Best $1K Race Bike Build

[comish83]

Any suggestions? I am thinking about buying this bike below and throwing on 400-500 used wheels prior to starting to seriously race next year. Trying to get the best money can buy for a grand. Over time I figured I could put a used ultegra rear derailluer and not a compact crank on as well but I want something to hit the line for cheap(unless I magical deal strikes me). Thoughts on the price of the Synapse?

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/d...915094465.html

[ultraman6970]

Not bad IMO.

[ericssonboi]

Early Synapse were Aluminum. Having a Handmade in USA sticker makes me think this is aluminum as well. That being said this is still a worthy race bike. You may want to look into CAADs as well since they are just as good if not better.

[spartanKid]

If you could find a deal on a previous season 105 equipped CAAD or Allez, that'd probably be ideal. Tiagra equipped CAADs and Allezs tend to run right around the kilodollar amount.

[Benneke]

Almost positive this bike is aluminum. As stated above, the Made in USA sticker is a giveaway, and you can see what looks like welds if you zoom in on the last picture. I would be a little suspicious of a seller who is misrepresenting their product, but if it seems legit then you have a good plan. If your budget is strictly $1k, then I would spend a little less on wheels, and spend the rest on fast tires and perfecting your gearing.

[mhespenheide]

The best deal? CAAD9 or CAAD10 with current 5800 or 9-speed Ultegra or Dura-Ace. Or a similar Allez. 9- or 10-speed race wheels are cheep these days.

However -- will you be racing as part of a team? If so, you might consider being able to borrow wheels. If all your teammates run 11-speed, you probably should too.

I agree that that CL bike looks like Al to me, judging by what looks like welds at the rear drop-out.

[Hilltopperny]

That bike is most definitely aluminum. It is circa 2008 or 2009. I bought a like new one with tiagra for my 12 year old daughter. Put up a psa for a $500 frame in the classifieds and I'll sell you a campy group and wheels for the other $500!

[soulspinner]

Not bad. Raced Aluminum all those years ago. Replacing the frame after a crash wont bring you to tears......

[stien]

I'll be the voice of dissent, you can do better. 5800 on a caad or similar will be much nicer. Add used ksyriums and you've got something. I've seen Emonda frames as low as 5-600 but you won't get mine for that much!

[KonaSS]

I'll be the voice of dissent, you can do better. 5800 on a caad or similar will be much nicer. Add used ksyriums and you've got something. I've seen Emonda frames as low as 5-600 but you won't get mine for that much!

Agree, seen lots of Specialized Allez and Caad 10 with 5800 and even some with 6800 around the $1000 mark. Just be patient and you can get lots of bike for your money. Especially this time of year.

[carpediemracing]

I love questions like this. I did a post on team bikes after thinking about this when I joined a new team and they offered bike discounts:
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...team-bike.html

For budget keep in mind pedals, shoes, helmet, some clothing, and fit items (bar/stem/saddle). If you don't have a smartphone you probably want a basic computer to track distance etc. Cadence is actually sort of significant at the beginning.

With that in mind remember that the bike has to fit. If it doesn't fit it won't do you much good. This includes bar height/drop, which is critical. You don't want to be too upright in a race, it's probably one of the biggest performance limiters you have control over (genetics you can't control, and fitness at a given moment you can't control either). The Synapse has a higher bar height for a given size. This may be a fit limiter.

The Synapse has longer chainstays. This makes the bike a bit more stable, a little less nimble. This is a minor point, shouldn't be a big thing, but a shorter chainstay bike will feel more responsive when out of the saddle. In the saddle, not really. You can change a lot of things on a bike but you can't change the frame geometry so make sure it's going to be okay for you.

Given the choice between a similarly priced/set-up, say, CAAD8-10, I'd choose the CAAD8, mainly for fit and (minor) handling improvements. Not a deal breaker but for long term, if the fit works, I'd consider a CAAD over a Synapse.

Please budget for fit items. These include saddle, bars, and stem. Again, fit is absolutely critical. If a normal frame works for you then you can transfer the bar/stem from one bike to another. Saddles usually transfer as well.

Having said that remember that your fit will evolve as you become more race fit. It's not like you'll be able to do yoga like stuff on the bike suddenly, it's just that you'll feel more comfortable leaned over a bit more, recruiting more cycling specific muscles currently not developed, etc.

Some of my thoughts on fit (this relates to a teammate I fit who was obviously a bit too upright in his position and cramped fore-aft, even though he was "professionally fit"):
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...ive-thing.html

There is a link at the beginning of that post going to something a bit more in detail about fit changes in a new racer/cyclist.

You'll want clipless pedals. The Synapse has some but not ones that you'll keep if you keep racing. A Look type system (Keo, similar) would work well for a long time. You can get them cheap. If you are limited in budget and you get a decent bike that stretches your budget I'll send you a pair of (used) Keo pedals free.

Gearing - really you'll need just a close-ish ratio cassette, maybe an 11-25. That will set you up for most events. The derailleurs should be fine, just adjust the rear to follow the cog profile closer (b-screw or similar adjustment).

Stay with Shimano or SRAM. I say this as a Campy user. Campy replacement cassettes are harder to find and typically more expensive. Historically this has always been the case. With 105 you simply can't go wrong, it's perfectly okay for a Cat 3 lifer. A friend/teammate worked through the ranks from Cat 5->3 on an aluminum 105 bike (Felt). He rewarded himself with a carbon Ultegra bike (Trek). He said it was the stupidest thing he did. He got carbon tubular race wheels ($750 with tires) and he said that was the best thing. He sold his carbon/ultegra bike because he didn't see a true performance value in the rig, and he could sell it for more money. With 105 you'll replace wear items as necessary, then you might go Ultegra (for cassettes, chains). For derailleurs not necessary.

Wheels - yes, they help, but get fit first. Then worry about the other stuff. Decent starter wheels will serve as great training wheels later.

I don't know if this bike was stolen but this would fit pretty much everything except no pedals. No extra money for wheels but those wheels are fine - in fact I have basically the same wheels for me. Tires are great for both training and racing. It's a bit high up front so if that fit works for you then great. Chainstays are short (note small clearance between rear tire and seat tube). Should be pretty stiff/beefy for racing. Carbon fork so front end will be as comfortable as anything out there.
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/5888687549.html

Hope this helps.

[ltwtsculler91]

If you're riding a 54, I could cut you a deal on my current Emonda ALR with ultegra. It's a mostly stock 2016 ALR with a Zipp Service Course SL bar/stem and GP4Seasons tires that I'll be looking to move in the next week once I get my new bike built up.

Perfect for racing.

[Erik_A]

I vote for finding a CAAD9 in your size. I love mine!

[comish83]

Originally Posted by carpediemracing

I love questions like this. I did a post on team bikes after thinking about this when I joined a new team and they offered bike discounts:
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...team-bike.html

For budget keep in mind pedals, shoes, helmet, some clothing, and fit items (bar/stem/saddle). If you don't have a smartphone you probably want a basic computer to track distance etc. Cadence is actually sort of significant at the beginning.

With that in mind remember that the bike has to fit. If it doesn't fit it won't do you much good. This includes bar height/drop, which is critical. You don't want to be too upright in a race, it's probably one of the biggest performance limiters you have control over (genetics you can't control, and fitness at a given moment you can't control either). The Synapse has a higher bar height for a given size. This may be a fit limiter.

The Synapse has longer chainstays. This makes the bike a bit more stable, a little less nimble. This is a minor point, shouldn't be a big thing, but a shorter chainstay bike will feel more responsive when out of the saddle. In the saddle, not really. You can change a lot of things on a bike but you can't change the frame geometry so make sure it's going to be okay for you.

Given the choice between a similarly priced/set-up, say, CAAD8-10, I'd choose the CAAD8, mainly for fit and (minor) handling improvements. Not a deal breaker but for long term, if the fit works, I'd consider a CAAD over a Synapse.

Please budget for fit items. These include saddle, bars, and stem. Again, fit is absolutely critical. If a normal frame works for you then you can transfer the bar/stem from one bike to another. Saddles usually transfer as well.

Having said that remember that your fit will evolve as you become more race fit. It's not like you'll be able to do yoga like stuff on the bike suddenly, it's just that you'll feel more comfortable leaned over a bit more, recruiting more cycling specific muscles currently not developed, etc.

Some of my thoughts on fit (this relates to a teammate I fit who was obviously a bit too upright in his position and cramped fore-aft, even though he was "professionally fit"):
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...ive-thing.html

There is a link at the beginning of that post going to something a bit more in detail about fit changes in a new racer/cyclist.

You'll want clipless pedals. The Synapse has some but not ones that you'll keep if you keep racing. A Look type system (Keo, similar) would work well for a long time. You can get them cheap. If you are limited in budget and you get a decent bike that stretches your budget I'll send you a pair of (used) Keo pedals free.

Gearing - really you'll need just a close-ish ratio cassette, maybe an 11-25. That will set you up for most events. The derailleurs should be fine, just adjust the rear to follow the cog profile closer (b-screw or similar adjustment).

Stay with Shimano or SRAM. I say this as a Campy user. Campy replacement cassettes are harder to find and typically more expensive. Historically this has always been the case. With 105 you simply can't go wrong, it's perfectly okay for a Cat 3 lifer. A friend/teammate worked through the ranks from Cat 5->3 on an aluminum 105 bike (Felt). He rewarded himself with a carbon Ultegra bike (Trek). He said it was the stupidest thing he did. He got carbon tubular race wheels ($750 with tires) and he said that was the best thing. He sold his carbon/ultegra bike because he didn't see a true performance value in the rig, and he could sell it for more money. With 105 you'll replace wear items as necessary, then you might go Ultegra (for cassettes, chains). For derailleurs not necessary.

Wheels - yes, they help, but get fit first. Then worry about the other stuff. Decent starter wheels will serve as great training wheels later.

I don't know if this bike was stolen but this would fit pretty much everything except no pedals. No extra money for wheels but those wheels are fine - in fact I have basically the same wheels for me. Tires are great for both training and racing. It's a bit high up front so if that fit works for you then great. Chainstays are short (note small clearance between rear tire and seat tube). Should be pretty stiff/beefy for racing. Carbon fork so front end will be as comfortable as anything out there.
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik/5888687549.html

Hope this helps.

Thank you for such a detailed response. The articles are definitely things I have played around with when I first started riding but now that I have been doing between 125-175 miles per week for about 4 months (intentions are to go up to 250-300 next year to race) I think the positioning has leveled out. Definitely need to compare frame geometries with my current bike (2005 Trek 1200 below). I could probably use a stem that is slightly longer and handlebars that are slightly more narrow(5'7" 125ish). Cant hit the craigslist links at work so I will have to wait...

http://bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeS...rek&model=1200

[Jad]

Originally Posted by Hilltopperny

... Put up a psa for a $500 frame in the classifieds and I'll sell you a campy group and wheels for the other $500!

This sounds like a great way to do it--you can probably find an excellent frame here.