Good Online Bike Shops For Buying Track Equipment
I really want to buy a new track frame for no other reason than vanity. I would like to find a carbon frame, hopefully from a UK site to save some $$. Is there some good shops that sell online to look at? I have never owned a carbon track frame and would like to find one that isn’t crazy $$. |
|
You could look at Dolan or Planet X.
I believe velodromeshop.net is in the UK, but it has a spotty record. |
Originally Posted by colnago62
(Post 20570017)
I really want to buy a new track frame for no other reason than vanity. I would like to find a carbon frame, hopefully from a UK site to save some $$. Is there some good shops that sell online to look at? I have never owned a carbon track frame and would like to find one that isn’t crazy $$. That said, ebay and aliexpress both have lots of taiwanese built carbon track frames that are often purchased, relabeled, and re-sold for a lot more money by other brands. Two stand out - one of which has a rep as a quite good budget sprint frame, and another that's essentially a copy of a Cervelo T4 (which is one of the most popular bikes at the national-team/world-cup level) and is reasonably popular with enduros. |
Originally Posted by queerpunk
(Post 20570464)
Track stuff moves in such small quantities that the same purchase patterns for road stuff (like the ability to buy groupsets on greymarket retail from the UK for less than wholesale in the USA) don't apply.
That said, ebay and aliexpress both have lots of taiwanese built carbon track frames that are often purchased, relabeled, and re-sold for a lot more money by other brands. Two stand out - one of which has a rep as a quite good budget sprint frame, and another that's essentially a copy of a Cervelo T4 (which is one of the most popular bikes at the national-team/world-cup level) and is reasonably popular with enduros. The second frame I really dislike. There's a bunch of them around here branded by a local bike shop and in my opinion it's everything that sucks about the T3/T4 without the redeeming quality of having proven world class aerodynamics. |
Cool. I will check these out. I got a big pay raise. What better to spend it on than bike stuff. Thanks! |
If you want, you can also spend $3k on that same Cervelo knock-off: Veloforma Bicycles - Pista Pro Carbon Track Bike.
|
colnago62, you mention wanting to save money on the frame purchase. I'm not familiar with what kit you already have as well as other thing. But, the track frame ranks very low on the benefit/cost scale of things you can throw money at.
Unless you are looking for a new frame to avoid a problem you have with your current frame (e.g. wrong size, slipping seatpost, slipping track ends, etc...), there is a long list of things that will very likely show measurable gains before a new track frame will. Maybe think of the frame as "fine tuning" your system after you've taken care of some of the things higher on the benefit/cost scale. For example: (Assuming all frames have the same size/geometry and all other components) Setup A: Steel frame + Zipp 808 race Wheelset Setup B: Cervelo T4 + 28 spoke training Wheelset Setup C: Felt TK FRD + 28 spoke training Wheelset Setup D: LOOK R96 + 28 spoke training Wheelset You would be measurably faster on Setup A. Meaning, if you did sprint or endurance time trials the same day using all 4 setups, Setup A would be fastest. |
That being said, frames can be sexy. There's nothing wrong with riding in style! I've owned several top frames and even 3 custom frames...and my times were virtually identical :(
|
Originally Posted by carleton
(Post 20572994)
colnago62, you mention wanting to save money on the frame purchase. I'm not familiar with what kit you already have as well as other thing. But, the track frame ranks very low on the benefit/cost scale of things you can throw money at.
Unless you are looking for a new frame to avoid a problem you have with your current frame (e.g. wrong size, slipping seatpost, slipping track ends, etc...), there is a long list of things that will very likely show measurable gains before a new track frame will. Maybe think of the frame as "fine tuning" your system after you've taken care of some of the things higher on the benefit/cost scale. For example: (Assuming all frames have the same size/geometry and all other components) Setup A: Steel frame + Zipp 808 race Wheelset Setup B: Cervelo T4 + 28 spoke training Wheelset Setup C: Felt TK FRD + 28 spoke training Wheelset Setup D: LOOK R96 + 28 spoke training Wheelset You would be measurably faster on Setup A. Meaning, if you did sprint or endurance time trials the same day using all 4 setups, Setup A would be fastest. An 808 vs a conventional alloy rim wheel is worth ~15w on the front and a little less on the rear. The P4 on which the T4 is based was up to 20w faster compared to some competitors frames in 2009, the competitors being other contemporary carbon TT frames. |
Originally Posted by rustymongrel
(Post 20573217)
In all seriousness a T4 and likely a TK FRD with 28 spoke training wheels would be as fast or faster than a round tubed steel bike with race wheels.
An 808 vs a conventional alloy rim wheel is worth ~15w on the front and a little less on the rear. The P4 on which the T4 is based was up to 20w faster compared to some competitors frames in 2009, the competitors being other contemporary carbon TT frames. |
Originally Posted by rustymongrel
(Post 20573217)
In all seriousness a T4 and likely a TK FRD with 28 spoke training wheels would be as fast or faster than a round tubed steel bike with race wheels.
An 808 vs a conventional alloy rim wheel is worth ~15w on the front and a little less on the rear. The P4 on which the T4 is based was up to 20w faster compared to some competitors frames in 2009, the competitors being other contemporary carbon TT frames. |
Originally Posted by colnago62
(Post 20570017)
I really want to buy a new track frame for no other reason than vanity. I would like to find a carbon frame, hopefully from a UK site to save some $$. Is there some good shops that sell online to look at? I have never owned a carbon track frame and would like to find one that isn’t crazy $$. My old club warned members to only buy carbon if they could afford to replace it. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e06a1b0e20.jpg |
I currently have a Giant TCR Omnium frame and 808 wheels. I openly admit that it is not for performance, purely for vanity/ coolness factor. |
Originally Posted by carleton
(Post 20573407)
So, we are talking about less than 5W between Setup A and Setup B? :foo:
Personally I'd still go for wheels first since used stuff is pretty cheap and the bling factor is better :lol:
Originally Posted by topflightpro
(Post 20573504)
I'm curious, where are you getting these figures?
|
Originally Posted by 700wheel
(Post 20573510)
I've seen carbon frames destroyed in road and track races plus on club rides. Here is one track crash I saw.
My old club warned members to only buy carbon if they could afford to replace it. Whole heartedly agree with your old club members. I've always applied that motto when purchasing my bikes! |
Originally Posted by 700wheel
(Post 20573510)
My old club warned members to only buy carbon if they could afford to replace it.
Originally Posted by Dalai
(Post 20575269)
Crashes can destroy any frame material. The only reason I replaced my aluminium 08 Fuji track pro back in 2014 was because it was damaged in a crash!
Whole heartedly agree with your old club members. I've always applied that motto when purchasing my bikes! There is similar logic in the world of car modifications. Basically, don't modify your car if you can't afford to deal with any issues that come from said modifications (voided warranty, premature wear, etc...) |
Originally Posted by Dalai
(Post 20575269)
Crashes can destroy any frame material.
|
Wow. I can’t imagine that is fixable at all. On a related note. Back in 2010 (?) a teammate of mine clipped a pedal and went down kinda hard on his Tiemeyer. Something around the BB shell was cracked. This was about 3 weeks before Masters Nationals (his big event for the season). Mr. Tiemeyer welded the frame and had it painted and returned in time for Nationals. Pretty cool of him. I don’t think an off the shelf bike would be repaired, though. |
Originally Posted by queerpunk
(Post 20570464)
Track stuff moves in such small quantities that the same purchase patterns for road stuff (like the ability to buy groupsets on greymarket retail from the UK for less than wholesale in the USA) don't apply.
That said, ebay and aliexpress both have lots of taiwanese built carbon track frames that are often purchased, relabeled, and re-sold for a lot more money by other brands. Two stand out - one of which has a rep as a quite good budget sprint frame, and another that's essentially a copy of a Cervelo T4 (which is one of the most popular bikes at the national-team/world-cup level) and is reasonably popular with enduros. |
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:05 AM. |
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.