carleton

To be honest, a "track helmet" won't buy you much.

The best bang for your buck is a $60 Skate helmet. It has the same profile as a Casco Warp at 1/5th the price. Just use your favorite sunglasses with it. Also, skate helmets are rated to survive 3 crashes and the Casco only one.

But a skate helmet is heavier, right? Nope. I've weighed both a skate and casco helmets side by side, and they were about even (the skate helmet was slightly lighter).

The casco is crazy hot. Like, you'll suffer heat stroke in the summer, hot. I only use mine for actual timed race events. I put it on right before and I'm clawing it off as I cool down in the warmup circle. I rarely even use it in training. I use a regular $60 cycling helmet for 99.9% of what I do on the track. Most people do the same.

If you plan on doing timed events, your best bet is to buy a pointy TT helmet for race day. Those are faster than "Bowling Ball" Casco/Skate type helmets.

WhatsYoCadence

Huh.. fair enough!

I have a Giro Atmos now, but I use that for both commuting and the track and would just like to have one for each incase I crash. Ok, so no to the casco. I definitely don't want to be clawing anything off.

It sounds like the Air Attack may be my best bet. I'm just sick of my sunglasses sliding around my nose. You knows?

Quinn8it

I've been using this:

Its a $20 cover for my Lazer Genesis...
it pops on and off in seconds. So you can warm up with it off- then throw it on for efforts if you want. You will heat up quite a bit with it on- so if conditions change you can too
Its technically not UCI legal- but id be surprised if you got called in local races.

save the Casco until you are racing Elites

carleton

If the Casco makes you feel fast, then go for it. I have one.

But, there are a lot of things that will make you faster that cost less than a Casco that you'll use more often. This is my 2nd Casco and I've had it since 2011 and I've worn it maybe 50 times? Less? It's really a "Special Occasion" thing.

carleton

Yeah, this is a great option.

Dalai

I've seen a Casco test slower than a MET Stradivarius in the wind tunnel for one individual, so borrow a number of helmets and do some field testing to find which is the fastest for you. I tested a number of aero helmets and found a 10+ Watt difference between them when I went in the tunnel a number of years ago.

Lazer Genesis cover should be faster than a vented helmet, but no vents and smooth is generally better.

Velocirapture

Ive done a bit of reading in the forums on this, and although the Giro air attack is nice (i was aiming for one), not everyone likes that the lenses are magnet attached (apparently they can vibrate at speed/ wind), and some tracks consider it to fall into the category of an unsecure item that can fall onto the track (and hence forbidden).

Kask helmets seem quite popular at the higher levels (for a higher price, too). Couple of the brits were riding the bambino's at one stage? but thats prolly more a casco-level helmet.

Also depends on your focus, sprint vs enduro (apologies if you've mentioned this before on the forum). Casco has some non-pointy (thus suitable for bunch races). Their Speedster/ Speedairo helmets are well vented compared to their sprint-specific helmets, and look pretty slinky with their (non-drop-off-able) visors.

Spesh air evade is 'supposed' to be better than some pointy tt helmets. i'm waiting for more independent reviews. no visor though :-/ (and looks a bit strange).

Dont forget to make sure it fits properly though, whatever you get

TrackMonkey7

For a mass start and cold/wet ride lid, I've been considering the Evade for some time now. Looks are of course subjective, but I prefer it to the Air Attack, my next consideration. I'm curious where it is that you heard it's better than some TT helmets? Specialized is all too proud to list how much time you'll save over their regular lid, but nowhere can I find how well it performs compared to any other helmet.

On the subject of TT helmets, I've been looking at the new Spec S-Works TT, the Giro Selector, and the Lazer Wasp. Of the three, I know the Giro pops up a lot on track, with a lot of national teams using them. The S-Works probably hasn't been out long enough to develop the kind of following the Giro has, same for the Lazer.

Has anyone used/suggests/hates any of these? I'm more partial to the Spec because I like their retention system the best and I know what my size is (my last three helmets have been Spec).

misterwaterfall

Search on slowtwitch for the Evade comparisons. One common theme that you will find is that helmets are very personal, and what tests best on one person might not be the best for you. Evade seemed to beat the Air Attack by a wide margin and was typically only slightly slower than their McLaren TT helmet. Also per their tests, built in visors/shields are almost always slower than the helmet with glasses.

Quinn8it

There is a company at the LA Velodrome that does aero testing on the track- based on power data and drag.. I know that a lot of top cyclist are going with them (Ero) instead of tunnel testing, because you are actually riding during the test. So it's a little more real world than what happens on a trainer.

the guys at Ero told me that the Giro Selector (my TT helmet) universally test well- but that does not mean it was always the best testing helmet for all riders.

They also said the Casco Warp (my sprint helmet) universally test poor- especially as a Time Trial helmet. But one rider, a friend of mine, tested far and away the best with the Warp.

Helmets are personal to rider style and physique..

Brian Ratliff

As I understand, aerodynamically a helmet has to work with your body position. Just from aero fundamentals, if your helmet is sticking up over your shoulders, you want something with a tail. If it's below your shoulders and your body is rather horizontal, the rounder helmets are better since you don't have to be so strict with your head position.

Other than that, I race with a Casco Warp because of its crash protection. It's got a nice round shape that fits tight and comes low over the brow, a face shield, and a carbon skid plate. Last time I crashed, I got a face full of track. My helmet (a standard Giro road helmet) barely caught the impact with the "temple" area of the helmet and my glasses were put in service absorbing the blow (they did not do well at this). By far the worst part of the whole affair was that for two weeks afterwards I couldn't open my mouth wide enough to get a hamburger inside. I got the Warp right after that crash.

SBUndefeated201

Hello, I am new to the forum. Been reading around, but this is my actual first post.

I am going to start racing at the local velodrome. I got the gear (skinsuit, clipless pedals, etc). I have a front aerospoke and most of the other guys have carbon wheels and mavic ellipses. I originally got an aerospoke because of 1) the look (I won't lie) and 2) durability.

My question is : is using an aerospoke social suicide at a velodrome? Or is it more of "screw what people think?"I've done scratch races and can hold my own with the group.

queerpunk

eh. it'll mark you as a fixie kid. whatever.

it's very heavy. it's not aerodynamic. you're probably better off with just about anything else, tbh.

but the only person who laughs at you is a dickhead you don't have to talk to. anyone with a brain in their pan will shrug and say "run what you brung."

carleton

Hi and welcome to the sport and to the forum. No question is too small or too silly. Feel free to ask.

+1

If it's the only wheel you have, then ride it. But if you have a normal spoked track wheel, go with that.

SBUndefeated201

Thanks Carleton. I have an older HED jet front wheel but with a QR skewer that won't fit in my dropouts. Maybe I should convert it to a bolt on.

Dalai

Just use a bolt on skewer such as this?

gtrob

Small random track question...

what is wrong with my rear dropouts? Over time my wheel had been getting harder to get in. I thought it was the wheel, then I put my race wheel in and it had the same issue. Its like it fits and aligned when its tighten down, but I sometimes have to bang it just to get it in or out. It would make no sense for the drops to not be big enough for the axle, are they out of alignment slightly? How does that even happen? Sorry if this explanation makes no sense. The wheel used to slide right in and now it doesn't.

Brian Ratliff

1) is the track end made from aluminum?

2) did you crash or otherwise bash the track end? I've had situations where the bottom part of the track end gets bent. It can be bent inwards, but it can also get bent downwards and can cause problems that way.

carleton

This is normal. It happens on my Tiemeyer's titanium dropouts after a while.

Take a file and file the top and bottom of your dropout's opening (where the wheel axle goes) just a bit and it will be normal again.

Quinn8it

Tightening the wheel in to some dropouts will make the metal compress over time. This will often create a small lip on the edge of the dropout and make it hard to slide the wheel in and out.

Take a small medium grit file and get the surface that the axle contacts flat again. Usually right on the corner of the dropout. It doesn't take much- since that's a pretty tight tolerance.
it happened on my TK2 a lot.. I just carried a file in my track bag

gtrob

ah, as I read that I'm saying 'duh' in my head. I do tighten those rears like a gorilla sometimes, makes total sense (and I see why some drops are replaceable now). I was assuming it was the wheel until I used a different one.

gtrob

Frame is Aluminum, ends are steel I think. No crashes or anything, if they are bent it must be from normal riding, my first time even falling was Monday on some rollers not paying attention lol

Brian Ratliff

Gotta pay attention on rollers. I was zoning out the other day and felt my leg brush the table I ride next too; looked down as I was correcting and my tire was on top of the belt track. Whew... close one.

Was at a race several years ago at Alpenrose and saw Kevin Mansker of all people do a spin up, slip off the roller and put his foot through his disk wheel. He was a bit distraught until some of us convinced him it was likely repairable.

WhatsYoCadence

So I just bought new shoes. Was coming from oooold Nike shoes and bought some Giro Empires. They have laces which I didn't think about. Just tuck them in or is there a trick?

carleton

They have a little elastic band on the tongue. Tuck them in there.