Best crit/ sprint bike?

[culpbenjaminc]

I'm starting the long process of finding a new "lifetime" bike, and am curious for suggestions. I'm a larger guy (190lbs) who has his primary success been in crits and field sprints- although I am in the process of getting down to around 175-178 with the goal of racing more in hillier races over the next 2-3 years. I used to ride a Litespeed Ultimate, and that bike was great for crits- I could put it into any turn, pedal right through, and never felt like the wheels were coming out. Now I'm on a Trek OCLV, and it understeers a bit, but has the advantage of being dossile enough to swap out rain jackets on a ride- the Ultimate was just a bit too unstable for that for me. I'd ideally want something somewhere in between. Super stiff for sprints, handles like the Ultimate, or slightly less so if it means I can grab bottles and change clothes more easily on the bike. Slightly lighter for kicks wouldn't be a bad thing either- 3.4 lbs for the Ultimate frame was pretty strong.

Here's my list so far:

Custom or stock Carbon: Crumpton, Calfee, or Parlee
Custom or stock Ti: Serotta, Seven, IF
Look 585
Cannondale Six13 or CAAD7-8
Kestrel Talon with a 40mm rake fork instead of the 45mm
Orbea

I like the idea of going custom, and since most of these frames are in the 2000+ range anyway, I figured the difference in cost was nill. What are some other notable frames for crits/ sprinting?

 

[OCRoadie]

I'm starting the long process of finding a new "lifetime" bike, and am curious for suggestions. I'm a larger guy (190lbs) who has his primary success been in crits and field sprints- although I am in the process of getting down to around 175-178 with the goal of racing more in hillier races over the next 2-3 years. I used to ride a Litespeed Ultimate, and that bike was great for crits- I could put it into any turn, pedal right through, and never felt like the wheels were coming out. Now I'm on a Trek OCLV, and it understeers a bit, but has the advantage of being dossile enough to swap out rain jackets on a ride- the Ultimate was just a bit too unstable for that for me. I'd ideally want something somewhere in between. Super stiff for sprints, handles like the Ultimate, or slightly less so if it means I can grab bottles and change clothes more easily on the bike. Slightly lighter for kicks wouldn't be a bad thing either- 3.4 lbs for the Ultimate frame was pretty strong.

Not sure I'd be comfortable riding any of those in crits, at least not cat 4/5. I'd hate to put one of those into a "crash fest". Other than the risk of crashing an expensive bike in a crit, you have a nice list. I'd go for the IF or a Serotta Ottrot (Mostly because I want my next bike to be a Ti/Cf blend, and I really like those two). Not sure if the Cdale CAAD7-8 would be a great choice for a "lifetime" bike. Go for the Ti. I'm not familiar with how IF offers customs frames, but I know Seratto does a great job.
Here's my list so far:

Custom or stock Carbon: Crumpton, Calfee, or Parlee
Custom or stock Ti: Serotta, Seven, IF
Look 585
Cannondale Six13 or CAAD7-8
Kestrel Talon with a 40mm rake fork instead of the 45mm
Orbea

I like the idea of going custom, and since most of these frames are in the 2000+ range anyway, I figured the difference in cost was nill. What are some other notable frames for crits/ sprinting?

 

[culpbenjaminc]

Not sure I'd be comfortable riding any of those in crits, at least not cat 4/5. I'd hate to put one of those into a "crash fest".

Well, that's true- but if you look at some of the crash replacement policies- some frame makes cater torwards racers. Check out crumpton cycles discount. 70% off the first year. Still 800 bucks, but if you wrecked a beater- that's what you would be out too.

http://www.crumptoncycles.com/index.lasso?categorykey=57&type=1

 

[PeterF]

I'm starting the long process of finding a new "lifetime" bike, and am curious for suggestions. I'm a larger guy (190lbs) who has his primary success been in crits and field sprints- although I am in the process of getting down to around 175-178 with the goal of racing more in hillier races over the next 2-3 years. I used to ride a Litespeed Ultimate, and that bike was great for crits- I could put it into any turn, pedal right through, and never felt like the wheels were coming out. Now I'm on a Trek OCLV, and it understeers a bit, but has the advantage of being dossile enough to swap out rain jackets on a ride- the Ultimate was just a bit too unstable for that for me. I'd ideally want something somewhere in between. Super stiff for sprints, handles like the Ultimate, or slightly less so if it means I can grab bottles and change clothes more easily on the bike. Slightly lighter for kicks wouldn't be a bad thing either- 3.4 lbs for the Ultimate frame was pretty strong.

Here's my list so far:

Custom or stock Carbon: Crumpton, Calfee, or Parlee
Custom or stock Ti: Serotta, Seven, IF
Look 585
Cannondale Six13 or CAAD7-8
Kestrel Talon with a 40mm rake fork instead of the 45mm
Orbea

I like the idea of going custom, and since most of these frames are in the 2000+ range anyway, I figured the difference in cost was nill. What are some other notable frames for crits/ sprinting?

I race on a Pinarello. They aren't super lightweights, but they corner well and have a nice solid feel when sprinting. Some guy on Fassa seems to have a lot of luck with them too...

 

[spec_beotch]

specialized are good at sprinting if you like compacts

 

[lokstah]

Not sure I'd be comfortable riding any of those in crits, at least not cat 4/5. I'd hate to put one of those into a "crash fest".

Well, that's true- but if you look at some of the crash replacement policies- some frame makes cater torwards racers. Check out crumpton cycles discount. 70% off the first year. Still 800 bucks, but if you wrecked a beater- that's what you would be out too.

http://www.crumptoncycles.com/index.lasso?categorykey=57&type=1

I dunno, man. I'm also of the mindset that if you're buying a bike to use primarily for crits and sprints, you're best off getting a really solid, stiff and snappy alloy or steel frame--save the Calfee or custom Ti for your epic races, for tackling hills or generally showing off.

When you're tearing around a tight course, shoulder to shoulder, out of saddle and generally aiming to survive, could the silky hum, light weight and bling-prestige of a top-shelf carbon or ti frame matter less?

Personally, if I were building a crit-dedicated ride, I'd throw down on a Felt or Giant with the express purpose of getting a nice bike designed to get the job done in the trenches--those frames ride, in the end, about as nice as their megabling counterparts, but you wouldn't weep so hard if you put a gigantic scratch in the toptube.

 

[OCRoadie]

Not sure if "lifetime" bike and "crit" bike really work together. For "lifetime" I would go with custom Ti, I think for "crit" bike I agree with Lokstah, I'd go with stiff Al. I was going to sell my Specialized M4 Al bike after I got my new CF rig, I have decided to hold on to it for now to use for crit racing. It's super stiff in the sprints, handles well and is already scratched. I checked out the link for the "crash warantee", I guess that's a little insurance. I didn't know anyone offered such a thing, you'd better hope you crash in that first year.

 

[dhk]

Agree with you and Lokstah here. A stiff and light "working man's" AL frame is what I'd want for crits, not a "lifetime" Ti or fancy CF frame. Any lightweight frame that's raced hard is going to break sooner or later, from fatigue, crashes, or a combination of the two. Besides, the start line of the crit isn't the place to impress anyone with your hardware.

Haven't heard of Crumpton, but I'll bet that any frame that comes with crash insurance in the purchase price is very expensive.

 

[RC2]

Yeah, agree too. Think of the analogy with cars and it makes even more sense. (If you could...) you wouldn't normally take a 300 grand Lamborghini Murcielago to the track only to beat it up racing against Corvettes and Neons that are just as fast for 90-99% of amatuer racers and much cheaper to maintain, right?

 

[jitteringjr]

Get the Seven Ti

 

[dhk]

I'd go for two bikes. A Seven or other "lifetime" prestige road bike, equpped for a nice ride and long-distance durability, and a stiff AL- framed machine with lightweight wheels and tires, setup and used only for racing. The racers around here all seem to have at least two bikes anyway.