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New Track Rider, Need Bike Advice

Old 08-11-18, 06:48 PM
  #26  
MrsIncredible73
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Originally Posted by carleton
One note:

Track riders generally use much narrower bars than road for generally a few reasons:
- Much of the racing happens in close quarters and wide bars aren't a good thing in close quarters.
- There is no "roadie sprinting" on the track. You know, the thing where roadies get out of the saddle and swing the bike back and forth like a flag. DO NOT DO THIS. This isn't a good idea on a fixed gear bike. I've seen many newbies unclip doing this. Also, not good because of the close quarters.
- They are more aero. This is minor compared to the safety concerns above.
- Wide bars are great for out-of-the-saddle climbing on the road. There is out-of-the-saddle climbing on the track.

They will feel weird at first. Don't throw them out. You'll get used to them after a session or two.

Narrow bars affect your fit. Basically, bringing your arms from a wide to a narrow position lengthens your arms thus pushing your back up. To undo this, you'll need either a longer top tube or longer stem. It could be as many as 2cm.
Great advice, thank you! I admit that I am guilty of roadie sprinting...in my defense, I haven’t learned correct form yet. Really glad you said that, and hoping that will be covered in next week’s class. To be honest, I was really frustrated after last week’s class. We were doing proximity drills, and I was far more wobbly (for lack of a better description) on the bike than I was comfortable with being so close to other riders. I don’t have this issue on my road bike. I will admit that I don’t ride that close on the road, so the close proximity is new to me, however, I didn’t expect to have have bike handling issues. I’m hoping I just need more time on the bike and on the track.
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Old 08-11-18, 06:58 PM
  #27  
MrsIncredible73
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Originally Posted by queerpunk
I agree. There are TONS of decent, mid-range, aluminum track framesets - mostly from the major manufacturers but some from smaller ones too - and all of them are more or less comparable. Some will have more classical sprint geometry with 74-75 degree angles, and some will have more contemporary enduro geometry with headtube angles going down to 73 or even 72.5 in some cases (some people don't like that, some people do, carleton might post extensively about it ). They'll all have aluminum frames, carbon forks with aluminum steerer tubes. There are a few features that are a little better than others:
  • Long track ends that are plated in steel (alu track ends get chewed up; the more length of the track end, the more your bike can accommodate every gear combo you want to use with only one length of chain
  • Aero-looking tubing, which probably is a little more aerodynamic than non-aero-looking tubing
  • A reliable seatpost like a 27.2mm or 31.8mm seatpost instead of something proprietary (aero-looking seatposts tend to slip under larger riders)
  • Short head tubes, or a greater reach-to-stack ratio - this lets you use the same track frame for both a mass start setup (you might need a stem with some rise to put your handlebars where they belong) and a time trial setup with aerobars (where you probably need to mount a shorter stem much lower).
And, honestly, tons of bikes meet these criteria. I raced a Spec Langster Pro as a Cat 1 for many years. I wouldn't hesitate to use a Giant Omnium, a Bianchi Super Pista, a Dolan TC1, Masi Coltello, Fuji Track Whatever They're Claling It These Days, or a Felt TK2 in a pinch.

They're all pretty similar. Buy the one that you think looks best, get an experienced person to help you buy the right size, plan to spend some more money on accessories (chainrings and cogs, contact points that you like - bars saddle and pedals), and that bike will take you very far into the sport.
Thank you! I see you listed Masi Coltello. My husband is building his bike with a Masi Coltello frame. I was tempted to do the same, but right now I’m looking at a used TK2 for much less money. I don’t have a problem spending the money, but I feel like I have a long way to go before needing a better bike. I can upgrade the components on the TK2 if I end up buying it and wanting/needing to make any changes.
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Old 08-11-18, 11:18 PM
  #28  
700wheel
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Originally Posted by southernfox
​​​​​​

Like Carleton said, the important thing about 'sprint' bars is their shape so that we don't smash our forearms into them doing standing starts. They may be a little stiffer than non-sprint bars, but it's the shape that matters more than the stiffness.
I'm not a sprinter and use Cinelli Criterium bars - they give plenty of arm clearance. Mine are 36 cm width, a size no longer available but can be found on eBay occasionally at low cost.
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Old 08-12-18, 05:47 AM
  #29  
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+1 for the Cinelli Criteriums. I've been using them and like them a lot. Mine are a little bit wider at 40cm.
https://www.retro-gression.com/colle...rium-handlebar
PI
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Old 08-12-18, 12:59 PM
  #30  
taras0000
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Originally Posted by MrsIncredible73
To be honest, I was really frustrated after last week’s class. We were doing proximity drills, and I was far more wobbly (for lack of a better description) on the bike than I was comfortable with being so close to other riders. I don’t have this issue on my road bike. I will admit that I don’t ride that close on the road, so the close proximity is new to me, however, I didn’t expect to have have bike handling issues. I’m hoping I just need more time on the bike and on the track.
You probably do have this issue on the road, just not to the same degree that it seemed like on The track. Most people coming from road think they have well honed pack skills because all they've ever done is road racing. This includes pros. Once you get some more track time, your skills will sharpen up. You will soon learn that without brakes, the group moves a little more fluidly, and you will get more comfortable racing closer when you realize that the decelerations of the group happen less suddenly. After a season of track racing, you'll jump into the year's first road race and wonder why things are so chaotic on the road.
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Old 08-12-18, 07:12 PM
  #31  
carleton
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+1

Also, your finely-tuned trackie bike handling will come into play back to your road riding/racing.

You can spot the trackies on the group rides. They are the ones comfortably within a foot (or less) of each other at all speeds. Then when they roll up next to a non-trackie to chat the guy/gal freaks out an swerves off to make the distance much wider for fear of clipping pedals or hooking bars.

Regarding sprinting: You'll learn to accelerate using your legs more than your arms. Yes, there will be some back and forth when you get out of the saddle, but not nearly as much as you see on the road. Part of this is due to the wide bars and part due to habit.

Note how far these guys are off of the bike laterally.




This is aided by their freewheels. You can't do that on a fixed gear at 30+ MPH without betting bucked by the bike.

Also, the words "sprint" and "sprinter" are often confused and misleading.

"Sprint" can mean:
(all of these are in the realm of track racing)
- The mad dash end of a race.
- The sorta-mad dash for points in the middle of a race (like a "Preem" in a crit)
- A Match Sprint race.
- The act of accelerating in general as in, "I had to sprint to close that gap."
- The act of getting out of the saddle to accelerate.
- The act of accelerating quickly in or out of the saddle, as in "seated sprint" (a sneaky technique)

"Sprinter" can mean:
- A Road racer that specializes at winning short stage races (for example, Cavendish).
- A Track racer than specializes in events that have a duration of (generally) 90 seconds or less.

Although Cavendish is a world-class "road sprinter", he is not a world class "track sprinter". He wouldn't make the cut for Team GB's Sprint squad. He would is considered a world-class track enduro or all-around racer. (yes, he can ride a F200 faster than most if not all US riders, but you get my point). So, basically, a road "sprinter" would sorta map over to being a track "enduro" or all-around racer.


Further, you don't have to be a track "sprinter" (specializing in short events) to take advantage of gear made for track sprinters. For example, Sarah Hammer uses 3T Scatto "sprint" bars.

Basically, Sprinter-specific track equipment is a subset of all track equipment. Sprinters were getting bruised arms and needed differently shaped bars. Sprinters were unclipping from pedals and needed to add straps. Sprinters were flexing frames so stronger "sprint" frames were created. Any and all trackies can benefit from this stuff...if you want or have a need to. It's not like you have to declare yourself a "Sprinter" in order to use BLS straps or 3T Scatto sprint bars.

Last edited by carleton; 08-12-18 at 07:27 PM.
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