Senior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 886
Bikes: (shortlist) Cyclops, Marinoni, Mariposa, Air Firday, Pocket Rocket Pro, NWT, SLX Fuso, Claude Pottie (France) x3, Masi Team 3v, Lemond Zurich, Bianchi OS
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what advantage do rear-opening dropouts on a track bike offer?
This challenge was raised at this week's gathering of Toronto NoClick Cycling Club recently.
Can anyone offer a practical purpose for the rear-opening "dropouts" traditionally found on track frames?
While several disadvantages were quickly offered (e.g. if used as a street bikes, fenders become a huge headache) none of us (and this included some of the world's most brilliant bike minds, me excluded.) could think of a single practical (that is to say excluding aesthetics and tradition) advantage of rear opening dropouts over standard front opening drop outs (the chain can be tensioned with either.)
who would like to take a crack at it?
in the meanwhile, does anyone have a picture of Fausto Coppi on a track frame they can post?