Quote:
Originally Posted by gibbo
I am pretty new to track racing and was wondering what the thoughts are on used track bikes? I am considering a used steel track bike from the 90’s, but wondering if something newer would be better possibly aluminium? Help a newbie out!! :-)
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Around here used track bikes are usually the way to get a nice bike. Entry level bikes are quite nice if you have a second set of wheels. You'll probably change contact/fit points (saddle, stem, bars, pedals) so you can sort of ignore those.
If you can get an aluminum frame, great. Carbon frame, if it's a reputable brand, great. Steel... not as great.
Get good geometry - very short chainstay, taller BB. If the stays are over 40.5 cm long it's probably not a "true" track bike. BB drop should be minimal. The head tube should look tall for the frame. My 51cm steel frame has a head tube that belongs on a 55.
I started racing track on a straight gauge steel frame from the 80s - I bought it from a guy that bought it from the rep, in maybe 1990. Frame/fork and OMAS headset weighed over 7 pounds. I raced it briefly in 1992 the put it away. In 2009 I bought a take off triple from the local shop, put it on the bike using one chainring, and put together a new rear wheel, and went racing. It was really a mashup of parts. I got some better stuff - basic SRAM track cranks, reasonable bars, etc, but still, it's about as cheap as it gets.
It didn't really hurt me - my lack of track experience made more of a difference. Having raced on the road for a while (25 seasons?) made a huge difference, but the frame didn't fit really well (old track frames tend to be short in length, and I need really long frames) so it wasn't ideal. Performance wise it didn't hurt at my entry level racing.
I decided to get serious and get a "good" track bike. With a new frame (not a custom like my road bikes - I wanted a UCI approved frame), two disc wheels (one a spare), 2 front wheels (spare), some better clincher training wheels, an SRM, 2 sets pedals, 2 saddles, stiffer shoes, aero helmet, and a dedicated CycleOps 300 bike for practicing starts, I budgeted about $5000 for my adventure. The pandemic sort of threw my plans into a tizzy but let's just say I've gotten most of my list, just a couple key areas to figure out (bars mainly, and therefore stems).
My goal is to do short power events, so 500m TT (M50+), flying 200m, sprint, keirin if applicable, scratch, points?.