Track bike handling?

[BigDaddySmooth]

I see alot of fixies/track bike on e-bay. To expand my riding skills, I'm thinking of picking one up. How does a track bike handle, assuming fairly normal geometry (73HA)? Thanks.

[David Kirk]

A real track bike is kind of a bummer on the road. it will of course work but it's a bit like riding a unicycle with a trailer. The head angle, while important, can't be looked at in isolation..........do you know the fork rake?

A fixed gear road is a good bit more pleasant. Look for a used road frame with horizontal drop outs and you're good to go.

Dave

[Fixed]

Bro I use them everyday mine are old beater road bikes around a $100.00.Cheers :beer:

[Ti Designs]

There are track bikes and there are road bike fixed gears - they ain't the same. If you're looking for the added training benifits of a fixed gear, get a fixed gear. A true track bike is designed for super quick respons on steep banking. Good track racers are a different breed, the bike is an extension of their own body. One of my coaches ran a kirin school in Japan, what he expected of us seemed unreal. If there were two riders in front of me, elbow to elbow, my reaction would be to try to get around them for the line. His expectation was to ride between them... Track bikes teach you that your hips steer the bike, try to direct the bike from the front end and you'll be across the street before you know it. The front brake is something to be feared as well. With 1-1/8" of rake and a super steep head angle, if you get into a corner with the front brake on you're probably going over.

Fixed gear road bikes are a training aid. They force you to spin, they force you to generate power going up hills. You're working full time and the speed is limited - for those of us who live in cold areas. And a 2 houre fixed gear ride the training of a 3 hour road bike ride. There's nothing to go wrong on the bike, the back wheel has feedback that can keep you upright on ice and snow, and they're just plain cool. The warning about fixed gears is not to bite off more than you can chew. Bonking on a fixed gear is like bonking while boxing - you get hit. Some people run a flip-flop hub with a single speed fixed gear cog on the other side just in case they start to bonk. Flailing down hills when you're out of gas is no fun...


Most track bikes sold are more along the lines of road bikes with track dropouts. We sell the Bianchi Pista, the Specialized Langster, the Cannondale track and the Lemond Filmore - they are all closer to road geometry than track geometry. The Cannondale is steep, but they stuck to a carbon road fork which was their limitation. I run a Surley Steamroller, which is kinda laid back with room for 38c tires (great for New England winters). Let's not forget the option of going to a Serotta C3 with track dropouts...

There are also plenty of true track bikes out there. I'm not going to bother listing them because there's more of an education in riding them than just knowing what's out there. A trip to a track that has a beginner program will teach you more about track bikes than the internet ever could.

Lastly, no matter what other people say, put a front brake on the bike. I know lots of messengers who claim they don't need a front brake, they can control the speed from the pedals. The weight shift is forward under braking, all they can do is skid the rear wheel.

[mike p]

Ti, I was looking at the 4 bikes you named and was really interested in the fillmore (Because of steel frame). As you say most have road geo.which I want. What are your thoughts, do you like any one better? Thanks for any help.
Mike

[Ti Designs]

The fillmore is the clear winner in terms of frame construction, and it's classic Lemond laid-back geometry. It comes with the flip-flop hub on Bontrager wheels. I just went to take another look at it to make sure it had as much clearance as I remembered - I was half right. The back uses long reach brakes (which I would get rid of) but the carbon fork uses a short reach brake and the clearnace is minimal. It almost seems as if the bike was designed around a steel fork and the change to carbon was an afterthought. It's clearly the more deluxe of the bikes in terms of equipment, that can be good or bad. Most people who get fixed gears pay attention to all of the details. Crank length - if you're using this as training for road racing, put the same length crank on that you use on the road. There's no point in teaching your legs to turn circles if they're not the same circles. Gearing - for all the nice things I could say about what comes with the fillmore, it's too high a gear. Find yourself a few chainrings and a few cogs so you hava a range. You may also want to make yourself a good set of gear changing tools. Take a chain whip and a lockring spanner and add extensions. I use an old mountaiin bike bar and some grips. Don't forget about the saddle - same thing you use on the road bike. Just because it's a winter bike doesn't mean you can cheap out there. In the end you just have to look at how much of the original stuff you're keeping and decide if it's worth getting the whole bike.

[vandeda]

Ti,

What do you think of the Steamroller? I'm interested in it because I can get the frame for dirt cheap (<$300), and I like the idea of being able to fit 38mm tires as that would give me an opportunity to put on knobbies and/or studs for winter when there's some snow/ice on the ground.

Thanks,
Dan

[Dekonick]

If you are looking at the steamroller - checkout the cross check as well./

[vandeda]

Dekonick,

Yeah ... I already checked it out, but it's too much like my Centurion. This will purposely be a bare bones bike. As minimal as minimal can get, so I like the idea of no braze-ons except 1 set of bottle bosses. Just good and clean looking. If I didn't have the Centurion, I would probably be all over the Cross Check though, looks like a nice ride :D

Dan

[Samster]

I see alot of fixies/track bike on e-bay. To expand my riding skills, I'm thinking of picking one up. How does a track bike handle, assuming fairly normal geometry (73HA)? Thanks.

I have a Bianchi Pista Concept 2005 (not the regular Pista), which is a full-on track bike, and a Serotta Big Dig (somewhere between track and road geometry). I've also had an IRO Mark V (now sold) and a Colnago Master x-light Pista (wrecked). They all handle(d) differently.

But like anything else in life, you get used to what you've got. After a while the track layout doesn't seem that harsh and the roadish layout doesn't seem as "smooth" (compared to a road bike, in any case...) So whatever you've got is good.

--sam