Can An Upgraded $250 Bike Win An Elite Race?

Alex bought a £200 ($250) bike off eBay and has been upgrading it on @gcntech over the past few weeks. He set himself a budget of £1000 ($1250) to see whether an upgraded cheap bike can challenge bikes worth $10,000+ in a race. He has entered the hotly contested elite race at Castle Combe and is not just out to finish, he wants to win! Can he do it?
Check out the ‘It’s NOT About The Bike’ budget build series over on GCN Tech 👉 • It's NOT About The Bik...
00:00 Intro
00:31 Race info
01:47 Bike patrol
03:54 Alex’s bike
05:41 The race
08:41 Summary
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[@gcn]

Share your top budget racing tips in the comments 💸

[@MattRose30000]

just git gud 😎 In other words, rather than expensive components, focus on everything else first: Individual fitness, race tactics, group riding, bike fit. And invest in a smart trainer instead if that's gonna make you race more, especially off-season.

[@neilk22]

I reckon you would have stuck with the breakaway if you had left that R9100 crankset installed 😂 nice effort 🎉

[@biggertree7063]

aliexpress

[@alexandregf4]

The sora groupset with thumb shifters was lame. A better groupset makes a good difference

[@thejeffinvade]

I am sure Tadej Pogačar can win any local race with $25 dollar bike.

[@AlbertBuckinghamEllison]

The kid on the 9-Speed Sora - Someone make a note of that man's bravery. Chapeau Alex for picking up the budget challenge.

[@bookingstation]

To be fair, on a flat crit your only using the same 3 or 4 gears.

[@AgentSmith16]

LOVED seeing that young guy show up and mix it up with the heavy hitters. I bet he did well! Goes to show that it's all about the rider.

[@gcn]

9 speed Sora.. is this really the groupset of the people? 🤔

[@Rufgaudas]

@Tard Strength Bike does help a lot when there are meaningful differences, but at amateur level - mostly it's the driver. For example I commute to work with my 21kg old heavy bike, but when I sit on my medium range gravel bike for a pleasure rides (~11kg) - the difference really feels. But still, when I am in good fitness (usually at the end of September I reach my peak) - I will ride faster and farther away on a 21kg old bike than when I am out of shape on my better light weight gravel bike (just after the winter/early spring).

[@loc9588]

@@TardStrength its a good groupset. groupset doesnt affect speed

[@jonburnell532]

6:42 Whoever was waving to the camera in a race scenario.... Legend! 👍

[@shepshape2585]

Agreed

[@gcn]

Showboating 😂

[@trevejenkyn9888]

Alex, You did well a great video, but what I really liked was off camera how friendly you were to some young riders before the start of the race, your enthusiasm and the way you spoke to them was nothing short of wonderful you made them feel special. Hard luck missing the break

[@gcn]

Alex loves chatting bikes! These youngsters gave him a run for his money on and off the track 🙌

[@kevin._.farren]

Would love to see all the GCN presenters enter a race together.

[@kalijasin]

Mano would win! LOL

[@mikeymike1792]

That Orro Venturi is a bloody masterpiece. Beautiful, and ridiculously good value compared to its rivals. Want, want, want.

[@MW-df2fm]

Sadly it's not available outside of the UK as it really is a beast regarding value for the money! Edit: they are available to be shipped outside of the UK but in Europe not that attractive due to VAT and possibly costums.

[@neilk22]

Love the stealth like tube formation 👏 those reserve wheels though are probably the most expensive part of that setup.

[@Normally_aspirated]

That was the one that stood out to me too

[@jasonharbottle2974]

Got got got, exactly same bike and spec (apart from the wheels, I have the 40mm Fulcrum Airbeats that came with it, but do a good job). Add in some expensive Garmin Rally RS200 power meter pedals and it's just over £5k for the whole thing. Really good bike and looks the part too!

[@Dorsetsubaru]

I’ve got Orro venturi and it’s a bloody lovely bike

[@supaschwamal]

Liked the guy with the 9 speed Sora setup. It's plenty for a flat race. Maybe you'd need to swap out the cassette for Alpine climbs but that's still not gonna break the bank.

[@taxi9554]

Still some rim brakes in the group. And good to see at least one cheaper bike from other riders

[@seansims8805]

I ride a 2012 focus izalco pro rim brake , roval sl45 with 28mm conti ultras...fastest bike i ever had boughtframe and fork used at recycled cycles wheels too...built myself with 105 for less than 800 here in Seattle Wa....been changing bits like bars shifters wheels derailleur for kicks ...riding 50/34 11-32 or 11-36 cause I'm 54 a ride inconsistently as far as being fit is concerned ......I'll step into the past 5years soon after a gravel so all build ....hope to score top flight italian but I love all bikes so it really is the ride and my ability...love to tinker , do 98% my own maintenance

[@cb6866]

Thanks Andy...it's not the bike , it's the rider .

[@zachsummers3321]

Agree on that did a crit with my schwinn phocus the other day. Payed about 500$ for it in 2017.

[@cb6866]

@@zachsummers3321 Prime mover

[@bluemystic7501]

This is true but your equipment also matters. The bike in this video is a bit of an extreme example but there's no doubt it was holding him back a bit.

[@Kim_Miller]

I think the handlebar tape moved you up one or two places. Good choice there. 🙂

[@Oggymandias]

I did a 20km time trial last year on a 800€ Decathlon-Bike. Came in 5th to last, still had a blast.

[@gcn]

That's what it's all about 🙌 Getting stuck in and loving every second. Was it the bike holding you back?

[@Oggymandias]

@@gcn I would have probably been faster on a better bike but I was a huge underdog anyways. I mainly joined to see how fast I could go on a closed down road over that distance. Was fun, will do one in the Fall again. This time on a way better bike.

[@nickpatten5263]

Another great video. Love Alex's enthusiasm and loved how he got involved with everyone before the race. Kudos to Liam with his "never let me down" Sora groupset and adding the head unit to make up the total cost of his bike. Just shows it's not all about the (price of the) bike. If you're happy with the bike you're riding that's all that matters.

[@gpersonaltrainer]

What a great performance using the Sora groupset. Next time, if you choose an used 105, it will make your life much, much easier and you'll stay in the budget, anyway.

[@boscoboys]

I am on an old Tiagra 10 speed Ribble R872 and sometimes this old lad can hold up pretty well against the multi £££ bikes. It was just £1k at the time of purchase. Great video . Loved it.

[@gcn]

Sounds like a great bike! it all comes down to the rider at the end of the day 💨

[@daLoerdchen]

Yes, the 10 speed Tiagra (4700) is brilliant! Trying to get a full groupset on the entry level bike of my wife :-)

[@MichaelGuzzo]

same here , tiagra 10 speed on my 2005 Trek 1500 is my everyday roadie

[@Gekoman333]

Great job Alex! Best handlebar tape in the bunch. 🐆🥇 Loved the whole budget bike series. I learned a lot, thank you.

[@g_y.rtz420]

This is the content i love the most from gcn, highlighting and elevating lower end bikes and components that most of us regular folks can actually afford. Also love how you touched upon how while your bike isnt aero, your position is. Great presentation overall too, i loved how comfortable the other riders were during the interview. Thanks お疲れ様でした!!

[@roarman75]

Alex!!!!! absolutely stunning. and the best part was that you were having fun and still completing evening if not the first rider over the line. I guess you were first over the line within the low cost bicycle category.

[@VeloGrapher]

Loved the effort and commentary. Always enjoy your videos both the tech stuff and the non techie stuff! Keep riding and long love the Giant OCR 🎉😂

[@gcn]

Long live the Giant OCR!!! Great to hear you are enjoying our videos! Did you catch Alex previous attempt at a budget bike race? 👉kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5ndYnqsgNVljsk

[@VeloGrapher]

@@gcn absolutely did! Can’t wait for the next attempt :)

[@blairbenson5579]

Thank you so much for making this video! I race (triathlon) on a 2012 Cervelo P3C that i bought used for USD$700 and always feel like such a noob turning up at transition! Thanks for showing us that budget bikes can still get decent results!

[@jrh1704]

Loved this series, thanks!

[@PixelVibe42]

Brilliant video! Alex, your enthusiasm is infectious - love it!

[@donaldteer5981]

great effort Alex! loved this series and the build

[@edb8120]

You did a great job balancing components. It all works together well and obviously fits what you can do with it. That was a Yoman's job. My days of those power levels are decades in the past.

[@wspmjw]

Congrats on finishing respectfully, Alex. I'd love to see one of these local races with other GCN presenters (hello Hank & Conor) riding their top spec bikes and racing you and the rest of the field.

[@brandonnorviel512]

Love all bikes you show on GCN, but when you show budget bikes, i think it really helps folks break barriers to the sport. Great video keep it up

[@Aureas133]

Im so old i still remember races were done on exactly projects like these. Don;t race what you can't replace. People nowadays turn op on bikes more expensive than Wout van Aert's

[@Z-u-m-a]

Great effort. Love the Lilly Savage bar tape (RIP Paul O'Grady).

[@NunoJoel]

Big and Nice effort! Good Work on the bike also 👏

[@SimonGergolet]

Raced the Haute Route Alps in 2021 with a 10 speed Cannondale CAAD10, aluninium frame. I think it was the only non carbon or non 11+ speed in the top 100 positions of the GC. Finished 5th overall. Had a puncture on the rear wheel, it was fun when the Mavic mechanic noticed that he couldn't replace my wheel on the go with a spare one in his assistance car, since they didn't have 10 speed wheels anymore since ten years 😂

[@Ahoey717]

Well done efforts appreciated 😃

[@DavesSmartHome]

You rode great! And your bike build was enlightening as well. Thanks… for what you do.

[@cauldron101]

Looking at that $10K+ Pinarello, if you offer it as a trophy on winning the race, I could win it even running the race barefoot! 😛

[@gcn]

Hahaha we think you might get a fair bit of competition 😂

[@blahblah4129]

Fantastic video - thank you for making me lol at times.

[@eugenechoong1606]

Thoroughly enjoyed your video. Just goes to show you don't need to splash all that money and still be able to finish in a decent place. Well done!

[@Wheels419]

Alex you were amazing. I agree spending >10k is nuts. I have a whole stable of older carbon frames rescued from the scrap heap. A Colnago C40 just won my last master’s race which specked out at about 2k.

[@VaticDart]

The OCRs are (and still are!) a great budget frameset. I had an OCR1 (Shimano 105) I rode all over Seattle and the PNW. Ran me $1100 USD in 2008 and I definitely got my money’s worth. Upgraded to an All-City Zig Zag in 2021 and was very sad when I dropped off the OCR at the donation place. Hopefully it’s continuing it’s glorious days with someone else.

[@adventure_hannah3841]

I raced age group and collegiate triathlon and made it to USA nationals on Sora, my full alloy bike totalled just over $800 brand new. Grit and hard work is what makes a good rider. :)

[@10ktube]

Solid effort pinning the number on with the jersey over the knees. I use the steering wheel of the car for whatever reason, some others do, some do it the knees way. I have to see which way is more aero and rethink the whole thing.

[@JulianHegge]

Thanks for the video, really enjoyed it :)

[@Natuh21]

Great job, it would be great if you guys make a series of best bike for less money like THAT rim brakes black beauty @2:38 ! Get more ppl with that kinda bikes to let them talk the upgrades history of their bikes and then lets put all to race against each other 😬

[@FatboyAussie]

Great effort and series Alex.

[@phoneindustrydesign]

2:44 the challenge you were doing in this video series - someone is already living that life 😏 and he ain't got the dura ace hidden in the basement 😉

[@stevengagnon4777]

Nice work ... proving that the race isn't all about equipment. I was friends with Bob Mionske in Madison Wisconsin. Knew him from the dorms when he injured his knee as an Olympic hopeful down hill skiing. Well he bought a bike for recovery from surgery and got into racing it soon after . His first race bike was a used Miyata Pro . Madison had a very active race scene going at the time so he was competing against a lot of people on high end stuff (Apple's, Colnago's ...ect...). He did well became a professional and eventually made the Olympics(USA i think "96" those medalists were pretty big guns in the road race that day) and placed forth pretty much all by himself. Now he's a successful bicycle advocate lawer. It's all about determination at that top level . Glad you gave it everything and finish in the top twenty. It took that same kind of determination to try and bridge that gap and sprint to the finish, good work! ps he was always running a couple gears higher and didn't have a lot of team support during a race but always did well. Seeing that guy climb with that low cadence ( dissing the peliiton on the way) was just amazing. He didn't start riding a bicycle until he was twentyish and started competing soon after . Thanks for the forum to tell his story. Me just one road race ate steak and eggs for breakfast paid heavily at the beginning recovered and did okay on my Vicount areo space got into a small group to chase the front did quite get there but was a good ride for a hundred kilo guy riding a wet noodle of a bicycle. Yeah eventually snapped that Areo Space in half sprinting out of a rush hour intersection. Sounded like a gun shot and went airborne. Should have seen the looks on the drvers faces when I stood up and picked my bike up folded in half(down tube sheared at the head tube and top at the seat tube clean through). Never road straight guage tubing again either.

[@amandanorth6526]

Lovely video, Alex. Awesome series and great effort

[@aliensporebomb]

The bike looks great now - it probably is the kind of thing that someone starting out would have a great time on. And it would make a great rain/trainer bike.

[@niibor1]

It’s genuinely a pretty cool bike now. Really nice looking

[@alastairstedman7840]

The Dura Ace 7800 crank is a VERY good substitute for the 9100 crank! 10/10 chapeau!!!

[@Dreamweaver94]

Great conclusion to the series! I think that was a great result considering the competition! It was a big surprise when I saw my username and comment up there giving Alex a hard time for wanting to to put a Dura Ace 9100 crankset on the budget build. I'm glad that crankset was swapped over to a Dura Ace 7800 crank, you can get those used for a pretty decent price and would be good budget option! Hope my comment didn't come across as rude btw, I thought it was a little silly but it def was intended as constructive criticism!

[@DanceonthePedals]

Great video, love the choice of bar tape. Enjoyed watching the race - cheering for the underdog - kinda has that ‘Breaking Away ‘ vibe.

[@user-sd2tv4wm4u]

First comment ever of my 42 year old life for your vidéo and how good it is! You have done à realy, realy good job mate. Thanks à lot for the job you make arround cycling and showing us how it can be affordable for most of us ! In one word: Thanks !

[@satishkumar-bt9zc]

well done for your effort!!

[@ronaldweed6103]

I really,realky enjoyed this. Great racing

[@JimStepsride]

Bike looks great and looks like it will hold up as well! Reality most of us will not be riding an elite bike. However it sure feels good to match or to beat an elite bike on our local rides. For me the biggest upgrade is to drop 5 pounds!

[@gcn]

There is a real smugness when you beat someone on a much fancier bike 👀

[@ross88mac]

Nothing better than dropping someone with better gear and bike!

[@littletel100]

First bike getting into cycling was a £250 OCR. A few upgrades and it was great bike for the money.

[@vlain16]

We have a saying in the Philippines "wala sa bike yan nasa tuhod" which translates to "it's not usually the bike, it's your knees" 😂

[@michaelb1761]

Well done on the bike build and the race effort.

[@Azeazezar]

Juist came across this. Saw an old OCR that i wished i had 20 years ago. and fell in love with it. Currently upgrading it on a budget. Put P-R2 wheels on it, replaced the hubs of those wheels with DT-swiss 350 i could get for a bargain, and an R7000 groupset. Still under budget. But i still need tires. Shouldnt be a problem.

[@Azeazezar]

So. Price in EUR Bike: OCR C2 2003? 75 Tools to work on bike: 50 P-R2 wheels: 25 DT Swiss 350 hubs: 40 R7000 groupset 310 - Not the best bargain. But certainly beats the worn out 4400 tiagra it came with. Still need tires. Lets see what i can find. And the hanger in the back is ever so slightly bent. Need to replace that too.

[@grahambowes756]

Brilliant effort.

[@matt_m126]

I love that bar tape! 😂 I saw it in the other episode, but seeing it at the race is pretty epic! 😊

[@francodellamura7471]

Well done Alex, great effort.

[@pwoods00]

Fantastic job!

[@timyaiser]

Great video, and as a Giant owner, love the finished product. I have no doubt you would’ve had a top five with different bar tape. 😜

[@emwilson06]

Fantastic! We've got a similar weeknight race series at a track near me. It's my favorite racing. Definitely some budget bikes there. There was a Lemond racing out there until recently (probably not budget, when it came out). I love seeing the breadth of racing bike there. Mine's more the middling, 2017/18 CAAD12 ~$2500 + $1000 Ksyrium UST alloy race wheels. 12 years or weeknight racing and counting.... decidedly not elite though.

[@okayest_amateur]

Thanks Alex, great video. You don't need an expensive bike to have a lot of fun. I've been beaten but tons of people with cheaper bikes. Alex with a 10k bike there is no guarantee that you would've made the break. The bike helps but not as much as some people may think. 5-10 watts??

[@lukebaker1687]

Great effort Alex, love this series!

[@gcn]

Glad you enjoyed the series! Where should we take this bike next? 👀

[@ryuujinusa]

Well done Alberto, awesome ride.

[@TheDeanoLoveridge]

Great effort Geoff! Nothing to be ashamed of there!

[@madyogi6164]

NICE! ...is very little to say! I can only dream about that flat race circuit, I could try my top / one hour speed.

[@michaelchiller2494]

I had been looking forward to this video and you did not disappoint. Well done. Great fun.

[@struancochrane753]

Great effort. It would be interesting if you did it on your "usual" road bike. For comparison. I know weather conditions will be different but your finishing position in the same pack may change.

[@dinodaniel2237]

Great video Alex ! It not about the bike but rather the engine,

[@gregsettle9725]

Kudos, well done!

[@AlistairLattimore]

Great effort Alex and cool build videos as well. So we know/accept that the bike isn’t as aero, let’s say 25-50w difference vs a modern bike. It’d be cool to close, again, most of that gap with an helmet, speed suit, socks and shoes - go again! With the above, you might be in another $1000-1500, but your now $2500 racing setup is still 1/4 or less of many of the top end bikes. Granted some of your competitors will have aero bike plus the extra bits above and you can’t beat that but maybe its enough to get you into top 10?

[@AntonioDiaz]

That was a good effort! WOW!

[@cribbage1686]

Good job. You did great.

[@justsomedude7556]

Good for you on ignore the bit on the crank. I have 2 or 3 cranks, multiple stems, bars, and other parts in my personal parts bin

[@jamiegolden7093]

Man, I love that color. Nice work, Alex!

[@scottriley7215]

Good work Alberto!

[@Viewfromabove1]

Good video Alex...... don't think the negative comments were justified. We would all use parts if we had them so there is no right or wrong. The key messages were great.... It's about giving it some thought and having a go and see what happens. That's the fun.

[@rich_valets9937]

Alex good series 😎👍🏼….. and performed very fair, would be great to see you extend this series and maybe increase the budget to see how much more performance would be achieved for the extra expense 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@gcn]

Interesting! Maybe it's about time we look at those mid-rage race bike 🤔

[@lochness_sasquatch]

Thanks Albert! Looks like you had great fun on that budget race bike, happy days!! 😄

[@kurtallen8837]

Like you said . Just your fitness levels and brushing up on your racecraft . Well done

[@user-nt8dy4xw9r]

I love this approach! GCN can be the people’s channel with these budget experiences, not with the top-end superbikes. I spent about USD1,000 to buy and upgrade my first road bike last year; a secondhand carbon frame (in quite good condition) with 10 speed 105 groupset and carbon tubular wheels. I barely knew about road bikes at the time, but now I feel lucky to be able to enjoy cycling with this amount of expense. It can be a cheap hobby in the end!

[@TijmenMoltmaker]

I rebuilt my old 2007 alu Canyon time trial bike into a drop bar road bike. Not the latest aero features, but still a fast one. So my budget tip for a competitive race bike would be: buy an old time trial bike or frame.

[@timcarnes3467]

awesome job. frugality + job accomplishment= life elixir

[@ariffjohansalamon8422]

👏👏👏👏👏👏 Well Done mate, well done.....👍👍👍

[@Patrik6606]

Great job 😊

[@JSC131]

Brilliant effort Alex top draw great content.

[@D_isco_D_ancer]

Loved this series.

[@DaxPlusPlus]

I think you'd have an easier time on a more technical course eg a city crit or Odd Down but out in the open of an airfield circuit like Castle Combe then an aero bike can make a difference if your on the front, attacking or trying to bridge across. Good effort though - good to see you get involved in the race and get a top 20 than be boring and sit in for an hour and only improve your result by a couple of places

[@ProfRCook]

When I raced, decades ago, the saying was... 90% rider, 10% bike. Well done!

[@goodcompanycoffee]

Great series. Mega effort Alex. All about the ride upgrades and not the buy upgrades.

[@gcn]

Say it louder for those at the back 🙌

[@markpeterson8978]

Well good Sir! Right solid effort. - M

[@murphykenji]

Excellent effort. There's something very pragmatic about testing the limits of doing more wifh less.

[@ricktoth7418]

Way to go, great effort with a built from scratch bike!

[@Big_Island_Boi]

Well, as I wrote at the start of this series, when you bought the shit OCR with Sora to begin with, you could have / should have easily started with a much better bike for even just a few hundred $ more and you would have ended up better off in the end. I just bought a 2015 Cannondale HiMod Synapse w/ hydro discs and carbon wheels--a $6500 bike new 7 yrs ago--for just $750 recently. And I also bought a full Dura Ace 7800 Klein Q Pro XX for $250 last week. The Klein is super light for an allow frame that's roughly 20 yrs old... and the Dura Ace 7800 is still flawless and bulletproof--and very light. With some lighter / carbon wheels this Klein will be a beast--and only weigh around 16 lbs... for under $600 total. As you learned (and noted) in this segment--the SHIFTERS are probably the most important piece of kit on the bike after the wheels and tires.

[@slevin9437]

Great results! maybe the Alex training plan before race could be mentioned as well?

[@s2pacific]

Liam takes my vote! Proving you can mix it without being too fancy pants !

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

WoW...Nice attempt :) 45 Km /Hr Speed is Incredible :) You did great Alex :)

[@darrenhill8503]

Great effort all the way round mate.

[@markjthomson]

Older sora - the thumb shifter is designed for touring, spending the whole day on the hoods not racing. The newer one has the paddles... Good form all in all. Yes, completely possible to build and race for way less than the top end costs.