Racing Bike on a bit of a budget

I think there is no limit to how small the chainrings are, just the difference between the two chainrings. Because if you have tiny chainrings you can just shorten the chain. But with a large tooth gap a short cage rear derailleur would not be able to take up the slack.

DP run theirs year round, but the attendace is lower in winter.

Normally 28 teeth is the smallest on a normal rear cage. But the point that some have tried to put across is you wont need a triple or compact, because if you need to push smaller than 39 something, you'll be off the back. And if you're racing a criterium, you won't need to be out of the 53.
It's not the weight of a tripple, it's the fact it would be redundant.

Andy is right about everything except the triple.

If you plan on only having one bike for racing, training, long rides sportives then triples are a great idea, I won at Eastway on a triple a few times!

Tourist.

I like tourism!

In other news, I've been offered a 10 speed Veloce groupset (cranks, chain, cassette, levers, and both derailleurs - in what looks like very good condition), with a set of Vento G3 wheels, for £300 posted.
**Good deal? **
I am extremely tempted, but am I going to find it hard sourcing (and affording) new chainrings / spokes, etc for Campag? I've heard stories about campag being a bitch to service. Any opinions on this?

Campag spare parts are widely available. In fact, they are probably easier to source than Shimano spares.

I'd say £300 for a Veloce groupset plus the wheels is a pretty good deal. Vento wheels are fairly heavy for racing on, but bombproof.

I never use my inner ring in crits so no need for a triple, triples are for touring or very old and knackered people with a strong adversion to golf.

Theres specific chaingangs for beginners on Wednesdays which are slower won't drop you and people will be more than happy to help you, just tell someone at the start your new. The Tuesday and Thursday ones can be rapid, don't think I've ever made it all the way round without being dropped.

I'd just get period correct brifters, and see how you do.

I don't know you, so can't comment on your fitness or condition, but they always say, cheaper to lose 10 lbs off the belly than the bike, probably more beneficial as well.

If you do go down the upgraded group/bike route, another consideration for versatility on the triple/compact debate is SRAM Apex, compact double with wide ratio cassette. Have this on my Boardman and it makes light work of the Yorkshire dales that surround me.rarely find myself in bottom gear but thinking about using it for the Fred Whitton next year...

One downside is the jump between gears takes a little getting used to, compared to the closer gearing on my road bike, but once you get used to it tis fine..

http://www.lfgss.com/thread97277.html#post3262337

Hi Vince, is this still available at all?

I'm tempted by this too:

£180 for a carbon frame + forks + thompson seatpost seems like a good deal, but I'm a bit worried about sizing (as always, it seems).
Joe Waugh is 54 s/t, 55 t/t (ctc)
This is: 52 s/t, 54 t/t (not sure ctc or ctt)

If it's an a-head steerer (although looking at it, it might not be), can I just get a longish stem (that reaches up a bit) and set the seat post higher? Or am I missing something about sizing that I need to learn before I make a mistake? The seller's been dicked around by a time-waster already and I don't want to add to that...

I think that you should spend the winter riding with a club, then think about buying a bike. not the other way around.

join paragon, ride your bike over the winter, enter some races, ride some races. then if you're having problems with anything (bike related, physical or mentally) sort it out by buying something. sounds like you're at a push for money so better to spend wisely than on some strange looking frame that should probably stay in the 90's.

cheers, that sounds good to me...
must.remember.to.stick.to.the.plan!

For those who might be interested, the sale thread for many of the DA 7400 / 02 bits pictured above is now up and running here

I think that you should spend the winter riding with a club, then think about buying a bike. not the other way around.

join paragon, ride your bike over the winter, enter some races, ride some races. then if you're having problems with anything (bike related, physical or mentally) sort it out by buying something. sounds like you're at a push for money so better to spend wisely than on some strange looking frame that should probably stay in the 90's.

good advice here

I know. I just saw the word carbon and thought it sounded like a good deal... shows how I little I know about anything that isn't made out of steel, which is exactly why I started this thread.

I am, however, commited to spending a little money on upgrading the current bike. Whether I love or hate the organised racing side of things, the bike will certainly get enough mileage to justify the extra spend; It's already been ridden for countless regular miles around Kent and Sussex, battered around Richmond park, gone to Paris and back, and up and down the Alps, etc etc... hopefully it will be doing a lot more of the same once it's newly kitted out.

To be honest, it's main use won't be entering crits, although that is why I wanted to at least get STI's.... It will see a lot more use in fast rides for no reason when I'm out on my own.

I'm pretty sure I have a shimano 105 triple front and 10 speed rear brifter 'set' in the garage somewhere. They don't match in colour - one is all black, the other is black hood and silver lever - and one is missing the clip for the handlebar but they could be available for cheaps if you go that route for the Waugh..

Cheers hms... interested depending on price (I guess I might be able to polish them up until they match if it really bothers me). Will PM now.

I don't want this to turn into a wanted thread though.

I was really hoping to start a useful build and advice thread for others who were thinking of starting to race on a budget and wanted to know about what equipment to look at (there must be a few)... so let's save the thread for advice and discussion about the build please, and keep the sale offers on PM only.

With that in mind, here's a Wanted Thread for anyone who has goodies on offer!

I was really hoping to start a useful build and advice thread for others who were thinking of starting to race on a budget and wanted to know about what equipment to look at (there must be a few)...

I thought this thread was a really interesting read. The summary on kit if you want to start racing seems to be really simple... don't worry about kit*, just get on with it.

• except getting some brifters and pointers on gearing.
  

Thanks Hugo.
I now have a little bit of cash freed up from selling the retro DA stuff, which means that the hunt is now officially ON to find some replacement kit, because in the meantime, I'll be doing my distance rides on the commuter: a Galaxy that's slightly too small for me.... Which isn't so great for just getting on with it, but there you go. Maybe the extra weight will do my legs good!

(All this is actually part of a much larger project, namely to sort out once and for all my perfect stable: a fast road bike for fitness: a dedicated tourer for holidays doubled as a paired-down fixed commuter: and the snazzy Roberts for occasional Herne Hill in the summer and staring at during the winter).

Great thread. I'm going to start racing next year and this has given me a lot of encouragement.

Interestingly, it backs up a lot of what people have told me about using the first few races to train and get properly race fit.

I've been repeatedly warned to stay away from Crystal Palace until I've done at least a dozen races.

So...

I decided to go for the Veloce groupset with Vento wheels.
It won't be arriving for a while yet, but in the meantime I can think about what I need to do next.

The cranks with the groupset are longer than I would usually choose, so I will swap them out for some 170's and probably look at smaller chainring options whilst I'm at it. I've decided to go with a compact rather than a triple, that way I can get rid of the extra weight and (here it comes) the devastating social ostrisization of a triple, whilst gaining the extra versatility I want for hillier rides in hillier places. I never used the toughest gear on my last set up other than on very fast descents, and even then I never got it to spin out completely, so I figure I won't particularly miss the extra speed a regular set-up offered.

So: if I want to get a compact chainset that is compatible with the Veloce 10 speed groupset, what are my options? The original cranks from the groupset runs with a square taper b/b... will the newer chainsets with the integral b/b's (if that's what they're called) be okay to run with the front and rear mechs? They are a bit lighter, and (imo) a bit nicer looking.

How about FSA chasinsets? or any other options that I don't know about....?

Anyway, I'll be relieved to get the bike back on the road as it's nothing but a rather sad-looking frame sitting in the corner of my room at the moment.

I doubt you need 170s or would see any benefit from them, you're not that small. Keep the cranks it comes with.

it's about seat post height more than leverage.