Hi all
I am in need of some advice.
I am looking to get one bike for two reasons.
Firstly ; i want to use it on the track for a variety of events. Ranging from match sprint to 4km pursuit.
Secondly; i plan to use a fixie in time trials.
Any ideas?
Have been looking at the dolan stealth carbon pro time trial frame. the year drop outs enable you to use a fixed wheels and adjust the chain tension depending on the size of the rear sprocket. any other brands have this drop out system??
Or else have been looking at the felt tk2 as a stand alone track bike, i would welcome suggestions on the best value track bike also.
I have a nice Tk2 that I have set up with both aero bars and road bars. Single brake on each and it takes 4 bolts to swap the setup (top cap, two on the stem steerer clamp and the brake bolt).
takes a few minutes + wheel swap to go back and forth.
Hi all
I am in need of some advice.
I am looking to get one bike for two reasons.
Firstly ; i want to use it on the track for a variety of events. Ranging from match sprint to 4km pursuit.
Secondly; i plan to use a fixie in time trials.
Any ideas?
Have been looking at the dolan stealth carbon pro time trial frame. the year drop outs enable you to use a fixed wheels and adjust the chain tension depending on the size of the rear sprocket. any other brands have this drop out system??
Or else have been looking at the felt tk2 as a stand alone track bike, i would welcome suggestions on the best value track bike also.
thanks
Isaac Velocity with Zipp Disc rearr/808 front, and Tula bars. (pic taken during warmup for a 20kTT).
Bianchi Pista Concept, GREAT track bike. bulletproof.
Isaac set up for Flying 200/track work.
I’d say you simply cannot go wrong with the Bianchi Pista concept for what you say you are looking for. And you can definitely use any good track bike for TT work as well. Remember that the bike contributes so little to you total drag numbers, compared to what your body contributes (66% minimum, from what data I have seen). You might want to have a second set of cranks on standby though. I use 165’s on the track to avoid touching down, and switch to 172’s for 20k’s and 175 for 40k’s. You’ll have your own preferences.
Totally agree with above about the Pista - I love mine, though I use it mostly for commuting. (No time for track events, let alone the training!)
The bike can take a beating and is rock solid. I added an “oh-$#%t” brake for commuting use, but you wouldn’t need that for track stuff.
great idea on the felt, changing from aero bars to standard, i think tha is defo something i will incorporate into my setup.
thats a sweet set up on the issac.
If i was to buy an issac frame and build the bike up myself, is there track specific components i should buy or will standard road componets do?
What handlebars would you recommend for sprint events?
great idea on the felt, changing from aero bars to standard, i think tha is defo something i will incorporate into my setup.
thats a sweet set up on the issac.
If i was to buy an issac frame and build the bike up myself, is there track specific components i should buy or will standard road componets do?
What handlebars would you recommend for sprint events?
The Isaac (velocity) frameset comes with a second set of replaceable dropouts, and some other goodies that you might find fun to play with. For what you described as being your goals for the bike, I would stick with carefully selected track components, you cant go wrong with good track stuff.
edit: My preference for track bars are the Deda’s. VERY light, but very very strong. and for track components (since you said you were looking to budget build), a set of sugino 165’s with a set of cromoly spindled speedplay x pedals, a cane creek volos wheelset, your personally preferred seat, a good stem; and sprint for a P.T hub if you can find a 32 spoke on ebay, etc.
do i need to go for a special type of rear drop out?
whats the difference between the drop outs on a standard tt bike and a track bike like the issac??
the issac does look super sweet but reckon 2220 usd is outta my price range still by the time i factor in all the parts.
Is there any frames on the market similiar for cheaper?
are the rear drop outs on the dolan and plantet x carbon tt bikes suitable?
do i need to go for a special type of rear drop out? (track bikes use horizontal droputs, vs. vertical droputs on road bikes)
whats the difference between the drop outs on a standard tt bike and a track bike like the issac?? (the Isaac is one of a few brands to offer replaceable droputs. They can be unbolted and replaced as needed/IF needed)
the issac does look super sweet but reckon 2220 usd is outta my price range still by the time i factor in all the parts. (Try Wheels on wheels, and try bikekyle.com. They are harder to come by in the U.S, but that’s why I love mine. There’s no mistaking it when Its on the rack at the track)
Is there any frames on the market similar for cheaper? (There are lots of great track bikes out there, If you are looking for an AL frame, search out a 2004 Pista concept, a Russ Denny (hard to find), or just “whatever lights your fire”. Pick the bike YOU like. I’ve ridden and busted a LOT of frames. I would not recommend a frame that ever busted or flexed under me. So, I can recommend those 3 brands, out of a dozen track frames.)
are the rear drop outs on the dolan and plantet x carbon tt bikes suitable? (Dolan makes track frames, so sure…no problem there. IIRC, the pro carbon “planet x” frame has a horizontal dropout AND a dérailleur hanger, but I think both companies you mentioned mold the dropouts into their frames.(which isn’t bad, its just one less option you have, should you need it.)
nope, no option from Isaac that I know of from Isaac, but if you have a tig welder and a replaceable dropout hanger from say…an Ellsworth, then your in business.
i would like to have the option of using the bike in a timetrial without the fixed gear.
so i need something that is capable of being easily converted to a standard tt bike if required.
the fixed gear in the time trials can be a pain in the ass if its an undulating course.
Your best bet then, is to find a road bike, and then gather up a singlespeed/fixie kit that you can install on the road bike. But, if I were you, I’d bypass the pain in the arse that all the parts swapping will present, and just find yourself a good used track bike that someone already has a set of pursuit bars on. (voila, instant TT bike). And then build up a road bike variant at your leisure.
"i would like to have the option of using the bike in a timetrial without the fixed gear.
so i need something that is capable of being easily converted to a standard tt bike if required.
the fixed gear in the time trials can be a pain in the ass if its an undulating course. "
I think the discontinued cervelo P2T might have had this option. but for the most part I agree with the previous poster that you are better off with dedicated bikes.
Whats this cervelo p2t? i tae it the t is for track.
is there an option to install a derailer on it?
How much space for adjusting chain tension is there on the standard p2c? i know the drop outs are horizontal which allows some lee way to adjust the chain ut how sunstantial is it compared with stand alone track frames??
The P2T was/is a full track frame. ie, no brake mounts, rear mech hanger etc. Would make a good fixed gear TT bike though.
All dedicated track frames have 120mm spaced rear dropouts for a fixed wheel, compared to 130mm for a geared bike.
The Isaac is the exception since it is basically the Joule with an extra set of dropouts to reduce the width.
You can get 130mm spaced fixed hubs, and even discs, to enable you to build a pursuit/kilo bike, and geared TT bike out of the same frame.
Isaac, Cervelo, Planet X, or similar with horizontal dropouts will do. There will be less adjustability for chain tensioning than with a pure track frame, so you may be limited with gearing choices. Any decent frame either road or track will be plenty stiff enough for you unless you happen to have a Chris Hoy-esque power output.
Due to the lower bottom bracket height of a road frame, like the suggested P2C, it would be very difficult to use these as bunch race track bikes, and especially a sprint bike. There is a real danger of grounding a pedal on anything but the shallowest of tracks. You can get away with them as pursuit/kilo bikes as you are only using the black line round the bottom for these events.
Since you can source track gear 2nd hand quite cheaply, I would just buy a complete track bike if I were you, and use that for all track work and occasional fixed gear TT use.
All dedicated track frames have 120mm spaced rear dropouts for a fixed wheel, compared to 130mm for a geared bike.
The Isaac is the exception since it is basically the Joule with an extra set of dropouts to reduce the width.
That’s a cool feature!
Due to the lower bottom bracket height of a road frame, like the suggested P2C, it would be very difficult to use these as bunch race track bikes, and especially a sprint bike. There is a real danger of grounding a pedal on anything but the shallowest of tracks. You can get away with them as pursuit/kilo bikes as you are only using the black line round the bottom for these events.
Yeah, that’s why you never see the P3C being used in mass start races at Worlds.
Sarcasm aside, I think the b.b. height issue (like the toe overlap issue) is a bit of a red herring…modern pedal/cleat systems provide far more clearance that old-fashioned quill pedals, which mitigates the need for a really high b.b., even on a steep track. Moreover, the days of people crawling around the top of the banking, or even doing a track stand, to try to force one’s match sprint opponent to the front tend to be behind us.
