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Old 05-26-19, 04:28 PM
  #5551  
topflightpro
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GP4000s will be fine. I've run Conti Supersonic and Schwalbe One clinchers, and Conti Sprinters and GP4000 tubulars. They work as they should.
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Old 05-26-19, 06:03 PM
  #5552  
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Originally Posted by topflightpro
GP4000s will be fine. I've run Conti Supersonic and Schwalbe One clinchers, and Conti Sprinters and GP4000 tubulars. They work as they should.
Thank you!

One more even noobier question--are cog sizes standard, or should I have my LBS check out the hubs (Phil Wood track hubs of some vintage) to see what will fit? I need to put a 15t on the back (it currently has an 18t/16t combo), since Cat5/4s all run 48/15 on my track.
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Old 05-26-19, 08:13 PM
  #5553  
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Originally Posted by cormacf
Thank you!

One more even noobier question--are cog sizes standard, or should I have my LBS check out the hubs (Phil Wood track hubs of some vintage) to see what will fit? I need to put a 15t on the back (it currently has an 18t/16t combo), since Cat5/4s all run 48/15 on my track.
In my experience threaded cogs are all interchangeable. However I've found lock rings use at least two different threads.

My recommendation is to use a small amount of grease on your cogs and lock rings threads.
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Old 06-03-19, 08:35 AM
  #5554  
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It says at the start of the thread "Wondering if something is worth the time/hassle/money?" so hoping I can ask here.

I saw this for sale and wondered if anyone is familiar with these. I tried posting on the classic vintage what's it worth forum but not much feedback there.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...rack-bike.html

Velodrome track bikeSteve Bauer brand velodrome bike (probably made for the now defunct Niagara Bicycle Company) either in Canada or Taiwan. I can't find any info on it on the net. Steve was a Canadian Olympian then pro racer who lived about 400 yards from my house.

Unsure of frame size and only photo available. Seller advised needs "clean up and perhaps a new chain".

Wonder if worth the drive? Seller asking $200 Canadian (about $150 US). Any thoughts on these? Rare bike but not necessarily sought after though old race bikes in general are well liked (if in good condition).
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Old 06-03-19, 09:22 AM
  #5555  
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Where is it? I'll buy it if you're squeamish.
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Old 06-03-19, 09:35 AM
  #5556  
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Everybody says the same thing! People like it from the look but no one knows if its worth the coin. I think it says Levance on the top tube.

Not squeamish - just cautious. I don't know the first thing about track bikes but think I'll go look. Might offer a bit less and see where it goes. Based on the photo I think the cranks are Campy but that's it for parts I can recognize without a closer look. Should the dropouts be good quality I might buy it.
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Old 06-03-19, 11:06 AM
  #5557  
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As a complete bike, it's worth the 200 Kanuckistanian Kopeks. It was a mid quality bike for its time. Definitely bike shop quality, not Sears. It would've been ~$600-800 back in the day. It would've been a good quality bike as one's first "real" track bike.
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Old 06-03-19, 02:02 PM
  #5558  
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Ok. I will visit tonight if seller has it.
Ps I like "Kanuckistanian Kopeks" and might have to adopt and plagiarize it
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Old 06-03-19, 04:12 PM
  #5559  
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Originally Posted by WGB
Ok. I will visit tonight if seller has it.
Ps I like "Kanuckistanian Kopeks" and might have to adopt and plagiarize it
Not my creation, so go ahead. All my US relatives call it Monopoly Money because its coloured and worthless.
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Old 06-03-19, 04:18 PM
  #5560  
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Someone beat me to the punch. Assuming the buyer was on here as gone right after I posted so whoever bought I'd like to see photos....
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Old 06-03-19, 05:06 PM
  #5561  
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Ouch. A kijiji search showed a few SB road bikes going for 250-600
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Old 06-14-19, 11:47 AM
  #5562  
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Is everything alright at Dixie Flyer? I ordered some Hellyer bars and Bobby emailed me saying they were in paint and would ship out at the end of the week last week (6/3) and that he'd update me, but haven't heard since and no reply to my email (6/12) - social media hasn't updated since about that time either.
More concerned that something might have happened than I am about the bars. They are usually really fast to respond.
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Old 06-14-19, 01:41 PM
  #5563  
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Originally Posted by Morelock
Is everything alright at Dixie Flyer? I ordered some Hellyer bars and Bobby emailed me saying they were in paint and would ship out at the end of the week last week (6/3) and that he'd update me, but haven't heard since and no reply to my email (6/12) - social media hasn't updated since about that time either.
More concerned that something might have happened than I am about the bars. They are usually really fast to respond.
Ok, here we go with my Dixie Flyer story:

I ordered a 62cm BTB frame the beginning of May. It shipped 3-4 weeks later after not hearing anything. The frame arrived, the fork spacing was 105mm +, so yeah not cool. He did tell me that he had a bad batch of forks, and that a correct one would be shipped ASAP. I was like ok, at least he told me right away. Then, I go to assemble the bike, the drop out plates were bent, and one of them only measured 9mm. I email again, I am told a few days later that I will be overnight shipped new drop out plates. I wait, nothing comes. I email again, I am told, I sent you used ones, they will be there in a few days. So, Not only were they not shipped overnight, but I was getting used ones.
At this point, I am more than a little irate. I then basically say I want a new fork NOW, new drop out plates NOW, or I am sending the bike back. So I am then told that I am being overnight shipped a brand new fork with proper spacing...Wait 2 days, NOTHING AGAIN. That was the final straw, I tell him I am sending it back. He then tells me at this point I don't need to hear anything more from you, I'll get back to you in a few days. Well, yeah I wasn't waiting a few days, filed a claim, and lo and behold, he sends me an email for UPS to pick the package up with attached packing slip.

It was an amazing looking frame, and I was sad to see it go, but I just did not trust the company anymore.
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Old 06-14-19, 03:30 PM
  #5564  
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I heard (and witnessed) similar stories about Serenity.

Not about Dixie Flyer in particular, but "China Carbon" in general...

People ask, "Why not get an eBay frame for a fraction of the cost of the household name companies??"

The answer is: Quality Control.

The Chinese companies will ship things that household name companies will not. It's that simple. The question is whether or not the company state-side catches the defective parts before the customers get them.

In that documentary showing how easy it is to setup a bike company with as little as $5,000USD (if memory serves me correctly), one guy that worked for a popular US company had to live in China (or visit several times a year) and inspect the products at the factory regularly to make sure they weren't shipping things they should have been scrapping.

"Why would they ship things that don't meet specs?" Being lazy and cutting corners. The faster they make their quota, the fewer raw materials they have to buy, the less they pay in labor costs, and the faster they are on to making money on the next job.
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Old 06-14-19, 03:43 PM
  #5565  
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Originally Posted by carleton
I heard (and witnessed) similar stories about Serenity.

Not about Dixie Flyer in particular, but "China Carbon" in general...

People ask, "Why not get an eBay frame for a fraction of the cost of the household name companies??"

The answer is: Quality Control.

The Chinese companies will ship things that household name companies will not. It's that simple. The question is whether or not the company state-side catches the defective parts before the customers get them.

In that documentary showing how easy it is to setup a bike company with as little as $5,000USD (if memory serves me correctly), one guy that worked for a popular US company had to live in China (or visit several times a year) and inspect the products at the factory regularly to make sure they weren't shipping things they should have been scrapping.

"Why would they ship things that don't meet specs?" Being lazy and cutting corners. The faster they make their quota, the fewer raw materials they have to buy, the less they pay in labor costs, and the faster they are on to making money on the next job.
The lack of quality control and lack of prompt communication sealed the deal for me. I will never purchase something bike related sight unseen again. I guess you get what you pay for. I ended up going to a Brick and Mortar store and although I really didn't want to spend 3x as much, purchased a Cervelo T4 and couldn't be happier.
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Old 06-14-19, 04:51 PM
  #5566  
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hmm, interesting. I had heard mostly good things about DF. a 33cm aero'ish drop bar with pretty good geometry seemed like a no-brainer.
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Old 06-14-19, 04:53 PM
  #5567  
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Originally Posted by carleton
…………………………………………………

"Why would they ship things that don't meet specs?" Being lazy and cutting corners. The faster they make their quota, the fewer raw materials they have to buy, the less they pay in labor costs, and the faster they are on to making money on the next job.
I have been involved with quality control for many years. The problem with many Asian countries is that they do not understand what quality is all about. Further compounding the problem is that in many Asian cultures it is considered rude to inform a senior or older person of bad news (poor quality).
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Old 06-14-19, 06:07 PM
  #5568  
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Originally Posted by Morelock
hmm, interesting. I had heard mostly good things about DF. a 33cm aero'ish drop bar with pretty good geometry seemed like a no-brainer.
I had heard only good things, which is why I ordered from DF. If you are questioning your order (as I felt there was definitely something fishy going on a few weeks after my order) PM me. I’m not one to blow up someone’s spot publicly, but I kind of feel obligated so that another person doesn’t order from them and be sorely disappointed. My problems were treated so nonchalantly it really bothered me. Even if everything ended up working out after all these problems there was no way in hell I trusted riding that frame.
Like I said I can give more details through PM that would shock you about my correspondence with DF.
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Old 06-14-19, 06:11 PM
  #5569  
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Originally Posted by 700wheel
I have been involved with quality control for many years. The problem with many Asian countries is that they do not understand what quality is all about. Further compounding the problem is that in many Asian cultures it is considered rude to inform a senior or older person of bad news (poor quality).
I get all that, but at the end of the day, the final quality check has to be done by the OWNER of the company. I shouldn’t be receiving a bike with a 105mm spaced fork and messed up drop out plates. It also looked like some kind of filler was used on the steerer, and there was some minor chipping around the track ends. To double down on this,
promises were made and broken about overnight shipping the proper replacements.
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Old 06-14-19, 06:17 PM
  #5570  
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This story of DF sounds a lot like Serenity:

- A pretty good product on paper/website.
- The early products were nice...when quality was good.
- Bad products slipped through the crack when demand increased.
- Poor communication from the company.

My guess is that the DF supplier/manufacturer overseas did great work early in the relationship and started to relax and cut corners as the relationship went on.

(I could be totally wrong. This is just speculation.)
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Old 06-14-19, 06:42 PM
  #5571  
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Originally Posted by carleton
This story of DF sounds a lot like Serenity:

- A pretty good product on paper/website.
- The early products were nice...when quality was good.
- Bad products slipped through the crack when demand increased.
- Poor communication from the company.

My guess is that the DF supplier/manufacturer overseas did great work early in the relationship and started to relax and cut corners as the relationship went on.

(I could be totally wrong. This is just speculation.)
I think you might be right, so the owner of the company has to OWN the mistakes made, not treat them like they are not a big deal. For instance, I was told that the 105mm spaced fork would "be fine" for now!! I don't know about you, but if you have ever tried to install a wheel where the spacing is off by a full 5mm, the fork bends. Like I said, they did give me a heads up on the fork, and that I would get a new one (but with no timetable). The drop out inserts though I thought I was the most incompetent bike mechanic of all time, I tried 4 different wheels and none would clear the axle. That is when I measured them, one was 10mm, the other was bent and only had a 9mm opening. I had to send multiple pictures and was at first treated like I must be an idiot. To tell me I am getting new plates overnight shipped and then getting used ones 4 days later was just flat out not following through on a promise. When I told DF I did not trust the frame, I was told over and over "we stress test these frames rigorously." Well, how am I supposed to believe that? Like I said there is even more to this story. I saved every email and picture in the event that I did not get a refund. Its a damn shame because this was THE frame that would fit me nearly perfectly. TT length, reach, stack were all literally spot on to what my fitter wanted.
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Old 06-20-19, 07:22 AM
  #5572  
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Does anyone know why 285m tracks were en vogue from the 60s-80s? Examples would be the Montreal Olympic Velodrome, the Silverdome in Tasmania, the '72 Olympic velodrome in Munich, etc. I can only find a small reference suggesting that 285m was a popular distance for motor-paced events. Just curious.
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Old 06-20-19, 08:41 PM
  #5573  
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Originally Posted by benjovland
Does anyone know why 285m tracks were en vogue from the 60s-80s? Examples would be the Montreal Olympic Velodrome, the Silverdome in Tasmania, the '72 Olympic velodrome in Munich, etc. I can only find a small reference suggesting that 285m was a popular distance for motor-paced events. Just curious.
Makes it spectator friendly. It's 3.5 laps to a kilometer. It allowed kilos and match sprints to start on the back straight. This only works for odd km distance events. Even number km distance events start and finish on the home straight.

Many motorpaced events would have the riders start on the rail of the back straight with the motos riding down low. They would ride neutral "parade" km to make sure the group was together and up to speed when the gun went off. It also gave the crowd a chance to "see" the team's before the race started.

Last edited by taras0000; 06-20-19 at 08:45 PM.
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Old 06-29-19, 09:27 PM
  #5574  
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Just got my first pair of cycling shoes: Pearl Izumi Tour lace-ups. I decided to try a pair of slotted cleats to try out with the clips-and-straps pedals I already have, so I got the Yoshida Champ cleats. It looks like the curve of the cleats is more than the bottom of the shoes? (see pic link) Is this something I should be worried about? Do I need to find some kind of shim? Thanks!
https://imgur.com/a/gfwFxoU
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Old 06-30-19, 04:37 AM
  #5575  
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Originally Posted by jeffmendoza
Just got my first pair of cycling shoes: Pearl Izumi Tour lace-ups. I decided to try a pair of slotted cleats to try out with the clips-and-straps pedals I already have, so I got the Yoshida Champ cleats. It looks like the curve of the cleats is more than the bottom of the shoes? (see pic link) Is this something I should be worried about? Do I need to find some kind of shim? Thanks!
https://imgur.com/a/gfwFxoU
You'll be fine to just bolt them on. This is a common occurrence with slotted cleats, as no two shoes have the EXACT same sole curvature.
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