Here’s one for the ages: What constitutes an affordable race bike? How one answers said question hinges in part on where the emphasis is placed. That is to say, “what is an affordable race bike?” means something different than “what is an affordable race bike?” Not to mention that affordable is very much a relative term. Enough semantics for you?
When I first started racing road bikes in the early 2010s, there were several affordable aluminium race offerings available on the market. The gold standard at the time was Cannondale’s CAAD10, which could be purchased with Shimano 105-level components and serviceable, if heavy, aluminium wheels for around $1500 USD (∼£1200).
