Lorbeer

Hi! I'm a roadie looking to try my legs on track bikes. I'm about to buy a track frame with a top tube measurement that matches that of my road bike perfectly (53.5cm center to center has worked wonderfully for me for years).

For my road bike, I've always used 172.5mm cranks, a 100mm stem and a 42cm-width handlebar. From what I've seen so far for track bikes/fixies is that riders use shorter cranks and handlebar widths much smaller than that on road bikes. I understand that track riders aim for higher cadences (thus the shorter cranks) and narrower handlebars for aero benefits. I have no plans of racing on track....yet.

My question is, can I "copy and paste" my road component preferences over to my track bike? I've been comfortable on my measurements for years. I tried using 170mm cranks once and I suffered tendonitis! Second query is, if I make adjustments and stick to a more traditional track bike fit, what would be the estimated equivalent measurements for the track (i.e. how much shorter would my cranks and handlebar width be?). I wanted to use a Campy Pista gruppo but found out that their longest crank length for the 2013 model is only 170mm.

TejanoTrackie 

If you are riding a fixed gear principally on the road, then your setup should be the same as your road bike. The main advantage of riding a track frame on the road with a fixed gear setup is that it will have a higher bottom bracket, which will reduce the chance of pedal strike when cornering. A track setup is not meant to be comfortable, since track races are very short duration, but riding for hours on the road will be very uncomfortable. I use the same length cranks on my road and track bikes, and it is not advisable to differ more than 5mm in these dimensions. As to your getting tendonitis because you reduced your crank length by a mere 2.5mm, that sounds more like a problem with setup of your riding position and pedalling technique.

jhess74

I'll let the others who know more about geometry/measurements chime in there, but I did have one suggestion: if you're a reasonably adept bike bike mechanic, just transfer the parts from your road bike over and see how they feel on the track frame. Sure, you'll need new ss/fg wheels, a bb with a shorter spindle (most likely), and shother chain ring bolts for when you pop one of the rings off to make the cranks ss, but it would be one way to know for sure.

Lorbeer

I plan to ride my track bike solely on the velodrome. I was thinking of buying a NOS fully-built steel keirin bike but I'd have to swap out some parts, making it more expensive that's why I was really interested in knowing these things. Have been losing sleep for a week know because of the anticipation! ;-)

TejanoTrackie 

Even so you may want to stick with road dimensions and ride positioning. Except for track sprinters, many racers who do mainly mass start events use a road setup, using shallow drop and reach road bars rather than deep drop and reach sprint bars. Your ultimate cadence is determined more by your gearing than your crank arm length. When I race on the road, I sprint in a lower gear than other racers, because I'm more of a fast twitch muscle high RPM guy than other more endurance TT types who push bigger gears. Just be careful if your track has very steep banking not to hit the upside of the track with longer cranks when riding slowly in the turns.

europa

Why do you imagine it's different? You're still riding a bike on the road. All the same compromises and considerations apply. The only difference is gearing - you've only got one and can't be lazy like you can be with multiple gears. You'll also discover that you need to have a genuinely circular pedalling action - most roadies have a poor action which is why they start to bounce once the cadence approaches 110.

Of course, I'm talking about genuinely riding your bike, even on this forum, that's an unusual attitude.

Lorbeer

Thought it was different because when I was checking out parts over the web, I always come across short crank arms and bar widths. I guess I'll just stick to K.I.S.S. Protocol and work to adjust only if necessary. Need to work on smoothing out my pedal stroke too.

seau grateau

The narrower bars are mostly for added stiffness in sprints.

Nagrom_

Narrower bars help a lot of things, stiffness being one of them. They let you squeeze closer together, and my favorite part is that the bike has a tendency to rock less during OTS sprints.

Lorbeer

So how narrow is the median bar width on the track? I'm guessing 37cm is the best compromise for someone who uses 42cm road bars? I got my 42 cm from my shoulder measurement.

David Broon 

What track are you riding? Depending on that, it's entirely possible that you will have to run shorter cranks. Narrower bars are for stiffness+stability+aero.

I'm an "Endurance" rider on the track, doing pursuits and bunch races, and I have been measured needing 44cm bars on the road, but I have 40mm bars on my road bike and 37cm c-c bars on my track whip.

Jandro 

Narrow bars also promote a more 'elbows out' stance, which helps when you bump/rub shoulders in a race. Your bars don't get tangled.

Lorbeer

I'll be riding in the only velodrome here in the Philippines. The track is pretty much Olympic standard I guess since it has been used in the Southeast Asian Games in 08...dilapidated as hell though. There's a sudden spurt in the track/fixie riding community here so I'm hoping the cyclists can get together to revive the track too.

Anyway, yes, I have to check the bankings, I'm thinking since I'm a track newbie I might not be able to ride fast straightaway to keep close to perpendicular to the ground so you guys are right, I'm thinking my cranks might hit the ground when I go high at a slow pace. The bike I'm getting is being sold as a complete bike only. Comes with a 167.5mm crank and 39cm width bar, 105mm stem too. I'm looking to replace those three components to match the road fit I've been comfy with for years now. The cranks are the main worry to me since it's 5mm shorter than what I'm used to. I can probably stick with the bar width or stem and give them a try first.