HSG Race Ready

[docmaduff]

I've never started a new thread but I felt like sharing some opinions and pics of my "new" Full Carbon HSG. I replied to a thread many months ago on the ride quality of the 2007 Carbon HSG since I had the pleasure of demo'ing this bike twice during the 2007 Ride the Rockies tour in Colorado. I argued that the bike is not too stiff for long rides but was very responsive. Coming off a 2005 Tarmac SL I was surprised that the HSG was much stiffer at the bottom bracket yet provided an unparalleled ride quality.
Well, I finally got to buy my dream bike, that same demo, last Valentines day. Now that I've built it up to my own spec it is truly race ready. Serotta created the HSG line with intention of having young guys like me race them but I have to say, I almost don't want to. I could never afford to replace it if something happened! I will sign up for Serotta's crash replacement program but even the deductible is pretty steep. Would almost rather build up a Six13 or CAAD 9 for crits and bad weather training. Has anyone raced the HSG yet? What do you think? Do you have a back up ride? Am I crazy to take this bike into a Colorado Crit where the fields are often +100 riders?

Here are some pics, enjoy!

[Fixed]

bro cool bike i bet rides great



cheers

[KeithNYC]

VERY nice... If you can't afford to replace it there's your answer.....
Build up something aluminum.


I think it needs silver bar tape :banana:

[Acotts]

Eff 'it. If you got the toys, you should play with them. If the bike breaks, get a $250 fram off ebay and put all the parts on it.

Or buy a Fierte on closout.

NO biggie.

[avalonracing]

It's funny that you are thinking that.
I used to ride a lot. I ended up getting nicer and nicer bikes until I finally ended up with a Legend Ti with a Campy Record Group and and SRP Ti bolt kit (a bought it used but still paid a pretty penny for it). Well, I soon decided that I wanted to race. After a few Cat 5 and then Cat 4 races I decided that I had pushed my luck enough and built up an aluminum Coppi to use as a race bike.

At that point I was doing so many local crits and training races I never really got back on to the Serotta so I sold it to a friend (who then sold it to a friend, who I just got back from riding with 15 minutes ago... It still looks great).

That said, keep it as a road race bike and build up a cheap crit bike.
The Coppi eventually had the rear derailleur sheered out of it in a race by some who couldn't watch his front wheel leading up to a field sprint.

[coylifut]

I don't have an opinion on whether or not you should race it, but I sure think it looks like a great bike. What every you decide, enjoy the heck out of it.

[swoop]

race it. what's the point of having it if you don't?????

(i raced 11k worth of bike, 2 or 3 times a weekend, every weekend for a full season and because of that i will go to heaven). you have to race that thing.

[chrisroph]

If you feel confident on the bike and want to race, go race it. Don't worry about breaking it in a crash. How many times have you crashed in races and broken your bike? And you shouldn't be thinking that way anyway. And you should be worried more about your body if you go down.

That looks like a great race bike. Enjoy it. It was made to be ridden hard.

[avalonracing]

(i raced 11k worth of bike, 2 or 3 times a weekend, every weekend for a full season and because of that i will go to heaven). you have to race that thing.

While I agree that is cool were you racing in a big Cat 4 crit or a 30+RR because that does make a difference?

[93legendti]

Looks great. Who makes the bars?

[swoop]

While I agree that is cool were you racing in a big Cat 4 crit or a 30+RR because that does make a difference?

first off... as i am not ever turning pro for the lack of talent the word 'racing' means to me the same as guys in baseball uniforms plaing softball and hitting off the cone when they strike out in an office league.
spinelli races, i/we roll around in circles having fun.

i'd show up and do 30 plus, 40 plus, the dreaded 3's and or the p123 if there were one.
i don't think you have to race in fear of crashing or assume that if you do crash its going to be horrific. keep your front wheel clean, stay on the sharp end.... and ride smart. put the thing on your homeowners insurance.

i've never broken a bike.. every year more than 40 races... wheels, bars, levers .. yes... and if you do break a bike... its ok. its a bike not a marriage.
i just don't think there's a point to having one if you don't use it the way gawd intended it. i know its irreplaceable and expensive.... so what? go out and kill it.

[djg]

Dunno, but . . . although the spring has gotten trashed for me, I'll be on an HSG Ti in a road race (masters, no 5s, I think 75 bodies allowed) 5/3 and then a crit (forget the field size) the next week. I have the crash protection policy, which seemed like a good hedge, but I'm not really expecting to destroy the bike.

I'm not sure I should be any kind of a guide to good sense in this, but I'm not worried about the bike.

[Peter P.]

If you can't afford to crash it on Sunday and replace it on Monday, then it's not a worthy race bike.

[MalleyNogo]

race it. what's the point of having it if you don't?????

agree 100%
but...

(i raced 11k worth of bike, 2 or 3 times a weekend, every weekend for a full season and because of that i will go to heaven). you have to race that thing.

was it 11k of your money? that makes a big difference yo.

[Fixed]

cheers

[aLexis]

Race it! That's what the bike was built for. My guess is that you will break spokes, handlebars, and collar bones, way before you break the frame. In case you do though,

From the serotta website:

Membership Fees:
$250 for 5 Years of coverage.

Base coverage includes all repair work required. If replacement if necessary, the following additional fees apply:
Steel Frames $150
Titanium and iT models $300
Carbon Models $400

[kerrycycle]

I have the same bike. Except, white & I put Zipps on to race it. I'm a Cat 3 & race nearly every weekend. You could use a different bike with different handling for certain races...but why? Don't compromise your bike & the great handling & stiffness you bought the bike for.

Worried about crashes 1) Buy the crash protection (its worth it!!!) 2) Cat up where there are fewer crashes due to squirly newbies who can't handle a bike 3) get comfortable with contact in races so you don't go down. Get a fellow racer or teammate to do this with you.

Sorry if I'm being obvious...My 2 cents.

[stevep]

ride it man.
its a waste otherwise.

its just a bike.

[William]

That’s a sweet bike and I love the color. :cool: :banana:

Race it!
Don’t race it!
Race it!
Don’t race it!!

Really, only you can make that call. If you can’t bring yourself to do it, build up a cheap race rig.


William

PS: As an aside, this goes to the heart of what I was saying before about the lack of Serotta’s on the race scene.

[soulspinner]

Love your bike, whtaever ya do with it. How do you like the wheels?

[avalonracing]

PS: As an aside, this goes to the heart of what I was saying before about the lack of Serotta’s on the race scene.

Tis true... We need to get more Serottas in the local race scene.

[aLexis]

Tis true... We need to get more Serottas in the local race scene.

Our shop sponsors a team of quite possibly the luckiest Cat 1 racers on the planet. They are on Serotta HSG's (& Zipp, SRAM, Specialized).
www.supersquadra.net

[William]

Our shop sponsors a team of quite possibly the luckiest Cat 1 racers on the planet. They are on Serotta HSG's (& Zipp, SRAM, Specialized).
www.supersquadra.net


Cool. :cool:

Was that set up through your prior connection? If so, good on ya! :banana:




William

[djg]

Tis true... We need to get more Serottas in the local race scene.

I'll be at Poolesville -- kinda local to ya.

[docmaduff]

Looks great. Who makes the bars?
I have always preferred deep drop bars to any type of Ergo bend. In college, some of the guys on the A level team would cut a 1 1/4 headset spacer sleeve longitudinally down the middle and throw the little "half-pipe" into the drop to make a nice ergo pistol grip. Now I'm using Grip Shapes from Paul Swift's Bike Fit Systems: http://bikefit.com/products.php with the new Easton SC90 SLX3 Carbon handelbar. With SRAM brake hoods it's the most perfect system I've ever felt! I got the bar MUCH cheaper from BeyondBikes.com.

[chrisroph]

deda deep drop, fsa energy are good and showing up on more of my bikes

[dcwood]

Nice Bike, Can you tell me what material the drop outs are made of? They should be Ti. Glad you like the bike because I machined all the lugs and the drops. Ride the heck out of it.

[avalonracing]

I'll be at Poolesville -- kinda local to ya.

Poolesville is fun. Love the gravel section but try to be in the top 10 riders going into it. No one can pass without a fight but if you get behind some guys that are uncomfortable on it they really slow you up. And keep your month closed... a buddy of mine had a tooth chipped in half by a stone that kicked up on the gravel.

Good luck!

[cleavel]

Hi docmaduff,

Very nice bike. :)

I have always raced my best equipment from when I was a starving college student to my current status in life. My 2007 Serotta Attack is pretty similar to your HSG Carbon and it's the most expensive bike I've ever owned:

http://www.pbase.com/cleavel/image/91288584/original.jpg

I've raced it 8 times. Seven criteriums so far this year. I haven't purchased crash protection but I guess I should. :o

Enjoy riding and racing your HSG.

[Fixed]

nice setup
cheers imho

[92degrees]

Over the years I've noticed that when someone buys a Serotta race bike and then sets it up, errr upright, everyone pipes up to question why someone would buy a race bike and then set it up for something other than racing. OTOH, when someone buys a Serotta race bike and talks about racing it, people gasp and suggest that maybe a C-dale would make a better choice. I think that's funny. But I haven't had my coffee yet, so I'm all twisted in the head.