Building a crit bike

[marcello]

Hello WW,

I'm thinking of building myself a bike for criteriums. I'm a pure sprinter, so the bike must be stiff.

I've got €2500,- to spend.

My specs are:
lengt: 170cm
Inseam: 78cm
Weight: 68kg.

So what would you advise me?

Cheers

[bm0p700f]

Stiff and light. I would start with a good alloy frame like a kenesis aithein. I would not spend any more money on a groupset than campagnilo veloce or shimano 105 as both shift gear very well (although i have for my race bike but i am a bike tart). As for wheels you could get a set built up or get a set of chinese carbon tubular rims. You may have some change from your budget too and have something that is jot too expensive to replace should it be wrecked in a crash.

[Nejmann]

Caad10, sram force and used zipp 404/808. Boom!

[ak47]

Caad10 / Allez E5 / Canyon Ultimate AL

Ultegra

Used carbon wheels

[MiloAS]

Bowman palace. I'm in the same position as you, and aluminium seems to be the way to go. Here's a review of the palace: http://road.cc/content/review/138478-bo ... e-and-fork

Looks v tempting, although the other aluminium options are v. tempting.

[ross]

Slightly over budget https://www.canyon.com/en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3615 - sell the wheels and buy some cheapish tubulars to get back in budget

Another option https://www.canyon.com/en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3585

Something that could withstand more abuse (crashes & scrapes) https://www.canyon.com/en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3579

[istigatrice]

Adding to the list of good Alloy frames: Velocite Selene. I'm really struggling to fault this frame, it's got everything you could possibly need. I'm sure the other frames mentioned perform just as well so look into the Geometry and see what suits you. FWIW I'm 170cm and have 78cm inseam too, the size small Selene works really well for me (though, what works for one might not work for the other).

The new 11 speed 105 is really good so it'll be tough to look past that on a budget. It's a little heavier, but it's slick, REALLY slick. You can probably afford to go Ultegra, but I'd personally save the $$. If you feel like spending every cent of the 2500 then get a powermeter or some Zipps.

[slashdotdash]

How about building up a crit race bike using one of the cheap Chinese carbon frames, such as the FM069 or FM066? They're both lightweight frames but also cheap to replace should anything bad happen during a race. Having a cheap frame might even allow you to ride more aggressively. There's a huge thread on this forum discussing these frames.

I've just started crit racing myself and am having a similar dilemma regarding buying my next bike. Currently deciding between the Canyon Ultimate CF SL (or possibly SLX), an aero frameset such as the Felt AR or the HongFu FM-069.

Worth mentioning is that Canyon provide discounts on a subset of their bikes and framesets if you have a race license. As an example, the Ultimate CF SL Frameset is £799.03 (instead of £959).

[phollingswo]

How about building up a crit race bike using one of the cheap Chinese carbon frames, such as the FM069 or FM066? They're both lightweight frames but also cheap to replace should anything bad happen during a race. Having a cheap frame might even allow you to ride more aggressively. There's a huge thread on this forum discussing these frames.

I've just started crit racing myself and am having a similar dilemma regarding buying my next bike. Currently deciding between the Canyon Ultimate CF SL (or possibly SLX), an aero frameset such as the Felt AR or the HongFu FM-069.

Worth mentioning is that Canyon provide discounts on a subset of their bikes and framesets if you have a race license. As an example, the Ultimate CF SL Frameset is £799.03 (instead of £959).

Just finished building an Ultimate CF SL to race on as well! Amazing bang for buck (taking into account license discount). Got a sweat deal on the Boras too. Will post more details/pictures once I've had my fit done and made some tweaks etc, so please refrain from critiquing yet.

[slashdotdash]

Just finished building an Ultimate CF SL to race on as well! Amazing bang for buck (taking into account license discount). Got a sweat deal on the Boras too. Will post more details/pictures once I've had my fit done and made some tweaks etc, so please refrain from critiquing yet.

Looking great, would be very interested to find out how it rides/handles once you get the fit dialled in.

[phollingswo]

Just finished building an Ultimate CF SL to race on as well! Amazing bang for buck (taking into account license discount). Got a sweat deal on the Boras too. Will post more details/pictures once I've had my fit done and made some tweaks etc, so please refrain from critiquing yet.

Looking great, would be very interested to find out how it rides/handles once you get the fit dialled in.

I've got the fit almost there now. Made a couple of tweaks since that photo - levelled out the saddle (though the pic makes it look like there was a big downward slope, there wasn't), moved the handlebars up a touch, and the shifters a little bit higher on the bars.

Initial impressions are that it goes like an absolute rocket ship. Without sounding like a lame bike mag review....it accelerates really well, maintains speed very easily. It's beautiful when the gradient turns upwards; it feels very stiff, snappy and responsive. Descending is an absolute treat, it feels planted. What's more, it's extremely comfortable to ride. I could see myself doing some big fondos as well as racing on it.

All in all, very happy with the build. I spend time choosing all of my components and sourcing them when I saw a good deal come up. Really glad to have it all together now! Using campa zondas for my training wheels.

[slashdotdash]

All in all, very happy with the build. I spend time choosing all of my components and sourcing them when I saw a good deal come up. Really glad to have it all together now! Using campa zondas for my training wheels.

My only complaint with Canyon and the Ultimate CF SL is due to the availability in my size (Sold out).

[MiloAS]

General question here, everyone goes on about how fragile carbon is compared to aluminium, and how you should go for something metal over carbon for crit racing, but is this actually true?

[phollingswo]

General question here, everyone goes on about how fragile carbon is compared to aluminium, and how you should go for something metal over carbon for crit racing, but is this actually true?

My impression was that a damaged alu frame is just as dangerous as a damaged carbon frame - both would compromise structural integrity. I think steel is perhaps regarded as being less serious, as it is easier to get repaired?

I think the main reason people say get alu for a crit race is that they tend to be cheaper, so less expensive to replace if you do crash them.

[Johnnysmooth]

If you plan to race crits, plan to crash and save some of that $$$ you plan to spend for things that might get beat up in said crash.

A favorite in my parts is the CAAD 10. Put on a decent, inexpensive grp as mentioned previously and instead of just one set of Zipps, get a good pair of hand built wheels as you'll be doing a lot of accelerating out of corners and buy a powertap rear for training