Five budget bikes for road and off-road racing, plus a guide to preparing your bike for battle
(Image credit: tREDZ)
For many amateur cyclists, a logical step in the cycling journey is to try your hand in a race. To some, racing provides a challenge and a clear set of goals to strive towards. This could be racing to improve personal best times in the local time trial, competing against others in a criterium, or pushing technical limits in a cyclo-cross or XC mountain bike race. Others simply enjoy racing for the camaraderie; racing gives you the chance to connect with other cyclists, participate in a supportive community, and make new friends who share a passion for the sport.
Many people use racing to build skills, others simply enjoy the workout it provides – there's no denying you'll go harder in a race trying to follow someone's back wheel, than you can on your own. This coupled with the sense of accomplishment, having hung in there with the younger guys or having held your own with the elite women, can provide a sense of pride and achievement far beyond the physical aspect of the sport.
However, cost is often seen as a barrier to racing. With brands launching new products all the time with claimed watt savings and 'free' speed, it can feel like the first race is an arms race that you'll never win. However, it absolutely needn't be.
With 0% finance at Tredz, and the Cycle To Work Scheme offering up to 42% discount on the bike, components or accessories of your choosing, racing can be accessible to anyone.
To help you onto the start line of your local racing scene, here are five budget-friendly race-ready bikes, with the cost kept at approximately £1000, as well as some advice on upgrades that you can make to your own bike in order to make it race-ready.
The Contend AR is a great beginner's race bike, thanks to its lightweight ALUXX-Grade Aluminum frame, balanced road geometry, D-Fuse seatpost that reduces road vibrations, and disc brakes for powerful braking. What's more, the Giant S-R2 wheelset is bombproof, and the Shimano Claris groupset paired with FSA chainset provide precise consistent shifting with a suitable gear ratio for flat and hilly terrain.
The Specialized Allez is an entry-level road bike designed for performance, reliability, and versatility. It has a lightweight frame, a lightweight carbon fibre fork, and reliable 2x9 Shimano Sora groupset. The rim brakes might not be as powerful as the disc brakes above, but will still be ample for racing scenarios. It also has integrated rack and fender mounts for transforming it into a fast commuter. This all adds up to mean the Allez Sport is great for racing, but also for everyday life.
The Marin Gestalt gravel bike is a great entry-level machine for racing on rougher terrain such as gravel and cyclocross. It will still be allowed for road races, should you wish to try your hand there too, but its more relaxed geometry and wider tyres will be more at home off-road. It comes with disc brakes, a similar Claris x FSA groupset as the Contend above, with space for up to 35mm tyres - 10mm wider than you'll see specced on most road bikes.
This alloy-framed gravel bike offers great spec for its pricepoint, making it great for entry-level racers who want a little more tech to help them. For example, the Shimano GRX hydraulic disc brakes are an excellent upgrade that will provide powerful braking. The 2x10-speed groupset with 11-36 cassette provides excellent gear range to help with fast descents and steep climbs. The wheels are tubeless-ready too, meaning a much-reduced chance that your race will be hampered by punctures.
If your racing desires take you further into the rough stuff and you fancy trying your hand at the local mountain bike race series, then there's no better place to start than this alloy-framed Specialized Rockhopper, complete with Rockshox Judy fork, Sram SX groupset and Sram Level hydraulic disc brakes. Its 29-inch wheels are designed to roll over obstacles more easily, with the help of the 80-100mm of front suspension and Specialized Fast Trak tyres.
What if you're reading this thinking: "But I already have a bike, surely I can just use that?"
Of course, the answer depends on what type of bike you have, and what type of race you're looking to enter. For example, a skinny-tyre drop-bar road bike won't be suitable for a mountain bike race, and vice versa. However, races such as cyclo-cross and gravel usually have some flexibility on the permitted equipment, but if you're unsure you should contact the race organiser to find out.
If you find your bike is indeed suitable for the event at hand, then there are a few things you can do to ensure it's ready to race, as outlined below:
1. Make it safe
A race will put a greater amount of strain on your equipment than a typical ride, and a bike failure mid-race could result in you getting hurt, or taking out a fellow competitor.
Before any race you need to give your bike a once over, make sure it's safe to ride before hitting the start line. Tredz has an excellent end-to-end guide on this very subject, so study it, check your bike, and if you're unsure, seek the advice of a professional mechanic.
Unless you're blessed with the fitness of Tom Pidcock, racing probably won't be comfortable per se, but that doesn't mean your bike should be adding to the discomfort. Especially racing over long distances, a comfortable bike can be the difference between placing well in a race and not finishing at all.
Use our bike fit guide to ensure everything is set up perfectly for you, and check out Tredz's range of components, such as saddles and bar tape, that can transform your bike into an armchair ride.
(Image credit: Tredz)
3. Make it faster
Here it is, the fun part. You've serviced your bike and made sure it's safe. You've adjusted the fit and now you can ride for hours on end without discomfort, and you're in the best physical condition you can possibly be for race day. Now it's time to make your machine faster.
Because it's the fun part, this is the bit that most of us get hung up on, but in the interest of keeping the costs down, remember to consider how much difference a potential new component is likely to make.
Where you'll find the best bang for your buck will depend entirely on the bike you have and the race you're doing. For example, if you're racing cyclocross then appropriate tyres will make more difference than most things. Tyres can make a difference on the road too, but if you're racing in time trials, then aerodynamic gains such as swapping your jersey and bibs for a skinsuit can mean significant time savings. If you're racing hill climbs, then aerodynamics still matters, but weight is often the more important factor.
Tredz's guide to upgrading your bike is an excellent resource that will guide you, but an important note to remember is that you should never make a change for race day without testing it during training first. You don't want to find out five miles into your 100-mile event that your new saddle is more akin to a razor blade.
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