noob track questions (sorry in advance, yes i done a search ;)
 

Hi all,

I recently started watching some info on track racing on youtube and tbh it looks very cool and technical (and overall badass). I have a few really basic questions;

- in terms of sprint, keirin and such wheel to wheel type racing, are the frames/ bikes the same as those used in the pursuit, team tt/ races, etc - with the only difference being the dropbars (sprint, etc) vs the aero bars (pursuit, etc)? Meaning ppl use the same bike for diff events and just fit it out differently?

- What is considered the 'grand event' of track racing - is it the spring race? This is very subjective, but for example to me in the Olympics the 100m is the headline track event, is there a widely considered headline event for track racing?

- I'm a fan of de rosa and currently ride one of their road bikes, however they don't list any of their track bikes available on their website (also noticed this for other manufacturers) - does anyone know if the De Rosa track bike is available for sale to the public?

- is there a lot of cross over between road and track cyclists or are most track cyclists exclusively "track-focused"?


Thanks

If you want to find who makes UCI approved track frames check here:
https://www.uci.org/docs/default-sou...-and-forks.pdf

De Rosa has two track bikes listed on page 17 of this list.

Hi hannhann00,
1. LOOK, probably manufacturer of the referent track frames, offer T20 Speed Version with sprint/keirin bars; T20 TT Version ie the same frame with pursuit bars for 1 km and pursuit; and 875 Madison for other endurance events.

2. Yes, maybe it is subjective. Some people are very excited by Bradley Wiggins. As for 100m in athletics, this likely resembles keirin rather than match sprint. Eight athletes challenge each other. In 1990s, UCI Keirin events were arranged with eight cyclists too.

3. De Rosa have TRACK1 and TRACK2, both UCI approved late 2019: https://www.uci.org/docs/default-sou...-and-forks.pdf . However, these may be already commercially available or may not.

4. Enough medalists of track endurance events are known as road racers too, for instance Bradley Wiggins, Sebastián Mora, Andy Tennant, Ignacio Prado, Claudio Imhof.

1. Technically, no specific, required differences. There are some small geometry and manufacturing differences between sprint-focused bikes and endurance-focused bikes, or ones that are optimized for timed events only. But plenty of privateers, even at the elite level, use the same bikes for different events.

2. I don't think there's an answer to this. It varies by region/culture, by time, by discipline. I hedge to even provide an answer, but for sprinters I'd say the match sprint is the essential event, and for enduros, the Madison.

3. i don't know

4. There's tons of cross-over for track enduros. Very little for track sprinters - at the top level, that is. At amateur levels, anything goes.

Hi guys,, thanks for the info... Super interesting stuff. Cycling overall is completely new to me, only got my roadie during Cov-19, but from my first ride i was blown away by how much i liked it (no offense but i didn't get it before trying it myself, previously I always thought it was a little lame - but it's actually super nice)...

Also I hadn't heard of any other cyclist besides Armstrong prior to this so just checked out a documentary on Youtube on Wiggins that is pretty good - - the guy is cool, like an average joe plumber who happens to be ace on a bike.

Unfortunately no velodrome in the country i live in, but i'm sure i'll try one out sometime soon (I prefer sprint rides on my roadie and uphill runs (all less than an hr) so i'm thinking track may be well up my ally

No velodrome?: Track Cycling - No Velodrome? No Problem....

Our local velodrome in Sofia is left unmaintained so I use it just several times a month. I prefer speed sessions on some bus lanes where the slope is less than 0.7 per cent. However, it is likely impossible for me to mimic a standing start on the street.

Check out the world track championships videos on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...pionships+2020