New bike advice/beginner racing advice?

rayzzor83

Just wondering is there any feed back from owners of either a merida 5000,6000 or the equivalent giant propel aero bikes? BTW scheme is available to me and have a budget 2-3.5 k merida, giant and cube are the brands available at lbs

I normally ride solo short fast spins of 20-100km on a entry level road bike, it's a bit heavy at 11kg and only 8 speed claris on it. Got the fitness up a little bit and can do 28-33km average for 45-60km distance.

Would like to try beginner club racing down the line with one of the above next year or the year after more club ridin experience.

So race what I have, aluminium 8 speed 11kg entry level bike or one of the above carbon aero bikes? Are they any much faster or worth it at that level?

Thanks in advance for any advice and sorry for the long post..

joey100

Can I ask if it has to be an aero bike? Seems to me from looking at some bikes you pay a bit of a premium because they are 'aero' over a regular road bike. The Giant TCR would be a really good choice too. Would be a top frame and might be worth looking at.

rayzzor83

No It doesn't have to be, I just presumed for the short spins I get to do that aero would be the better choice as long as they aren't to uncomfortable??

joey100

I don't think you will notice too much of a difference, aero might be a bit more uncomfortable on some of our roads, if they are as stiff as they say. Nothing wrong with a nice road bike, version of the TCR is used at world tour level so it's a good design. I've no real idea of the cube or merida range but when your spending that sort of money I'd be looking for Ultegra and decent wheels to go with it.

harringtonp

If the bikes are on show in the shop I'd bring in a luggage scales and weigh them.

Even in a bike shop, for 2K a good value bike should be coming in at 8kg without pedals and if it is over that its worth trying to figure out why.

People will say weight is not everything but IMO it is still the best single indicator of quality.

And yes a better bike will make a huge difference

MojoMaker

If you're going racing I wouldn't bother with an aero frame. Better off directing the funds to a light stiff responsive frame that climbs well and stick on relatively good wheels. Would you go for something a few years old? Have noticed one or two R3s recently that seem like really good value with great specs.

strmin

If you average 33km/h on your own, you will be winning entry level club races on your current bike. Reward yourself with a new bike after you upgrade to faster group. At least by then, you will know what your current bike's limitations are.

nordicb

I have 2 bikes, aero and normal, of similar price range and same groupset, pedals, gear ratios, similar weight. Aesthetically both look beautiful to my eyes. The fitting is matched as close as possible as I use one for training and another for racing. For period of time they shared same set of wheels (Zondas at that time).
Aero bike feels having a small edge at speeds above 35-40kph where it cruises easier somewhat, I also consistently see average speeds higher on the aero during solo rides, by a small margin. With 25mm tyres I don't feel any difference in ride quality, however aero bike has more flex in fork, but stiffer BB, the other bike is exactly opposite.

I'd probably go for another aero if I was looking for a new bike.

my 2c

rayzzor83

Thanks every one for replies so far. I've since read through some older treads on racing on here and seen Ave speed is largely irrelevant.

More to do with bunch sprinting and position technic. I've a lot more to learn.