Racing Bike on a bit of a budget

I'm thinking of getting a licence and entering some races.
For this I would like to modernise my current (or get a completely new) road bike. This is what I have:

1. Firstly, I would like to able to change gear from the hoods.
   
2. I would also like more gears (8 at the moment, I'm thinking 10).
   
3. I am considering having a triple chainset.
   
4. Much lighter wheels - although cxp30's look nice, they weigh a ton.
   
5. Probably a lighter saddle / seatpost / cockpit, but we'll get to that later.
   
   

So I shall be getting a new groupset.
I would like some advice / recommendations about which groupsets to look at: I don't mind getting second hand stuff. 10 speed / triple?* Is triple a good idea?* Sram / Shimano / Campag, etc? Any thoughts appreciated; I mainly know about vintage stuff, and am lacking knowledge of the modern options.

Once I've figured out a groupset, I'll move on to wheelsets.... OTP vs handbuilt / what rims / what hubs / what spokes, etc etc?
And: do I need a new frame?! (I don't mind being laughed at for my 22 year old frame, but I'd like to give myself a fighting chance to keep up with the more experienced racers!).
*
At that point maybe I should just be looking at off the peg bikes?*
My budget is whatever I can get from selling the parts I have on there at the moment (but not the frame - I love it too much!), plus about £400 - 500. I don't particularly mind getting second hand stuff.

This won't be a project with porn in mind... I simply want the fastest bike I can get on my smallish budget.

(ps: Any advice on where to start as a racing beginner would be great too).

if you're racing - don't get a triple. It will be heavy and other people will laugh at you.

Surely it's going to cost roughly the same (or more) to tart this bike up as it would to buy a 2nd hand entry level road bike with and aluminium frame and carbon fork? The newer bike would be lighter, stiffer and better for racing.

Racing: Hog Hill, Hillingdon, Cyclopark or Crystal Palace - depending on where you live

Velocity a23 - 425g - 40 quid

Budget sealed bearing hubs. 49 + 89 euros, 65 + 215 g.
http://superlight-bikeparts.de/Crite...Industrielager
http://superlight-bikeparts.de/Crite...nabe-Leichtbau

Say 28 2x rear, and 24/20 radial front.

425 + 425 + 215 + 65 + 300(spokes) = 1430g without nips or rim tape.
40 + 40 + 40 + 70 + 60 (spokes) = £250 without deliverys or rim tape.

Don't bother with this bike. As dan said it's not worth it. Keep it to cruise around on.

Take you £500 and buy a 2nd hand aluminium 105 or rival bike from ebay, bike radar. You'll be in a lot better stead.

You'll want to run 53/39 with 11/12-25 ish.
You could run a compact but would need an 11.

also, training before racing

also, training before racing

there's a thought

I would probably look at the Campagnolo Veloce 10
This gives you 10 speed and combined brake/shifters you desire.
You could probably find a decent set on Ebay cheap enough, but as Dan said, you could buy a decent entry level racer for the money you will put into converting your existing cycle.

Your local racing club might even have members with spare/un-needed cycles for sale to a prospective member, so it might be a good starting point to contact there for advice.

I see no reason why you couldn't begin racing on that bike as it is, but an upgrade to STI/ergo levers would probably be sensible, as would getting some better wheels. Personally I'd hold off buying a new bike until you've had a go as you may find you hate it.

I'd recommend you try all three groupset options and then pick the one you find most intuitive and comfortable. Despite what people will tell you, they all make good quality kit that is durable. And Dan is right, don't get a triple, they are for tourists.

The barrier to entry in racing in the UK is high, in that you need to be able to ride comfortably in a group and make repeated intense efforts that are hard to train for, so for beginners it can be a world of pain. You'll also be able to go far deeper in a race than you'll achieve in training so my advice would be to learn about training principles now and spend the winter getting fit enough to race (and this can take less time than you think).

As someone said above, joining a club is a good move as you can, if it's the right club, benefit from the experience, support and encouragement of your clubmates and you can get that essential group riding experience.

In terms of where to start racing, that depends on where you live. In London I'd say Hillingdon is the easiest circuit to start at, with the Velopark next from what I've heard, then Hog Hill followed by Crystal Palace. That said, if you are a power climber then the latter two may be more suitable.

As Andy says work on your bunch riding when your confident at that start racing. If you wait till you feel your properly fit or fit enough you'll be waiting for ages, I spent 2 years talking about starting racing when I was fit enough. Then got bored of talking about it and entered a race in the Hillingdon Winter Series, I kneed my self in the belly whenever I went down in the drops but loved it and even managed a good result. The race was won by someone on a steel framed bike similar to yours in his first race too. Since then I've got way fitter, lost loads of weight keep on learning about rapha suffering and am totally hooked

Andy's right, as usual. Best to find out if you like it and are willing to put your body through that before splashing cash around.

Also 8 speed is probably absolutely fine, as long as you end up with close ratios.

Thanks for all the responses everyone, some things coming through.
I live in New Cross, so was thinking about Dulwich Paragon (I have one or two friends who are members already and recommended joining up).

Crystal Palace seems tough for a beginner (I went to watch last summer), but I liked the atmosphere. I've been to Hillingdon as well, which looked very fast but doable...
I am keen to get experience riding in a group before I start racing though... Beginners club rides?

400 watts on that bike is going to be the same as 400 watts on something else.

The shifting situation, as others have already pointed out, is going to be a differentiator so look at that.

Depends on your budget, but a turbo-trainer and some basic coaching (setting a plan etc) will probably do more good than carbon wheels.

The carbon wheels will look awesome, however.

And make a great noise.

DP is a good choice, and they have beginners rides on Saturday's I think.

I'd agree that Palace is tough on beginners, but it's very convenient for you (assuming it runs next year) and usually when you get dropped you can carry on with a small group at close to race pace so that is excellent training.

Personally I think too many people are scared off of racing because of the fear of getting dropped, but it happens to everyone (even Cavendish) and the best way to improve is to find out what you need to replicate in training. When I started racing I had no idea how deep I could go until I was chasing back onto the bunch (having been dropped due to poor positioning on a climb) but I made it back and knew then that I could go much harder than I thought I could.

Its the crashing that bothers me, not getting dropped :)

It's the having to shave your legs that puts me off.

You don't have to do either.

I'd rather have to do that than ride around in a sleeveless tank top and no socks looking like an antipodean

Thanks all, I will think about this for a while longer before I decide, but at the moment I'm erring towards getting a newer groupset for this frame. If I get into the racing thing, then I can always upgrade the frame, and if I don't then at least I'll have a reliable new groupset for fun-runs into the countryside. I also have space issues, and am reluctant to let go of this frame; so I may as well use it for now.

I'm not totally convinced by the arguments against getting a triple, though.... Surely the extra weight is negligible; a small chainring and a bit on the cage? I've read somewhere that keeping a high cadence on the hills helps to minimise lactic build-up, and keeps your legs (and your knees) fresher, which sounds good to me. I've been commuting on my tourer for the last few months, and I think I agree with the logic... although obviously it's hard to make a direct comparison, the triple just feels less knackering going up my local hill, without feeling particularly slower than the more knackering road bike.

Anyway, I'd like to hear more from both sides...

I seem to remember someone on here had the Sram Rival hill-climbers set up... how would that compare to the gearing on a triple? In all fairness, I very rarely use the easiest gear on the tourer when it's not fully loaded.

I've got a full 9 speed tiagra set up if you fancy brifters...

9x2 shifters, outer cables, front & rear derailleur, cassette and chain.

Bolt on and go, you can use your current chainset and wheels

I've got a full 9 speed tiagra set up if you fancy brifters...

The man who has everything, it seems! Cheers Vince...
Send us a PM with some more details?

You simply don't need a triple if you are riding in the UK, and don't live in: Wales, the Lakes, the Peaks or Scotland.

If you're worried about gearing for climbs - get a compact. But you are going to get dropped instantly if you try to 'spin' up hills when you race, to be honest you are probably going to get dropped if you even think about changing gear on the 'climbs' somewhere like Hillingdon.

I think if your fit enough to race you really wont need anything smaller than a 39 on the front. There is nothing in or around London that needs anything smaller than a 39-25. Especially on the crit circuits.

Sound advice. South east London chaingangs run every Tuesday and Thursday from the roundabout at Elmers End. 7 pm start.

I think they run all year round, but someone in your club will confirm.

Out of interest, how small can chainrings be with a regular length cage?