Racing bikes have become increasingly technical in the last few years and the variety of choices and claims made by each brand can be impossible to differentiate for the rider new to the sport. (To be honest, no one can tell the difference until they have spent a lot of time in the saddle of a bike, so folks that pretend to tell you which one is really better without having a lot of time in all the bikes they are comparing doesn't really know!)

So the first thing to decide is how much you are going to spend. You can get a nice racing machine for around a thousand dollars, a sufficient one for even less. You can also spend over ten thousand bucks if that suits your fancy and your budget! In between you have every kind of variety you can imagine.

The second thing to do is find someone you can trust who knows more than you. Most bike shops will have certain brands that they try harder to sell, they also want to get you to spend more than you planned so they aren't always the best place to start. Try to find someone who knows someone that races a lot or at least rides a great deal so that you can talk to them about what you might be looking for and get a better idea for yourself so you don't walk into a shop without a clue as to what you are really trying to find.

Somewhere along the line (before you start looking seriously) you also need to get measured. There are plenty of online sources to help you do it yourself or you can get this done at a shop. Some shops offer the service included with the purchase of a new bike and with fittings costing as much as a few hundred dollars, this can be an important consideration. Just don't forget that if you commit to buy something from the shop, it may hurt two weeks later when you see the same bike for three hundred bucks less on ebay.

Speaking of ebay, don't be in a rush. If you can be patient, you will save yourself a lot of money. You need to take some time to test some bikes out, ride different materials, you are going to have to choose between carbon, aluminum, titanium, steel (making a comeback these days), and mixtures of carbon and aluminum, etc. Different bikes suit different people better and you will hear people throw around words like stiffness, vibration damping, compliance, and everyone likes to talk weight.

A word to the wise, don't get too caught up in weight. Remember that if you lose two pounds yourself by eating a bit better and riding more, you are going to accomplish the

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