That sounds an awful lot like either retirement or a newly born carbon curmudgeon, doesn't it? In reality, it's neither. Carbon bikes are fantastic and so is racing. But with a couple of kids, bills to pay and no stockpile of rainy-day bike money (hey, the economy has been rough for a while, you know?), even the remote possibility of having to replace a broken carbon frame gives me a stomachache.
So earlier this spring I took the leap into high(er) end aluminum and ordered a Specialized Allez Race. (Disclosure: I race for a team sponsored by a local Specialized dealer. I got a good deal. Retail is $2,400.) I've had teammates in the past talk about "just going with a cheap frame and spending money on nice parts," but nobody actually went through with it. After mulling the idea for a while and getting ride reports from those who had been riding the Allez, I went for it.
I will not buy a carbon race bike again.
