I was suggest getting on the velodrome email list and buying a used bike from somebody who’s upgrading. No need to spend a bunch money if you don’t know if you will like it. But it is the most fun you can have on a bike.
Also most tracks have loaner bikes for the beginner classes. So no need to buy one immediately.
This.
Our drome has a fleet of Felt TK01’s with stock wheels, good for the amateurs and regulars to borrow.
The serious guys don’t do much with the frame, they’ll still show up with a TK frame but have different wheels. The cost to wreck a carbon frame, which happens, is a biggie. Most ride some ALU.
Although til you know what you’re doing, don’t ride your zipps or discs around, as you will trash a 2K wheelset, it’s a guarantee.
For those of us who don’t know a lot about track cycling why so many wrecked carbon frames and wheels? I’ve seen it in the Olympics on in a Sufferfest video or two but otherwise ignorant.
As with criterium racing, crashes do happen on the track so that’s the main reason. You should race what you can afford to crash.
Equipment ridden on indoor tracks does need to have additional strength. At 60km/h in the turns you are pulling ~ 2G. Many wheels made for road have track versions that have extra carbon layer for extra strength. Fortunately, the minimum 6.8kg bike weight rule means the carbon track frames are pretty beefy anyway.