47p2

I recently built a Giant Omnium up from a second hand frame I bought for not a lot of money. My initial plan was to swap parts with an old Fort track bike I have but the Omnium frame was so good I decided to spend a bit of cash and build something nice. The Omnium is more relaxed and feels more road orientated than I was expecting but is an enjoyable track bike worth considering




My Ridley Oval on the other hand is definitely an out and out stiff nicely balanced track orientated track bike, perfect for racing

wens

How far are you from London? There's likely a pretty healthy used market there, might be worth some emails and a drive.

gtrob

London has had one of the 3 indoor track in North America for the past decade, there is already a track culture in Ontario.

Best time to buy a track bike will be next year, when (no offense) all the people that are so excited for the new track buy one, take a few classes, then never come back to the track. There are PLENTY of bikes hanging at FCV that I haven't seen move in years.


That said, I currently recommend with the Omnium or the Electron to these people as I think they are a great buy for the ~1200 range, so they are good picks. Everything else (dolan, planetx, etc) are going to be hard to source.

TurtleRacer

Are you sure your local track isn't going to include rentals in the cost of the certification courses? That seems like a good way to keep interest down! I thought most tracks include rentals in the certification courses.

I was in your situation very recently:
Argon 18 Electron - looks a nicer in person than it does online, the welds are very well finished, it looks like its well put together (IMO)
Planet X Pro Carbon - looks nicer online than in person (IMO)

I bought the Planet X frameset to build up, to be determined how much of a 'noodle' it is

Also, you might be able to find good used track bikes locally, if you expand your definition of local to include Toronto.

T13

It doesn't matter what bike you get. Just get one of those aerodynamic helmets and some sausage casing spandex, and you'll be good to go.

That is my professional opinion.

Yer welcome.

myth001

yes, only the certification courses include the rentals. The other courses don't.

And no, I haven't checked London market yet, will certainly look into it.

Dalai

I have one built up for Pursuit duty. To save taking two bikes to Championships plus swapping the cranks to my other track bike I have raced Enduro events on the Planet X and had no concerns about noodles...

myth001

Any updates on the PlanetX built yet? I'd like to hear more on that.

Also a few others caught my attention:

Pinarello XTrack ±$2400 (Pinarello X-Track 2014 Frameset | Bikes & Frames)

Marinoni Pista Crono ±$1600 (Marinoni Pista Crono - Woodcock Cycle Works 204-253-5896 Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Marinoni P-Star ±$2200 (Marinoni P-Star - Woodcock Cycle Works 204-253-5896 Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Masi Cortello ±$700 for frameset only (Masi Coltello Frameset 2013 - Carbon Connection)

Any thoughts on the above, as compared to the Felt TK2, Fuji Track Pro, Argon Electron, and Giant Omnium? I know I'm just starting, but at the same time I am thinking of the what-ifs. What if I like how it goes, and will end up having to sell my bike to upgrade in the future? With a bike-better-than-me scenario, I'll be less likely blame my bike for my poor performance too. LOL.

I have a Dogma for road right now. So I'm also tempted to go for Pina XTrack, just for the sake of being able to wear my Pina branded jerseys that I've invested in. LOL
Plus it seems to have some good wheelsets and components.

carleton

Dude, you just asked us to compare 4 bikes to 4 other bikes :-| Nope.

Some general thoughts:

- Carbon isn't necessarily better than Aluminum...especially on the track. You aren't climbing hills, so creating a super-light bike isn't a priority.
- Unless you are very strong, any frame will do. Just make sure that the geometry is good. All of the above bikes seem to have a decent geometry (not sure about the Argon from memory.)
- A super fancy (read: expensive) frame probably provides the highest cost/benefit ratio. Meaning, of all of equipment choices you will make, the frame will matter the least in terms of how fast you'll be (or not).
- Spend your money on a track season pass and go there as often as possible to train, race, volunteer, or watch. That is guaranteed to make you fast.
- Join a track team/club. You'll learn a lot from your veteran teammates...and you'll ditch those Pina jerseys

myth001

LOL, you don't have to compare all 4 against 4, just point any particular pros/cons of any of them that stands out in your mind.
I can read/check the specs and features, but certain things like the fit, durability, compactness, stiffness, creaking (maintenance), problem with custom-parts aren't possible to read on their product pages. Those things only come from experience (or knowledge of/from an acquaintance).

And ditching the Pina jerseys... *eeks*. Can't do that, spent too much into them already. LOL.
Love my Dogma on the road, and understand that the carbon doesn't have enough advantage on the track. I'd better spend more on better wheels than a frame, right?

I've already registered for instructional courses in the Velo, and plan to spend a whole deal of time in the Velo. And volunteering is also on the mind, since the Velo is only a 5 minute bike-ride away from home.
Once the Velo opens, I'll also see what clubs form around it.

I'm just trying to narrow down my choices a bit, but the final decision comes after a month or so of riding (starting January).

carleton

All of those frames listed above will be fine. Stay away from Aero seatposts as they may slip (this goes for road bikes, too).

VanceMac

You're overthinking it.

gtrob

haha yes. Seriously just buy whatever your favourite bike shop carries for brands. The Giant and Argon are going to be the 2 most common bikes at the track, I know this because they are the 2 most common bikes at London already. Specialized, Fuji and Felt TK3 make up the rest.

They are all the bloody same. Aluminum frame, box wheels, road bars. Really doesn't matter which one you buy, its the cheapest bike you will own and it will last the longest.

TurtleRacer

I agree with what's been said before. Plus:
- The best bike is the one that fits you (so if you can test ride or test fit any of the bikes you are considering)
- What if you don't end up liking track? How will you feel about spending more on a bike for a sport you don't enjoy?

If you're just starting out, I would get a cheap, decent track bike that fits and that you want to ride. Then you'll have money left over for gearing, tweaking your fit, and "performance oriented upgrades" (which you don't need until you're competitively racing and losing by tenths of seconds).

Most people that ride at the track (at least at my track) won't ever be in a "the bike is holding me back" situation (myself included!).

Also, the Planet X isn't a noodle, but I'm not putting 2000+ watts into it

Superd222

So, what did you decide on?

myth001

LOL. None of the above.

I liked Argon, but as all the rental bikes in my Velo were Argons, I didn't want to blend in.

So, I chose Jamis Sonik (JAMIS BICYCLES).

The handlebar was massive for my size, so I removed it rightaway. I had a spare Most Talon intergrated bar for my road bike. Am using that for now, and love it.

My a$$ is used to the Prologo Zero, and I had a spare one. So, I swapped that too.

Also, I read some reviews on the crankset that was included, so I swapped that with a Miche (didn't research enough at the time, otherwise would've gone for Sugino, LOL).

The frame fits great for me right now. I'm totally comfortable on it. The possible future upgrades I can think of are better wheels, and a Sugino chainring. Again, for now, that's not a must.

I didn't go full-carbon for my first track frame, as I've heard of the little falls for a newbie like me that can damage the frame. I don't repent that decision. I'll ride this for a year or two, and then decide on how my upgrade-itch is faring.

carleton

You know that you are a real trackie when you change frames every year or two

myth001

I'd love to if my accountant, ahem, my wife, would let me...



So, when you change your frame every year or two, do you keep your old one, or sells it to recoup some of the costs???

queerpunk

Right decision, wrong reason.

Matthew Glaetzer is, in all likelihood, still using the frame he was riding in this keirin. Carbon track bikes aren't fragile. They're overbuilt. Most of them are heavier than many aluminum frames. On the track, carbon is for making an extremely stiff bike that is also aerodynamically sculpted.

Quinn8it

i don't sell bike gear- I just buy it

wens

Just going to point out carbon frames are much easier to repair than aluminum, and may actually be harder to damage in the first place, depending on design.

carleton

I sold my 1st Tiemeyer (2009) to a buddy of mine who is holding on to it for dear life. I used to be very stiff and I'd ride in a really upright position. As I became more flexible, I'd lay down more and I needed a longer top tubed. I used that money to buy my 2011 Tiemeyer which has a longer top tube and taller head tube.

I've kept my most recent Tiemeyer while I bought and sold a Dolan DF3 and LOOK 496. I have a steel frame being built now, but I'll likely keep the Tiemeyer even if the new frame is awesome being that the Tiemeyer is now a collector's item since Mr. Tiemeyer has retired.

This current Tiemeyer is the one to which all other bikes are compared

TenSpeedV2

Just wondering if you are experiencing any creaking near the bottom bracket? I have an '09 Sonik and mine creaks a little. Bike has been torn down all the way to the BB being removed and inspected.

myth001

Nothing that I noticed so far. I changed my BB and crankset to Miche right away. But you mentioned that you also also removed BB and inspected it.

The only creaking I've noticed is the one coming from the front somewhere (haven't pinpointed it yet). It could be my Most Talon handlebar, or the fork, or the wheel. I've noticed it a few times when I'm thumping hard, but hasn't bothered me much.

Now that you've brought it up, I'll pay a bit more tension and see if there's anything noticeable.

So far I've only seen 2 more Soniks in the Velo here, one's the same model as mine, while one's an older one when the color schemes and cranksets used to be nicer. I'll talk to them if I get a chance.

700wheel

I have a Cervelo aluminum frame road bike - when I first rode it I had a creak that I though was my bottom bracket - turns out it was the seat post rubbing inside the seat tube. I learned to grease the seat post every year and the creak disappeared (although an aero seat post it has never slipped in several years).