What does it take to be track legal?

[petitelilpettit]

Hello everyone. I am planning on going out to my local velodrome (ADT Event Center in Carson, CA) and riding on the track. I currently own a fixed gear bike, but I want to know if it would be considered "track legal". This is what I could compile for a "track legal" bike.

Please, correct me if I'm wrong:

no brakes
drop bars
certain BB height (anyone know the cutoff number?)
bolt-on wheels (aka no skewers)
cog w/ lockring

Anything else that I have missed or that I am incorrect in anything? Please help me!

Pettit

[swoop]

adt has tire requirements. black tubbies only. and they have public classes and licensure. good guys.

[chrisroph]

You need to get certified to ride adt. I haven't been down there but I hear it is a great track. What's not to like about a steep indoor smooth wood track. Up in this area, we have a steep outdoor rough concrete track with wickedly beautiful and difficult transitions.

[mosca]

Contact info - Roger Young is the director there:

http://www.lavelodrome.org/contact.htm

I went and got certified last year, but haven't been back since, slacker that I am...

They did not seem overly rigorous about equipment, i.e. no bb height requirement or tire requirement was mentioned. I rode my Fillmore with 70mm drop, 175mm cranks, and street clinchers. Not ideal, but worked fine nonetheless. They have rental bikes available too.

You need to buy a racing license from USA cycling, then you can attend a Saturday course for a few hours to get certified.

It is a blast - I really need to get my lazy rear end up the 405 and do it again!

[Too Tall]

Chat the guys up at fixedgearfever for clues.

[11.4]

Simple requirements: drop bars for the massed-start stuff (you can use aero or bullhorns or whatever you want for the specialized events), no quick releases, no freewheel, no brakes. Tires aren't specified but quietly recommended -- if you slide and fall you are off the track for the day. Do it a couple times and nobody wants to ride with you anyway. Short of UCI frame requirements, no limitations on dimensions, lockrings, other choice of equipment.

As others said, Roger has to put you through a qualifying course. If you already have track racing history you can do the fast course in a couple hours. Otherwise it takes longer.

The short version on tires is that tubulars tend to do better but any rubber that sticks is acceptable. Black rubber by and large does better than anything else. Conti Sprinters are a very popular training and racing tire -- no need to go fancy with the Gatorskin or anything, just get a simple tire. The track Tufos (S3 Lite's in 135 gm, for instance) do pretty well, although some riders seem to make them slide a bit more than other riders do. If this is your first time, just glue them up well and don't spend a lot on anything until you have seen how you ride. Poseurs are picked out pretty quickly there and at most tracks.

Lockrings aren't required. Some riders think highly of them, others despise them. Up to you.

After 3 minutes on the track chasing Roger on his derny, you won't be thinking about your equipment, just about your lungs, heart, and legs.

[RIHans]

Most remember Rogers' sister who won Gold...But I remember Rodger as a smokin' bike rider and I'm not suprised he's lappin' the track as the Big Dog!

[chrisroph]

I got to see Roger race a couple times at encino. He was a fast and crafty dude. I got to see sue novaro race there too. Skinny legs (for a world championship sprinter), a big pony tail and a huge heart.

[labratmatt]

This is probably obvious, but I'd guess that they require horiz. track drops and not allow converted road frames.

[11.4]

Frame type doesn't matter, certainly not for the general training sessions. Other people ride converted road frames. Just realize that you are on steep bankings and have a greater propensity for hitting your pedal and going down (and bringing someone else down with you). Personally, I tend not to ride behind someone on a converted road bike unless we're just doing a fast pace line -- the most dangerous thing is a pedal strike from someone up high on the track, who then slides down into a fast paceline. Ain't pleasant.

As for track drops, some riders will be training on the track in aero bars and some who are doing 500m or the like may be on bullhorns or the like (Natalya Tsylinskaya happens to like them for example). But for general purposes, just get some track bars and don't sweat it. The point is to get on the track and ride.

[petitelilpettit]

Thank you everyone for helping me out here! All i really need to do is take off my bullhorns and brakes and I can go for it on the track. I know what you mean by getting certified; the certification class is 4 Saturdays for roughly 3 hours. I want to do it, but I don't have the $250 laying around to pay for the class. College tuition comes first. Other than that, I figure if I like it a lot and want to be competitive, I guess I'll just have to buy a Serotta track bike. Oh, darn. :D

Pettit

[mosca]

You'll probably want to talk to Roger about this, but I think it's still possible to get certified in a one day course for about $60. On-track experience isn't required, but you should feel confident of your bike handling skills going in.

And don't forget about gearing - you'll probably want a gear in the 85-90 gear-inch range, I think. Glasses with clear lenses are a good idea too.

And I know what you mean about the Serotta track bike - I'm feeling that "need" myself!

[petitelilpettit]

You'll probably want to talk to Roger about this, but I think it's still possible to get certified in a one day course for about $60. On-track experience isn't required, but you should feel confident of your bike handling skills going in.

And don't forget about gearing - you'll probably want a gear in the 85-90 gear-inch range, I think. Glasses with clear lenses are a good idea too.

And I know what you mean about the Serotta track bike - I'm feeling that "need" myself!

I know about this accelerated course, but I don't trust myself enough to do it all in one day. Plus, one of my fellow cyclists was taken down on the track from someone who took the accelerated course. He suffered busted ribs, a punctured lung and a broken collarbone. Not to mention that another person who went down in this crash broke his femur. Accelerated class: not for me.

Probably need to pick up a 15 tooth cog to run with my 48 tooth chainring for a start. 48x15 is usually a good starting point for track riding.

Regarding the track bike, I just fitted my boss for his new track bike that should be in the works soon (trying to finish my fittings to become certified to do fittings). Can't wait until his is built!

Pettit

[mosca]

I know about this accelerated course, but I don't trust myself enough to do it all in one day. Plus, one of my fellow cyclists was taken down on the track from someone who took the accelerated course. He suffered busted ribs, a punctured lung and a broken collarbone. Not to mention that another person who went down in this crash broke his femur. Accelerated class: not for me.

Probably need to pick up a 15 tooth cog to run with my 48 tooth chainring for a start. 48x15 is usually a good starting point for track riding.

Regarding the track bike, I just fitted my boss for his new track bike that should be in the works soon (trying to finish my fittings to become certified to do fittings). Can't wait until his is built!

PettitA wise decision, I'm sure. There was a hairy crash on the track just minutes after I got certified (not caused by me!), with two riders getting taken away in an ambulance. A sobering experience, but a good reminder to take this stuff seriously.

And I hope you'll post pics of your boss' track bike after it's built - you know how we feel about track bikes around here! :D

[petitelilpettit]

A wise decision, I'm sure. There was a hairy crash on the track just minutes after I got certified (not caused by me!), with two riders getting taken away in an ambulance. A sobering experience, but a good reminder to take this stuff seriously.

And I hope you'll post pics of your boss' track bike after it's built - you know how we feel about track bikes around here! :D

No worries about the track bike. I'll revive the track bike thread and continue its growth :D

Pettit

[swoop]

don't forget encino velodrome. its an easier intro into track riding and once again.. nice guys. we had kids from bigbrothers turning laps comfort within a 1/2 hour.