gycho77

hum.....
I'm not sure if SCI-Arc funds money to a club, because last time when I called them they said we do not support a club.
SCI-Arc is a famous architecture school, but the school is really small(only 500 students including grad-student)
but I have to talk to an administrator amd ask him/her abount funding and other.
Also I cannot find any information about clubs in my school website


Thanks

700wheel

With only 500 students I doubt there would be enough interest in a track team.
There are many clubs in the LA area with track racing teams - South Bay Wheelmen being one. Also some teams help at the Carson velodrome and get riding time in exchange (at least they did when I lived in S. Cal.).
There is a listing of So. Cal. clubs here: USA Cycling Clubs - USA Cycling

gycho77

Thank you!
I will definitely check out South Bay Wheelmen

Koogar

Why not use it? Maybe because you're a sprinter who's too rushed to get to your 20 minute rest to even use the tension screws on your dropouts? Just messin' with you, Carleton.

Seriously, I agree lock rings are not fundamentally a bad idea. My comment was meant as an observation of common practice rather than a recommendation. I generally use them (and sometimes get comments), treating them as thread protectors for flip flop hubs with infrequently changed cogs, more than anything else.

But using one is more likely a bad idea if it gives someone the confidence to back pedal harder on the track. Then I wouldn't want to be riding behind or below him.

Nate2453

I'm of the opinion that you need to ALWAYS use a lockring, even enduros 'who never backpedal'. I teach beginning racers in Indy, and have seen far too many show up on someone else's bike, when I ask where the lockring is they will say oh so and so said I don't need it because I won't be going fast. Then they spin their cog and lose control of their bike. Like Carleton said it doesn't take that much time and it is how the system is built.

taras0000

It's like the helmet debate. Simply look at it in a cost/benefit perspective. What does it cost you to put one on? What does it cost you if you don't have one on?

I chalk up not using a lockring to laziness and/or vanity. Sort of like people who smoke because they think it makes them cool.

Koogar

As I said earlier, I'm not advocating the non-use of lockrings and in fact I use them, but mostly because I don't change cogs too often and they are handy in protecting the threads from getting banged up. I'll readily admit to a degree of latent laziness on my part, because I'd probably use them less if I didn't run a flip flop hub almost exclusively. But there's no way I could backpedal hard enough to ever loosen my cog. I tighten them properly and after the first small jump, it takes some heavy leaning on the chain whip to get them off. The wheel will lock up and I'll go sliding down track before the cog spins off.

I'm genuinely curious as to the reason(s) other feel the need to use them - I feel like I'm missing something. If it's just "belt and suspenders" - redundancy is always good, especially where mistakes and oversights can happen. Further to that: people who are not tightening cogs properly in the first place ought to be taught to do so, in case they ever forget to install the lockring. It's also easier to remove a lightly installed lockring and a firmly installed cog, than it is to remove a lockring when the cog has been jammed up hard against it - more leverage with a chain whip than most lockring wrenches.

Muddlfuc

Dont forget that Archi students are all the hipster kind and there will be a few 'fixie' riders there that may want to race
Or just sit around in a cafe discussing the latest coffee bean...

Good luck.

gycho77

hahaha nice one.
If that hipster say my bike is a fixie, I will probably go crazy and tell him "This is a track bike and IT'S FOR TRACK RACES!!".

m31

I'm interested in doing some Madison, TT, Individual Pursuit & Scratch Races next season. I can only make it out to a velodrome once every 2 weeks. What kind of training sessions should I do when I go?

Velocirapture

How long is a piece of string?

As Carleton will definitely tell you, you are asking for a personalised training programme, from a bunch of folk who know a lot about riding the track, but nothing really about you. And that is a big ask.
So, to get some vaguely useful answers, please tell us what sort of training you do currently, what your experience and history with cycle racing is, and what your current strengths/ weaknesses/ other, are.

hmm. i just did a search to see if you've posted here before, encase i've missed the above info somewhere else.

Since you've 'ridden bikes casually with friends for around the past year', that answers the above questions, so my advise would be to "Ride Lots", as per (apparently) Eddy Merckx.
its very early days in your cycling career to start even thinking about specializing. You first need to get a solid base of bike hours. For fitness, bike handling, conditioning - physical and mental, and to build up to race-level training.

Not to rain on your parade at all, but I've seen brand new riders start out with really serious training schedules once the bug has bitten, and then fizzle away because its all too much specific and intense training too soon.

have fun, rack up the miles, race your buddies to the stop sign, and get really at home on a bike, and then look at racing and race-training

Flatballer

And to add to that, the Madison is a very advanced event that you may not get the opportunity to race for a long time. It takes specific training and skills.

taras0000

Just have fun, ride, race, train, smile lots, and you'll soon find out what you need to do.

ILikeParmesan

Anyone have exercises or tips for increasing max RPM?

I don't have my own bike and am stuck using a rental with 48/15 gearing (My best guess after trying to count multiple times).

I was able to get my flying 200m time down to 13.2x the other day, mostly by focusing on increasing my lifts in the gym and cutting down on road riding. I think I can break 13 with the rental but my limiting factor is low RPM. Anything in the gym I can be doing like jumping rope, or is it mostly just getting on a bike and practicing in a small gear?

Koogar

To respond to your first question: for pure max cadence training, I like rev outs on rollers. I'll do a 30-45 minute session with ~10 second maximum rpm every few minutes. It's a lot of rest, but getting a good aerobic or interval workout isn't the point, it's all neuromuscular coordination training. You may find yourself unable to break through a plateau for a while, but keep at it and one workout something will click and you will bump up a few or even ten rpm - just keep at it and you'll get smoother and faster. Just be aware of the slight chance of catastrophe associated with going all out on the rollers and clear the surrounding area....

While I think working on cadence is always a good thing, with respect to your 200m time: are you sure it's your most immediate obstacle? 48/15 is not a gear anybody would choose for the 200, but it's not so low that it would be impossible to get below 13s. Are you feeling like you have more power to lay down, but you simply can't make the cranks spin any faster? If your butt (and possibly your rear wheel) isn't starting to hop all over the place, you could be strength limited. But it sounds like you're generally doing the right things on that front, i.e., riding and lifting.

Finally, remember that a lot of time can be gained or lost depending on where and how you jump (which is related to gearing choice), your entry line, and ability to keep the bike down as low as possible throughout the timed section. So there are ways to improve your 200m time addition to practicing to spin like a quadzilla hamster on crack.

ILikeParmesan

Thank you, great advice. You're correct in that strength is also a limiting factor. I'm only at a 275lb back squat @ 185lbs for 3 reps. I've been having knee issues and haven't been able to get to 315 and beyond yet.

I'll work on my line and max rpm. the fastest guy at our track is not the biggest but seems to take the best line and spin at a lower rpm in a high gear. What gears do people usually run for flying 200's and match sprints? I'm curious because I'm debating about saving up some money to buy my own bike and don't know what size gears to buy.

carleton

ILikeParmesan, you aren't being limited by RPMs. Your biggest limitations are:

- Not having the consistency of having your own bike (somewhat easy to fix)
- Inexperience (easy to fix)
- Lack of practice and focused training on the bike
- (maybe) Bike fit (easy to fix)

Imagine if a person likes tennis but doesn't own their own racquet and only gets to play once every 2 weeks or so and is looking to improve. The thing that would help that person most is the same for you: time on task and getting your own equipment so you can have consistency.

How do you fix this?

- Get your own bike.
- Ride lots.
- Practice flying 100s and flying 200s (among other things on the track)

brawlo

The people that ride those types of track races and do well (generalizing) tend to be those who are good road sprinters. I would just race on track as much as possible and race shorter TTs on road and definitely race crits as much as possible. There isn't really a need for specialized training until much further down the track.

8bits

has anyone used these dt swiss track hubs? they are cheap and dt usually makes great hubs, how would they compare to a dura ace hub?

taras0000

Hard to say. I think that if anyone comes out with a new hub, they should make the hubshell diameter larger. Bigger torsion tube, room for larger bearings/more bearings therefore making a stiffer hub.

brawlo

I find it hard to get any excitement over hubs with sealed bearings that only cost a few $$ to replace

gycho77

You might like this hub
https://curtisodom.com/drawings
Hub flange diameter-102mm
Also you have magneto bearing option.
Also you could customize hub spacing so you could use US Felt frame lol

queerpunk

I know a few people who have 'em and like 'em.

gycho77

Is their a reason why sprinter or track cyclists use a long stem?

queerpunk

Good handling is related to the weight balance (the amount of a rider's weight that is over the front wheel, and over the rear wheel) - and that is related to stem length.

Also, good athletes tend to be flexible, and able to ride a long and low position comfortably, while putting out power. And, it's more aerodynamic.