Suitable bike to begin racing.

Crow92 · 19-08-2011 5:28pm #1

Hey guys, I'm thinking of possibly joining the cycling club in ucd this year. I am seriously thinking of taking the plunge and getting this bike, the beone pearl comp road.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=59246

Seems like a good price for a full carbon with ultegra setup. But I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the fsa gossamer brakes and the fsa omega triple crankset?

Would this be suitable to start training with during the winter and hopefully race when the season starts?

Is there any other bikes worth considering for the 1-1.2k range. Can't go higher than that really as am going to need to take out a loan for this if I take the plunge.

Chips Lovell · 19-08-2011 5:32pm

It's more than fine for racing.

Have used FSA Omega double cranks. They were grand. No experience with the brakes, but brakes are brakes, i.e. hard to get wrong.

Khannie · 19-08-2011 5:32pm

I know very little about bikes, so take this with a pinch of salt until someone more knowledgeable comes along, but 8.6KG sounds heavy to me for a carbon framed bike.

edit: Oh....someone more knowledgeable came along before me.

kennyb3 · 19-08-2011 5:45pm

Any racing style bike will be fine for racing. I race on a 10kg 450e 3 year old bike and it doesn't hold me back a jot. Although decent tyres and wheels do make a difference but not hugely.

I wouldnt get caught up on weight as 99% of people arent at their optimum weight and body fat % anyway

Hungrycol · 19-08-2011 5:45pm

That looks like a pretty good deal and more than adequate for racing. Check out the Canyon bikes website too. I wouldn't worry too much about weight initially.

Chips Lovell · 19-08-2011 5:46pm

Khannie wrote: »

...but 8.6KG sounds heavy to me for a carbon framed bike.

It wouldn't be notably heavy for a bike in that price bracket.

niceonetom · 19-08-2011 5:47pm

It's a triple. Do you want a triple?

spokeydokey · 19-08-2011 5:48pm

The quality may be good but I don't think the gears are suitable for racing. A 50x12 won't be a big enough top gear...maybe.
Most people use double chain rings for racing.
It would be a shame to start your winter training on a brand new bike. Do you have something at the moment that would get you through winter?

Chips Lovell · 19-08-2011 5:52pm

spokeydokey wrote: »

Most people use double chain rings for racing.

There's a heap of people racing on compacts. Good riders too, who get results.

Crow92 · 19-08-2011 5:53pm

I was thinking of a triple to begin with, when I get stronger I might get the compact.

The most cycling I've done continually was only about 25k on my fixie, I'd do 40-50k in a day sometimes due to travelling from place to place.

Weight isn't a huge issue for me, my current fixie weights about 12-13kg so It'll be a huge difference for me anyways and I weight about 64kg myself so less to pull up a hill

Crow92 · 19-08-2011 5:55pm

spokeydokey wrote: »

The quality may be good but I don't think the gears are suitable for racing. A 50x12 won't be a big enough top gear...maybe.
Most people use double chain rings for racing.
It would be a shame to start your winter training on a brand new bike. Do you have something at the moment that would get you through winter?

I do have a fixed gear bike I'm currently on, it'd say i'd hold others back though, I only average about 20-22km/ph on it.

I could definitely change to a higher compact for the spring if I find the triple to be too low a gearing.

Chips Lovell · 19-08-2011 5:56pm

Crow92 wrote: »

I was thinking of a triple to begin with, when I get stronger I might get the compact.

Unless you are massively overweight, a compact is more than enough for a beginner. So unless you have any specific preference for a triple, don't be put off by one.

EDIT: Just saw your weight. You don't need a 30t granny ring in Ireland.

Crow92 wrote: »

Weight isn't a huge issue for me, my current fixie weights about 12-13kg so It'll be a huge difference for me anyways and I weight about 64kg myself so less to pull up a hill

Don't stress about bike weight at all. There'll be people racing on heavier bikes than that.

smacl · 19-08-2011 5:56pm

Khannie wrote: »

I know very little about bikes, so take this with a pinch of salt until someone more knowledgeable comes along, but 8.6KG sounds heavy to me for a carbon framed bike.

I probably know even less, but €1158 seems pretty damn good for a carbon bike with ultegra groupset. Looking at getting a road bike myself sometime soon, and the Beone Pearl seems like a bit of a steal. To the extent I'm kind of wondering what's wrong with it. The Beone Mistral Alu 105 and €813 also seems very high spec at the price and at 8.9kg that's €345 saved for 300g, as does the Storm at €613.

There doesn't seem to be anything close to these prices and specs locally from what I can see. The Cube peleton comes in at €934 for a very similar spec and weight to the Storm. The Focus Cayo at Wiggle seems very comparable in price (€1151) to the Pearl for entry level carbon.

kennyb3 · 19-08-2011 5:59pm

Agree with compact esp at your weight. You ll only be wasting money changing over later.

niceonetom · 19-08-2011 6:05pm

If you buy a triple (which I doubt you need at your weight) then you'll have to replace the left shifter as well as the front dérailleur and crankset if you want to upgrade it later for a compact or standard double. That's an expensive process.

Crow92 · 19-08-2011 6:07pm

kennyb3 wrote: »

Agree with compact esp at your weight. You ll only be wasting money changing over later.

Would I need to change the de-railleur, shifter and crankset if I wanted to chage over?

I wouldn't mind spending the extra money in 6 months time to have the bike now if everything but the crankset would be grand.

Edit:
just after reading nice one tom's post....damn that can change thing a little for me. Might have to have a think about this.

chakattack · 19-08-2011 6:43pm

Don't get lured into the "full carbon with ultegra" trap. It's ultegra derailleurs and shifters with heavy brakes and crankset. Also you don't want a triple, the shifting is not as good and you won't have big enough gears for racing.

For my money I'd get a Canyon. 7.9 kg with better equipment and tyres for the same money.

Or save 200 and get the lower 105 version at 8.2kg.

http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=2106

Crow92 · 19-08-2011 10:49pm

chakattack wrote: »

Don't get lured into the "full carbon with ultegra" trap. It's ultegra derailleurs and shifters with heavy brakes and crankset. Also you don't want a triple, the shifting is not as good and you won't have big enough gears for racing.

For my money I'd get a Canyon. 7.9 kg with better equipment and tyres for the same money.

Or save 200 and get the lower 105 version at 8.2kg.

http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=2106

I was looking at this too. Are the alu frames comparable to carbon fiber ones?

Suitable bike to begin racing.

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