brawlo

I think you'll find that the current generation of Vittorias come with 145max on them. Older ones, that look like exactly the same tyre, used to have 160 max.

I think you'll find the issue will be twofold with max pressure. One factor is the quality of the lip/hook on the rim, and the second will be the quality of the bead on your tyre. If you look at the construction of modern aluminium rims, then they are a double wall design and I would say, very unlikely to spread under any normal (even high up to 160+psi) pressure. Also consider (especially with carbon rims) that what causes rims and tyres to fail is heat buildup. This isn't really a factor on track wheels.

I do notice a handling difference between running 120psi and 140psi on the front wheel. I used to, and now really don't understand why you'd want to run any higher than 145psi using clinchers on anything other than boards. BTW I tip the scales at 120kg and that 140psi is fine for me training on the boards with clinchers. If you do like even higher pressures, go and get a set of good quality tubs

gycho77

I set up my clincher tires around 130psi on the track, because I am only 73kg(5' 8").

{I am working on my weight right now......
I am planning to gain my weight up to 80 or 85 kg.
It's just too hard for me to gain weight.
Maybe I should eat a spoon of nutella jam everyday **

Also I am still working on my tire pressure.
BTW I was just showing this tire because Carleton was showing examples of clincher tires.

Koogar

I largely agree with you, brawlo. To be explicit about the heat buildup issue you mention: on the track we don't have to deal with rim braking-induced heating that increases temperature and pressure, which could contribute to several different failure modes. At the same time, I've noticed that wheel manufacturers don't necessarily quote a higher pressure for disc brake wheels. This could be purely liability-driven. And there should be a large safety factor built in to account for inaccurate pressure gauges, weakened rims, non-compliance, etc. But without the data that underpin these limits and being of the understanding that sky high pressures don't tend to provide much benefit in terms of rolling resistance, I personally don't feel compelled to push tire pressures on the track. On a relative basis, the rationales to do so are even weaker if the rider is relatively light or the surface less than perfect. I'm totally open to the possibility that I'm being overly conservative, I just don't feel like I have sufficient data to conclude that at this point.

Banchad

Merida are bringing out a Track bike. Was wondering when this was going to get announced after I noticed it appear in the UCI listings of legal kit.

sarals 

That's a pretty thing!

queerpunk

It looks a lot like a Specialized Langster Pro - big fat aero downtube, flared top tube, dropped seatstays, proprietary post.

700wheel

Specialized does not have a UCI approved track bike according to the latest
https://www.uci.ch/mm/Document/News/R...ks_English.pdf UCI list

sarals 

I don't see my Giant Omnium on that list, either.

Dalai

Doesn't need to be as the Omnium was in production prior to the rule being introduced in 2011. Just needs to meet the standard frame design requirements which it does.

sarals 

Dalai, thank you! Old design I have, I guess. Well, it suits the rider!

Dalai

Fast bike!

sarals 

gl98115

The revised road tires seem to be testing well:

Vittoria Corsa Speed (Open TLR) Rolling Resistance Review

Velocirapture

America?s Short, Violent Love Affair With Indoor Track Cycling | Atlas Obscura

700wheel

USA Cycling has published a tentative date for the masters track nationals of June 20-25.
2017 National Championships calendar announced - USA Cycling
Although the date is tentative is it too early a date?

rensho3

Yes, it is early for master track natz. They are usually held in July or early Augusts. On the good side, having them that early will allow for another peak for Worlds, Oct. 8-15 in Los Angeles.


While I really like the vel at Rock Hill, the travel all the way across the country is a bummer. Last time, I budgeted about $2K for Rock Hill, and that is about what it cost (not counting the over $500,000 in medical costs...thank goodness CMC was in my network!). Of course, I don't have to travel for Worlds, so I guess it evens out.

700wheel

Wow - that a heap of money; what happened to you?

calamarichris

Interestinger than most junk I read on the Internet.

The Cold War was when America wrote many of its myths about itself, myths that last to the present day. The international sport of indoor track cycling might have been left out of the collective consciousness simply because it didn’t fit the narrative of American exceptionalism. In a decade when it had to define itself on the world stage, America needed a winter sport that had been invented by Americans, the way that American football and baseball had been. And the glamorous, dangerous international sport of indoor cycling simply didn’t fit the bill.

rensho3

Every now and then this sport we all love reaches out and bites you. I had my back wheel taken out at the end of a match sprint at Natz and the right side of my body, including my head, made a big splat sound on the concrete of Rock Hill. My head bounced, which caused a fracture on one side and contre-coup bleeding on the other. The official list is: 2 broken vertebrae, broken pelvis, all of the ribs on my right side broken, broken collar bone, broken scapula, destroyed axiliary nerve, amazing hematomas and various other problems, including whiplash which lasted about 8 months, not to mention a thoroughly destroyed skinsuit. Man, I liked that skinsuit! Add on another 5 months of rehab after I got home, and that's how I accumulated that level of medical bills.


The worst part was that this happened right in front of my wife, who has the PSTD. I had the injury, she had the nightmare.


I was in the hospital/rehab for a month in Charlotte before they would let me go back to Los Angeles. I thought the bill would be more like $1,000,000; the best day of my life was when I got the bill and all I owed was $400 to satisfy my deductible for the year. Incredibly, aside from a pedal that was partially ground off, scuffs on the saddle, an abrasion on the left side of Scattos, and a bent rear disk axle and blown tire, the bike was unscathed.


Strangely, there is not a crack to be found in my helmet. It wasn't until much later that I noticed that the foam on the right side, the side that hit the pavement, was compressed to less than half the thickness of the other side. I guess it did it's job.


One other lesson I learned from this one is that for us old guys who may or not be doping by being on a blood thinner or anti-clotting agent like Plavix, falling on you head is a really bad thing. The neuro surgeons who worked on me were not happy about the Plavix. Apparently it makes it waaaaay more difficult to stop a brain bleed, and I have the craniotomy to prove it.


Oh, and I finished second in our States Championship 500 meter TT this year. It's the only event my wife will let me do, as there is no one else on the track near enough to hit me. Can't say as I blame her.

carleton

I think there is something to be said about how, at the time, cycling was a primary means of transportation. So, lots of people riding bikes knew about bikes and wanted to see people riding them very fast. Fast forward to today and the primary means of transportation is automobiles...and NASCAR is the #1 spectator sport in America.

To extrapolate a bit, the forumla is: You know that thing you do every day? Here are some people who are really good at that!

Which would explain the sudden rise of eSports (professional video gaming).

Wow. I had no idea. I'm glad that you are OK, to say the least.

dunderhi

Damn, I'm happy you've pulled through to race again. My wife says one crash and it's all over (bike racing not our marriage). Thus, I tend to race very cautiously.

taras0000

Stunned to read all that. I'm glad that you are ok.

rensho3

Thanks everyone. It's been a long road back, although I have to admit that at 66, I don't know that I can ever get back to where I was. The important thing, is I keep trying because I love riding track!

700wheel

It is good to hear that you recovered and back to riding on the track.

Just for info (for those over 65) regular Medicare does not cover you for medical emergencies in other countries but some Medicare Advantage programs do; mine is taking care of my wife's recent accident in Iceland.

gycho77

New Dixie Flyer frame