bleedingapple

ok so I am in need of some advice. I am 6' 2" and 250lbs so a good ole clyde. I ride a pedicab (cycle cab) for a living and have legs that break lots of bike parts. how im still a clyde i dont know heh... Anyway I recently converted to riding fixed and am so glad I did. I started with a converted 87' Univega and then got a good deal on a Fuji elios 2 track frame (the 2007 I think). So far so good but I dont feel comfortable standing and sprinting/climbing hills on it. I'm looking to get something that is stronger. I also plan on riding track this summer pretty often and this will also be my everyday bike too. So I'm looking for something that can do a bit of both as I ride my bike 20-50miles a day.

What I have been able to find online for frames have been mostly the 700cmx stuff as far as burly goes. Those include milwaukee, and volume at least as far as price goes (under $600, though under $400 would be better). Then there are frames like the Bare Knuckle. I also hear IRO and I Kilo TTs talked about here a decent amount.

Then another matter came up that shot me in another direction frame wise. I have always been against aluminum feeling that I would break it pretty easy. But then I read about clydes on aluminum and that if you are a clyde aluminum is good for stiffness as like me we flex steel pretty easily (I can flex the lower triangle almost a centimeter). This got me looking at the Leader V2 721TR Track Frame its aluminum and the price is nice too. or should I be looking more at the V2 725TR 2010 Track Frame or Leader 735TR Track Frame? And are Keirin frames tough I thought they needed to be so was wondering about the whole 2nd hand market.

Also is it ok for a clyde like me (I ride hard and agressive) to use a carbon fork, has the tech come that far?

So please any advice on frame choices would be so appreciated! Or at least some good pointers... thanks

carleton

Between fitness, racing, and gym training (and lack thereof), my weight fluctuates between 235 and 250 and I race at the track as well as ride on the street. Most bikes will bear our weight no problem. I've ridden and raced steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber. You will probably experience performance issues with the entry level steel bikes as you are likely strong enough to flex the heck out of them on sprints and climbs.

Track Racing has always featured big guys. In this photo, Marty Nothstein (far left) as well as the two guys on the right are well over 200#:


I'm sure the Leader would work. Also consider:

-Fuji Track Comp or Pro
- Felt TK1 or 2
- Bianchi Pista Concept
- Trek T1
- Planet X (carbon fiber)

Just about any quality bike will do. I've ridden, and seen other big guys ride, just about everything.

Also, carbon forks are fine.

For track racing/training pointers, ask in the Track forum: https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...-Track-Cycling

carleton

Sean Eadie's racing weight was 220 lbs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Eadie


Don't sweat it, you are fine.

lz4005

You probably know this already, but I'd worry more about making sure your wheels are strong enough. Definitely spring for higher spoke count hand built wheels. Makes all the difference in the world. (I'm 199 when I skip lunch.)

Syscrush

This is really interesting about the size of some of these track guys. Great thread.

What about the idea of using the same bike as a commuter and a track toy? I know from my experience in the motorcycle world it's a lot better to have (at least) one dedicated to each, but there are a lot more variables in the motorcycle world (crash damage, insurance, registration & licensing, passing tech, etc.). Still, commuting and track riding are such different activities that it seems like setting up a bike such that it's well-suited to one will make it ill-suited to the other.

carleton

Most off the shelf frames can pull double-duty no problem. The Fujis, Felts, and Trek that I mentioned above I know come drilled for brakes. One could easily have a set of road bars with brake levers and brakes for commuting. Then remove the bars, levers, cables, brakes as one unit and install track bars and you are ready for the track. That operation probably takes 5 minutes, tops using only allen wrenches. Use velcro strips to tie the brake cable to the top tube.

Syscrush

I'm starting to like bicycles more than motorcycles.

Too bad I can't wheelie either.

bleedingapple

Wow I never knew there were that many bigboy track riders. Makes me feel a lot better. Carleton what would be some non-entry steel frames you could recomend, are there any sub $600? I would like to keep the whole bike at $600 or less but if I need to I can go a bit higher... I'm already on top of the burly wheel set as my hubs are gonna be these --> and most likely something of the Deep-V sort. I know there are some other options out there but after about 4k miles including a xcountry ride on the same set of hand built deep-v (still true) I'm kinda loyal.

As far as the bike needing to be double duty, I don't own a car and the track is 10miles away so I want to ride there. Also I'm seldom home (usually on my bike) so going home and switching is less than desirable. I plan on just switching bars and pulling of the brakes.

The reason I asked about the Leader frame is I like its geometry and it's price. However, I just didn't know much about its quality and the whole aluminum thing worried me. The Fuji looks great but at $1000+ for the built bike was a bit more than I'd like. I haven't found just the frame as of yet. People on here seem to hate on Leader, from what I can gather its about them copying a design and the wheel clearance issue. Havent read any quality issues.

Also would a steel or aluminum/carbon fork be better; still offering some of the absorption of carbon to compensate for the aluminum frame but good strength? How is the lateral strength of carbon for those nice steep climbs and hard sprints.

carleton

I'm not familiar with steel offerings. Outside of the custom builders, the vast majority of offerings in steel are entry level (i.e. Fuji Track, Bianchi Pista).

Unless you are in love with those hubs for some other reason, buying into a proprietary hub system isn't practical. Plus gear changes where you gotta remove 6 bolts will be a pain in the butt. At the track, it's not uncommon to change gears 3 or 4 times in a training session or race day. If you stick with racing, over time you'll likely build a full kit of 46t, 47t, 48t, 49t, & 50t chainrings plus 13t, 14t, 15t, 16t, & 17t cogs. You'd start hating that hub very soon either because the gear changes are a pain and/or the cogs are hard to get or expensive. It looks cool, but doesn't solve any problems. The standard cog + lockring system has been working well for decades (maybe even over a century. I'm no historian).

There's a guy that races at our track that rides a similar distance to the train then from the train to the track, races, then back home. Commuting to race not unheard of. He's pretty warmed up when he gets there

There are lots of threads about Leader. I've never considered getting one. My humble opinion is that they are bikes that look like high performance track bikes, but I'm not sure how they deliver with quality, quality control, or customer service. They are uncommon on the track.

I'd go with a carbon track fork (30 degrees). Different forks by different manufacturers perform differently.

Man, you seem to have particular tastes. Nice tastes don't really jive with a $600 budget. A-la-carte get's really expensive really quickly.

My advice: Buy a Felt TK3 or Fuji Track Comp complete and replace things as they break or as needed for fit (i.e longer stem, different saddle…). Seriously. If you start down the a-la-carte build-a-bike it will cost waaaay more than $600 and if money is tight, will take many months to complete. Then you will miss most of the season and spend lots of money. Racing starts in a few weeks.

carleton

Also, "street price" (the price bike shops actually ask for a bike) is often lower than MSRP. As I'm sure you know, the best values come when you buy used.

You don't need a particularly burly wheelset. A set of 32 or 36 spoke pre-built wheels will be just fine. The Formula Hub + Deep V rims are good. Also the Novatec + Alex Crostini wheels are OK, too. Get flip-flop track/track hubs to make gear changes easy. These would be wheels that come stock on the Fuji Comp or Felt TK2 or TK3.

TofuPowered

I fluctuate between 235-270 (i drink A LOTTTTT over the winter and it was too cold to ride, i know i'm a wuss). actually just finished building my soma rush yesterday and it's amazing. steel (tange prestige for the frame and tange infinity for the fork) and very little flex but much more comfortable than my previous bike which was an aluminum dolan kadet. as for the hub, i don't know why but i have this propensity for killing traditional hubs so i had a wheel built around a similar hub (level components) that uses almost the same system. it, too, is fantastic. i highly recommend it.

bleedingapple

Carleton, yea my tastes are a bit too nice for my budget sometimes. Doesn't keep me down too much. Money isnt the biggest issue right now I just try not to spend it but when it comes to bikes my pockets have huge wholes, even when I'm broke... My girlfriend hates it... Though she gets all my hand me downs heh... Anyway, as far as that hub goes the cogs are actually less than most regular cogs and way faster to change, and seeing as I'm tired of changing the traditional ones it seems like a good idea to me.

So you think the prebuilt deep-v and formula comba is good for the time being? not usually a prebuilt fan but I must say my current back wheel (a redline hub an alex rim got from a friend cheep) has held up damn well considering what I usually do to wheels...

I love all the bikes you listed though my biggest concern is taking such a nice bike on the street. As I said this is my everything ride and I dont want to feel like I need to baby it. Also can you recommend any forks around $100 that are carbon and can handle me? Or would looking at a steel/aluminum carbon combo be good? Also how is the lateral strength?

I had never ridden an aluminum track/fixed bike before and actually on a ride tonight a friend had his out, a Specialized Langster. I took it for a spin and damn aluminum is so responsive! He is only a little lighter than me too which makes me comfortable.

Tofu I will try and find a shop that has a Rush I can take for a spin but after all the steel I have owned I need to see if I can flex it... If only I could find a some of the frames Carleton mentioned to try too... I think I will love aluminum, its more trying to find a good frame and price combo.

Can anyone say which of the above frames can handle daily street riding better than the others? Or is there one that can that is not listed? A fork that can handle that too would be nice heh...

Thank you for the help so far, I'm slowly getting closer to what I am going to get...

bryyando

look into the scwhinn sprint for steel? its 853, and the complete can be had for 850. Just change cranks and wheels and you should be set.

spcialzdspksman

I think his beard negates the whole point of the aerodynamic skin suit/helmet/frame/wheels.

carleton

When you can generate over 2,500 watts the wind becomes your -----.

bleedingapple

is he riding the wall? and is he pedaling so hard he is popping a wheelie?

carleton

Actually, yes. The dude *did* do a wallride to avoid the other rider crashing before him. The guy didn't land the wallride, though.

This is according to Dean Tracy who competed in the event: https://voodoomadness.blogspot.com/

"This last picture is both unfortunate/awesome. I got to know Bauge pretty well at the two sixes we both did this year, and I can say that he's a standup guy. Always the right dude at the right time, so to speak. This is in a kierin round at the Beijing World Cup, right after Rotterdam. Bauge is crashing downtrack from the rail while Denis Dmitriev from Russia pulls probably the coolest move ever actually caught on film. No, he didn't land, but who cares? No one got a photo of that part. Just the extra-gnar before impact. "


The other racer is Azizulhasni Awang of the Malaysian national team. Some racers pop a wheelie at the finish line to show off.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web...ack_Worlds.asp

bleedingapple

so if i can get a t1 used at a good price would that be a good frame?

bleedingapple

also which bianchi pista? i see 2 different models. the d2 super and the super pista. one is black and has the back wheel cutout and the other is the usual green with an arched tt. the black one is on the usa bianchi site while the other is on the uk site... which is better?

carleton

Yup. But as LZ stated above, pay attention to the wheels. The original T1 had some lightweight 20 spoke wheels that I wouldn't ride. They won't explode or anything, but are definitely not for riders our size.


The current T1 comes with more suitable 32 spoke wheels:



I trained and raced on 32 spokes all last season with no problems.

carleton

If it's not on the US site, then it's probably not available in the US. Bianchi is an Italian company. The D2 Pista is aluminum and will be hard to get.

As for US offerings: The regular Pista is steel. The Super Pista is aluminum. Both are suitable, but the Super Pista will cost much more money to build for obvious reasons. The Super Pista is simply the next generation of the Pista Concept which was a really nice frame. I had 3 of them

carleton

Here's something weird.

I googled D2 Super Pista and this site came up: https://bianchilifemidatlantic.blogsp...sta-frame.html

See the folks in the photo up top? Those guys work at Outback Bikes in Atlanta. I was in that shop yesterday! The guy on the left (Jordan) built the 32 spoke wheels that I mentioned that I rode last season. What a coincidence!

spcialzdspksman

Well, not exactly:

bryyando

the d2 was sold in the us for a little bit.

carleton

I stand corrected!