Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - surly steamroller on the track?

anybody ever try it? or cant it be done?

i raced my steamroller on the track last season. the new (grey) ones are track legal, with a higher bottom bracket than the older brown ones.

it performed as well as i could ask it to, the only reason i didn't place any better was because i was completely unfit for that kind of riding. hopefully things'll change this season.

the brown ones aren't legal? hmm...oh well.

odds are the officials won't kick you out if you show up on one, unless you're at some high-zoot event like nationals, or maybe even states.

but if one is riding at that caliber, they're probably not on a surly anyway.

I've seen a women race on the brown Surly. I believe she raced it at nationals, also, and there was no problem.

Question about track legality...

I've been to the Major Taylor Velodrome and I noticed that not all the track bikes started out life as a track bike but they all did have track "dropouts", some probably added later. At least a couple of bikes had road forks with a hole for a brake caliper but of course no brake.

What exactly makes a bike legal for the track and are some track rules different than others? Is a high BB required?

I've seen a women race on the brown Surly. I believe she raced it at nationals, also, and there was no problem.

really? everyone i've talked to at the track out here tells me the brown ones weren't track legal. hm.

looking at the USCF/UCI equipment regulations, there doesn't seem to be much that would disallow any normal bike from being used on the track. weird.

really? everyone i've talked to at the track out here tells me the brown ones weren't track legal. hm.

maybe they're just snobby? i'm pretty sure the only change surly made to the frames was the color, excluding maybe tubing wall thickness, but i don't know anything about that.

all of my track frames have the same bb height as my road bike, and my friend's "brown" (it's BOSTON BAKED BEAN!) surly. the only frame that i have that isn't track legal is my pursuit frame, because of the tiny front wheel. if i had bullhorns or track drops on my other bikes, i'm sure i could get 'em onto any track, but i like risers for the comfort.

as an aside: do they allow skidding on the track? because i'd like to ride a track some day, and maybe even racing, but i doubt i'd be able to break the habit of leg-locking when things get hairy...

At a guess, going on what little I know about racing here in England (TTs mostly), I'd say for small club or open events, you can ride whatever you want, as long as it's not silly (organizing club or local/national sanctioning body probably has rules regarding bike spec). For National Champs and International events, I'd imagine you'd have to go by UCI's rules, and I wouldn't be surprised if old Steamrollers aren't UCI legal.

"do they allow skidding on the track?" - OneTinSloth

You're not going to skid. Trust me. It's nearly impossible to lock the rear wheel up when you're pedaling all the time. You'd have to get REALLY scared...

i did see someone skid once, some cat 3 rider, but that was because his chain broke and wound up locking his rear wheel.

"do they allow skidding on the track?" - OneTinSloth

You're not going to skid. Trust me. It's nearly impossible to lock the rear wheel up when you're pedaling all the time. You'd have to get REALLY scared...


i skid on the street all the time to manuever. it's my style, yo. ;)

the brown ones are legal for sure. i have seen a few of them on the track and i know of a girl who raced nationals on one

i skid on the street all the time to manuever. it's my style, yo. ;)

that'd be awesome! bring the streetstyle to the track.

i haven't ridden on a track (yet), but when i do, i'll be sportin' my messenger bag and my new york chain.
:)

Dennis

i haven't ridden on a track (yet), but when i do, i'll be sportin' my messenger bag and my new york chain.
:)

Dennis

incidentally, how do you transport your NY chain. Just toss it in the bag? I've got a nice baileyworks bag, but with that 6# monster chain in there, its always sliding to one side.

Most of the time they are worn around the waist like a belt.

Dave


incidentally, how do you transport your NY chain. Just toss it in the bag? I've got a nice baileyworks bag, but with that 6# monster chain in there, its always sliding to one side.

incidentally, how do you transport your NY chain. Just toss it in the bag? I've got a nice baileyworks bag, but with that 6# monster chain in there, its always sliding to one side.

i usually ride with the thing around my waist. sometimes around the shoulder (following the same line as my bag). somehow it feels lighter like that than putting it IN the bag.

well actually, i haven't used it much since moving to SF. i was sporting it everywhere when i was living in NYC.

Dennis