Good Online Bike Shops For Buying Track Equipment
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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 $$. Is there some good shops that sell online to look at? I have never owned a carbon track frame and would like to find one that isn’t crazy $$.
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#4
aka mattio
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.
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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.
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.
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If you want, you can also spend $3k on that same Cervelo knock-off: Veloforma Bicycles - Pista Pro Carbon Track Bike.
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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.
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.
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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
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
#13
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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.
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Probably, I mean I'm extrapolating from separate tests but my point is that frames and wheels are similarly important and should both come after tires, skinsuit, helmet and even shoes IMO.
Personally I'd still go for wheels first since used stuff is pretty cheap and the bling factor is better
https://www.aeroweenie.com/data.html
Personally I'd still go for wheels first since used stuff is pretty cheap and the bling factor is better
https://www.aeroweenie.com/data.html
#16
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Whole heartedly agree with your old club members. I've always applied that motto when purchasing my bikes!
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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...)
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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