It’s a sunny afternoon in May and I’ve just slogged my way up an Italian mountain. I enjoy road bike reviews usa climbing, but I’m a long, long way from being good at it, though the light carbon fibre bike I’m riding really helps.
But now comes the good bit, a long descent that starts twisty and ends in a die-straight road on glass-smooth Tarmac through a tunnel and into Trento. I start by screaming round the curves, leaving behind the riding companions who waited for me at the top. I’m tucked deep, weight on my outside foot, banking hard into the hairpins, aiming for the smoothest line through the apex, using the whole road to hold my speed.
I’m doing 80 km/h when I hit the tunnel and my Garmin loses signal. I glimpse a roadside speed warning showing a number that starts with 9 as I plummet. Thanks to a tailwind I’m suspended in a bubble of silence as the walls rush by. Rock-solid stable under me, my bike is the only thing stopping me becoming an untidy smear on the blacktop. It’s glorious.
What makes a race bike?
Let’s be clear: we’re talking here about bikes intended for racing. That means low handlebars, long top tube, and a flat-back, stretched position. Combined with the typical geometry of a race bike — 73-74° seat and head angles and short chainstays — these are bikes that feel quick, respond quickly but predictably to steering, but are still comfortable all day, as long as you’re flexible enough to handle the position.
It’s the ride and handling I’m talking about here. Other features you’ll typically find on an elite racer’s bike are optional. Not everyone can get all the way down to the bar position produced by a long stem, slammed all the way down, for example, but a low bar puts your weight over the front tyre and helps with adhesion and handling.
Similarly, you’ll find the gears on an elite bike biased to the high end, with either a 53/39 chainset or a 52/36. The latter is what you’ll usually find on an off-the-peg bike: even Specialized’s flagship Dura-Ace-equipped S-Works Tarmac comes with a 52/36.
Not very long ago you’d also find an 11-25 cassette, but that’s another area where even very high-end race bikes have ‘softened’ in recent years. The latest version of Shimano’s pro-grade Dura-Ace groupset offers an 11-30 cassette and it’s a common spec.
High gear ranges are fine if you’re very fit or in the Fens, but there’s no shame in going for a compact, 50/34 chainset or wider sprocket range. Even the pros have been known to use compacts.
Some other things are vital though. Race bikes have either very light light wheels, or, even better, aero deep-section rims. Light wheels add a bit of speed on hills, just by lightening the whole bike, but aero wheels add speed everywhere, which far outweighs the disadvantage of their extra weight.
A light, stiff frame is also a must, so you’re looking at aluminium, carbon fibre, titanium or one of the more exotic steel alloys like Reynolds 931 or Columbus Spirit. If weight matters to you — and if you’re considering a race bike it probably does — then carbon fibre is your likely choice as even the best metal frames still give away a couple of hundred grams to composites. But metals still have their merits. For very tall riders, a large-tubed aluminium frame can be usefully stiff while still light, and the characteristic zing and spring of steel and titanium means they have plenty of fans.
Traditionally, race bikes used side-pull caliper brakes at the rim to stop, but they have almost entirely given way to disc brakes since since cyclesport’s governing body the UCI dropped its ban. Most top-end bikes are only available now in disc-braked configuration, and the remaining high-end rim-brake bikes seem to exist only because technologically conservative sponsored teams insist on them.
What are race bikes good for?
In short: going fast. That includes racing, of course, but you don’t need to race to enjoy riding a race bike, you just need to enjoy adding the ‘swish’ of a finely-tuned bike to the sounds of the countryside.
These bikes are good for any riding where speed is the aim, then, and that can include fast commuting, especially if you’ve a long way to go. Your options for carrying stuff are pretty much limited to a rucksack (or ‘bikepacking’ bags, see below) but even the raciest bikes will usually take 25mm or 28mm tyres along with low-profile mudguards like Crud Road Racers or SKS Raceblade Longs, so at least you’ll get a dry bum as well as a few extra minutes in bed.
What about multi-day riding? With the right bags, and maybe a change of gearing to compensate for the extra weight, a race bike makes a great fast tourer. However, there are no rack attachment points on most race bikes, and it’s almost certainly a bad idea to bodge one on to a lightweight frame. You’d be adding loads that the frame’s not designed for, and the short back end of a race bike means you won’t have heel clearance anyway.
Apidura Saddle Pack
The better option is to look at the gear used by unsupported ultra-distance racers. For events like the TransContinental Race, riders carry the bare minimum of possessions in a large saddlebag, sometimes supplemented by a bag in the frame or a handlebar bag. This set up works really well if you’re staying in hotels or B&Bs (or sleeping in bus shelters, TransCon style) and the bag being in line with your body means it doesn’t affect your aerodynamics as much as panniers.
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