My season is starting soon and I have a decision to make:
I have a Caad12 Disc w. a set of training wheels and 45mm deep section wheels and a Allez Sprint Rim Brake with a pretty worn set of 35mm alloy clincher.
It is hilly where I currently race road races but crit courses are mainly flat.
Should I sell my disc deep sections and get a new set of carbon clincher for my rim brake bike ( probably 3 pounds lighter than the other) or just race with the disc brake bike ? What would be other options/suggestions ?
I would race and upgrade whatever bike gives u more confidence, in the bunch, on descents, corners etc. being able to comfortably ‘send it’ is going to be a huge benefit over something that might be faster in a windtunnel etc
Aero is everything, unless its a 5min climb and a high gradient aero matters. Skin suit and helmet are great areas that cost very little to get improvement over expensive wheels
Racing with disc brakes is great - can carry more speed into corners - helps in all sorts of situations. Also gives you more confidence in wet conditions
Yeah I know that a good helmet and skinsuit are important and I race in both. Most climbs around here are between 5-20 min long and have steep pitches in them
The thing is that I am a student and since I do not have a team this year I am sort of short on money concerning my equipment ^^
Probably just gonna get some vision team 35 comp sl wheels for my Allez since the brake track on the other set is so thin I can practically see through it and race the majority on my Caad
The brakes the bike has don’t matter, cause you should barely touch them in a crit anyway - if you’re doing it right.
Race the bike you can afford to replace (or insure) - as crashes are much more common in racing than general riding.
However, you also need to race the bike which you enjoy and that you won’t blame for poor results… (hint: any poor results won’t be the bike’s fault in 99.5% of cases!)
Can of worms: I wouldn’t spend money buying rim brake wheels… disc is the future (and the present).
I’d get a set of those CERO AR30 or AR24. Ive used both and theyre absolutely fantastic. Came pre-setup tubless, and sound great and are very light for what you pay. I didnt like the stickers so i took them off.
