the quality of ride. The two most common rim constructions are box rims and aero rims. When you're test-riding racing bikes, be sure to ask which set comes standard with your model of choice.
Common Pitfalls
Racing bicycles are not all created equal, and an entry-level road bike with an aluminum frame will not perform the same as a 15-lb. carbon-fiber dream machine with an elite component group. If you are truly acquiring a road bike for the explicit purpose of racing, it may help you ahead of time to actually attend some local races. You can see what other competitors are riding in your prospective competition group and get some insight from actual users. Knowing before you spend can save you thousands when it comes to buying a road-racing bike.
Where To Buy
Racing bicycles should be purchased through an authorized retailer in your local area. If you happen to do an online search for your racing bike of choice, you will often find that online retailers cannot ship bikes out of state. Thus, it is better to keep your search local. Having a local bike shop that can service your bike from purchase to fitting to regular maintenance is important.
The personnel in cycling specialty stores will also be able to help you select the best racing bicycle for your money and assist you in scheduling a fitting, which is a must for any serious cyclist.
Cost
As of the writing of this article, a low-end carbon-fiber complete road-racing bike with an Ultegra component group retails for around $3,000. Women-specific designs, frame construction and alternate component groups can escalate those prices up to the $7,000 range. Elite road-racing bikes are often custom-built for sponsored athletes, and a one-off build can run upwards of $20,000.
Understand your budget before you begin shopping for a road-racing bike. The sky is truly the limit with available upgrades. Your wallet will be the only limiting factor.
Comparison Shopping
When comparing road-racing bikes, you should first rely on feel and fit and then begin looking at component groups and other pricing factors. If a bike does not feel right when you take it for a road test, it is not likely to ever feel right. If you can feel every vibration from the road coming up through the handlebars, you are in for a very bumpy ride. A racing bike should feel good, fit your body and offer you as high a quality of ride as your money will buy.
Insider Tips
Excellent deals can be found on racing bikes near the end of the model year. Ask your retailer of choice to let you know about end-of-season sales, as it is possible to save up to 50 percent on the retail price of a bike. This is also a good time to search classified ads for year-old racing bicycles, as many sponsored athletes sell their barely used bikes, since they receive a brand-new one from their team sponsors.
