Originally Posted by
hannhann00
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
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.