Most of the Cervelos have horizontal dropouts so if you wanted to you could race them on the track if you also had a 130 mm spaced fixed gear wheel. The internal cabling is a major pain to do and undo.

Most tt bikes in general have rear-facing horizontal dropouts.

If you use an Eno Eccentric hub to convert to fixed you can adjust the BB height a bit depending on which way you set the wheel up. But if you are that close to hitting the pedal you might be better just taking the corners a bit easier on the fixed gear (or using a low profile pedal instead of cages).

As mentioned by SWoo - putting a rear wheel in is the easy part. The biggest problem is going to be stripping the cables, derailleurs, brakes (if racing on the track - otherwise keep them), going from aero bars to drops, changing the crank and chain... If you have a fixed gear bike now - it would seem to be better to just keep it and get a TT or road bike when you want to ride with gears instead of comprising on both counts. That said I know of at least one poster here who has done/won master track nationals with a stripped down road TT bike.

Thank you all for your replies !

Indeed, a P2 Cervelo frame seems to be the best choice. In facts, I have not found many other frames that could do the job...
1. rear facing ends
2. BB is noticely higher on a P2 frame than on other tri frames. I checked once a long time ago but did not pay enough before. Tri Cervelo frames have a 60mm BB drop, while on all the other frames I have found, BB drop is in the 65-75mm range.
It is interesting bc the two Cervelo track frames (T1 and T3) have a 50 or ...a 60mm BB drop (usually track bikes have a 45-55mm BB drop). I guess it could be a problem on steep velodromes but it gives me confidence that I don't have to fear too much pedals hitting the ground when cornering....

The only problem I see is that the rear ends are pretty small compared to track frames, so chain tensioning might be a problem. It means I would have to change chains if I change cogs. I hope the rear ends are long enough so I can use a flip flop hub (fixed/fixed) with a close number of teeth without having to resize or change the chain... I have to to go to a shop and look at the frame to estimate if it is going to work or not.

I already have many fixed gear wheelsets, so I prefer to convert a 120mm axle into a 130mm one than buying new wheels. So no new ENO excentric hub !
And I already use clipless pedals.

I have been riding steel fixed gear bikes for a few years now (I love them) on short and very long distances, not often on the track. I just want a frame that allows me to go faster, without the pain I had to set up a brake on the rear wheel (not drilled = you need a Keirin brake), the absence of for bottles cages and the cable issue... If one day I need gears for a hilly triathlon, having the frame will help a lot !

If you have other frame suggestions, i'll be happy to read them !

I'll post when I have something new.

And again, thank you !!

My Scott Plasma LTD has rear facing horizontal dropouts but there are a few other issues you may want to consider.

Crank length - if you are riding the track I would not be comfortable with 175mm crank arms. I ride 175mm on the road and would not want to do it on a velodrome. I have 170mm arms on my track bike largely because I am 6'1"/195 and like to think I can get a little more out of it than the little guys (cue crank arm debate now)

Bottom bracket height - TT/Tri bikes typically will have lower BBs than their pursuit or track bikes since they typically are ridden in straight lines versus crits or track turns

There are a few other things to consider but have you thought about looking for a good used pursuit bike?

Thinking areas near velodromes like T-Town, Colorado Springs, Houston, etc. might have some leads. I have seen riders on Blues and Cervelos on the track with base bars and extensions cranking it. Thinking you might be able to score a used pursuit bike.

Good luck.

Some of the q-roos have horizontal drops as well and they even have a little ghetto tension system already built in to accommodate different tire sizes.

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thanks !

ms30054:

As I wrote above, I use 170mm cranks (I am 6'3"/195) all the time on the road. My bikes have a 45mm drop.
Correct me if I am wrong but pursuit bikes are meant for track racing ? so most of them won't be drilled for two brakes, bottle cages etc.
I live in France (hence my bad english) and because of the recent "fixed gear hype", it is difficult to find "cool or fast looking" frames... and large frames are also quite rare.

totaaltri:

The Q-roos frames I have seen online all have a 74mm drop, so they are not an option with a fixed gear wheel.


Gabbiev:

Thanks a lot, I forgot Leader frames ! Indeed, they have very long rear facing ends, so it could work. Not sure if the BB drop is OK
I like their price, but Planet X TT frames BB shell is also a little bit too low,
The Specialized transition I could find have modern bike dropout.

Do you mean you have been using your P3C on the track ?
Is this bike yours ? (I found this link, and I have to email the owner of this bike)
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/.../dgzmp_comcast_3.htm

If you sometimes use your P3C with a fixed gear wheel, may I ask you pictures or more details ? How many different cog sizes can you use with the same chain ?

Thank you all for your help

I know people who use P2 and P3 frames on the track for pursuit and they say it works well - I don't think the geometry would work well for bunch races though.

Not sure if they are legal on the track, but the Kestrel Airfoil I bought came with a seperate (extra) drop out that was for single/fixed gear (No deraileur hanger)

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