Track Cycling: Velodrome Racing and Training Area - Track noob. Need a bike

I'm looking at a few low-priced track bikes. Let me just state that I'd like to buy local, so internet orders are out. I like to support my shops. :thumb:

So the obvious choices are:

Specialized Langster (not the pro model)
Trek T1
Felt TK3

Specialized is the cheapest of the three. This bike would be used for riding to and from the track and of course, racing (beginner class). Which would be the best choice (assuming they all fit fine).

Thanks for any input.

They are all about the same. All are good choices. Pick the one that excites you.

Cool. If that's the case, I'll get the Spec. since it's the cheapest. Granted the fitting is ok. Thanks for the reply.

NO!

You can't use the specialized (base model) as a track bike. It is road bike geometry. Its not even close.

Pick the Felt or the Trek, but not the Specialized.


the Langster pro bike (or S-works) is a track bike. The standard Lanster is not.
Also, the Felt or Trek are not going to be great on the road. They are pretty stiff and certainly the Felt has a lot of toe overlap.

chas58 - Thanks for the reply. However, I'm failing to see much difference between the Langster and Langster Pro. Looks identical except for a slightly shorter wheelbase for the Pro?

Langster (http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=62142&scid=1101&scname=Road)

Langster Pro (http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=62143&scid=1101&scname=Road)

Specialized also makes a series of ss/fixed gear bikes called Langster. I didn't bother to count how many bikes under the Langster moniker, but there's a bunch. The links palu posted seem to have full on track geometry, and should serve well on the velodrome.

Oh, I am wrong! :twitchy: (Kinda)

In reference to the standard bike (~$750):

The current 2011 and earlier models were not track compatible (still a valid comment)

The newer 2012 model has much, much different geometry. It looks to me to be track compatible, if a little less aggressive than the "pro" version. Shoot, it even has a real track crank for the first time ever! (BCD 144, 48T). I'm shocked (pleasantly)

Don't think of taking a 2011 or earlier Langster to the track. But if you can get the 2012 model, they look like they will work. :)

Will wonders never cease...

here is the current (2011) bike (which hasn't really changed for 10 years)

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=45780&eid=4354&menuItemId=0

Not a track bike

So I shouldn't buy this sweet Langster New York edition for sale in my area?? :D

http://www.olympiacycle.com/images/productreviewlangster.jpg

The Langster Pro looks like a good bang for the buck.

Nope, not for the track.

I love riding them on the road. Light (~18lbs) and stiff, they are a great road bike (aside from some pedal strike when riding FG). But, unless your track is as flat as a pancake, it won't do on the track. Among other things, the head tube is too tall, the bottom bracket is too low, and the gearing and crank BCD is wrong. Its a nice FG road bike, but doesn't work on the track.


So I shouldn't buy this sweet Langster New York edition for sale in my area?? :D

http://www.olympiacycle.com/images/productreviewlangster.jpg

The felt is fine on the road-- my GF has an old TK2 (about like the TK3, now) and has ridden it a ton on the road, including a lot of serious climbing and some fire roads. She's been pretty happy with it-- toe overlap has never been an issue.

The street langsters are a step below the other two anyway, regardless of geometry. The langster pro is pretty nice- I rode one for a couple years. And you'd have to change the bars and the crank's probably not a 144, so it will end up costing as much or more than the other two for not as nice of a bike.

Oh, I am wrong! :twitchy: (Kinda)

In reference to the standard bike (~$750):

The current 2011 and earlier models were not track compatible (still a valid comment)

The newer 2012 model has much, much different geometry. It looks to me to be track compatible, if a little less aggressive than the "pro" version. Shoot, it even has a real track crank for the first time ever! (BCD 144, 48T). I'm shocked (pleasantly)

Don't think of taking a 2011 or earlier Langster to the track. But if you can get the 2012 model, they look like they will work. :)

Will wonders never cease...

Wait track bikes HAVE to have 144bcd cranksets?

i recently went to the track (Frisco Superdrome) with a friend who wanted to use his Langster, but the monitors would not allow it b/c of some parameters they deemed unsafe, and i think it was bottom bracket height

Wait track bikes HAVE to have 144bcd cranksets?

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/39/2010/10/wtfkells.gif

i recently went to the track (Frisco Superdrome) with a friend who wanted to use his Langster, but the monitors would not allow it b/c of some parameters they deemed unsafe, and i think it was bottom bracket height

That is what I keep saying. you can't take road bike to a respectable track because of the bottom bracket height


Wait track bikes HAVE to have 144bcd cranksets?

No, but it helps.


The felt is fine on the road-- my GF has an old TK2 (about like the TK3, now) and has ridden it a ton on the road, including a lot of serious climbing and some fire roads. She's been pretty happy with it-- toe overlap has never been an issue.


Its all personal preference, eh?

The current TK3 has more toe overlap than anything I have ridden (54cm size) - it is a PITA for road riding. And the stiff rear triangle of a modern (non steel) track bike will beat your kiester up over anything but the smoothest roads.

The fire road comment doesn't make sense. She use 23mm tires off road?
Heck, my track bike has a sticker on it specifically saying not to use the bike on roads like fireroads.

It depends what you are looking for, but the stiff rear triangle of those two is going to send any road bumps straight into your pelvis and spine. Sure, it can be done, and those two are very stiff when ridden on the road.

No, but it helps.

I mentioned, because that was something I never heard. I've been perfectly happy running 130 bcd cranks for years.

Yeah, its not the end of the world. 130s can work fine. The 144s are going to tend to be a bit stiffer and have less flex, and it is a lot easier to find 1/8" chain rings in that size (if you are using a 1/8" chain). The change in the langster to 144 cranks are just indicative of the new direction the 2012 bike is headed in.

The fire road comment doesn't make sense. She use 23mm tires off road?
Heck, my track bike has a sticker on it specifically saying not to use the bike on roads like fireroads.


Sure, we both ride our road bikes on fire roads all the time (with 23 mm tires)-- when it's mostly sand and small rocks they work just fine. When you live a few blocks from a lot of different fire roads you experiment a little and find it's not so bad. A few of them are better done on a road bike (or FG, if you're into that) than an MTB, but most people don't realize it. And it's easier to carry the road bikes over the big rock falls than the mtbs.

We do a 6 day bike ride around SoCal every year (or almost every year)at xmas where the official route has some unpleasant bits of paved road (one on a freeway) where there are really nice alternatives that are fire roads-- quite a lot of people on the trip do them. One year she took the FG instead of the road bike, and the fire roads were fine, even in the rain. I sent our regional Felt rep a picture of her with the bike in the middle of nowhere on a fire road in the rain-- he loved it.

Road bikes are great on hardpacked dirt or decomposed granite-- one great example is Bar Harbor, Maine-- they have a bunch of really awesome bike trails around the island that are well maintained DG or gravel. A bunch of shops rent mtbs for people to ride around on, but road bikes are totally fine on them (which few people realize).

but then I probably read too many posts by Jobst Brandt in the early days of the intarwebs...

I mentioned, because that was something I never heard. I've been perfectly happy running 130 bcd cranks for years.

If you ever need to borrow stuff from people, or have teammates you want to be able to lend stuff to, you pretty much need 144. It also helps with compatibility if you start accumulating a lot of track bikes...

If you ever need to borrow stuff from people, or have teammates you want to be able to lend stuff to, you pretty much need 144. It also helps with compatibility if you start accumulating a lot of track bikes...

I may just go for a set of 144's over the winter, am about due for a fresh drivetrain.

here's a pic of my 12 year old Trek 5000 and a friend with her Look 595 on the Mt Wilson toll road. We only went down, not up-- the lower part is too steep to do with a double. We counted it as a road ride, since we started and ended on pavement...

http://bitingduck.com/oldsite/bikepack/Dena_mt_wilson.jpg

And the TK2 off road...

http://bitingduck.com/oldsite/bikepack/Jay_felt_bautista_2.jpg

That's sick, bitingduck. My old steel fixed sees off road occasionally with 700x32's.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Pretty impressive. TK2, Mavic Ellipses and all!

Yeah, I don't mind riding a Langster on a fire road so much as I hate the flats I tend to get when it hits one of those odd shaped rocks at the wrong angle. :(

Still, riding fireroads is expressly prohibited with my track bike. Bummer!
(not to mention that it (like a newer TK3 or T1) is a lot stiffer than the bikes photographed above)

I don't think I've ever flatted the road tires on a fire road, remarkably. We've done some reasonably crazy stuff on road bikes (pitch dark, no lights, on lava roads in pouring rain carrying groceries...).

The Ellipses are pretty bombproof wheels-- heavy, but apparently indestructible. I think the tires were supersonics. She just picked up a cheap steel fuji fixed gear to ride in the 508 and it has a sticker that says it's a track bike and not meant to be ridden on the road. Despite coming with a brake, and obviously being meant for street riding. I don't think the TK3s are much different than that TK2-- especially in that size (52). A frame that small is going to be stiff no matter what you do, especially with a light rider. If it were up to the lawyers, all bikes would come with a sticker that says they're not meant to be ridden...

That's sick, bitingduck. My old steel fixed sees off road occasionally with 700x32's.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Hope it helps!

This time of year you can sometimes find closeouts our people unloading bikes on ebay/craigs list for a pretty good price. If you are lucky, you can get a used $1600 bike for not much more than a new TK3. Track bikes tend not to get much wear/tear/abuse on the track, so used bikes are a good deal.

If you want a dual purpose bike (street/track), steel bikes work well. The only problem is that you will outgrow them if you really get into the sport.

I agree about the crazy warnings put on bikes in the US. Mavic ellipses and track bikes are technically not supposed to be used on the road, or off road, but they are often are bomb proof.

The warning on my bike isn't from US lawyers. It's not even in english. Basic translation "don't ride on fireroads (or similar type roads)".

Probably should keep it off Kissena, too, from what I've heard...

You guys in LA thinking anything that isnt glass smooth is bumpy or rough.

Im just jealous.

You guys in LA thinking anything that isnt glass smooth is bumpy or rough.

Im just jealous.

I've talked to people who mostly ride encino claim the HDC track is bumpy. My theory is that they've learned to automatically compensate for all the weird ripples and bumps (it's got a wave action since they resurfaced it) and when they get on a smooth track the autocompensation makes them think it's bumpy.

...She just picked up a cheap steel fuji fixed gear to ride in the 508 ...

Whoa, she's doing the 508 on a fixed gear? That's some insanity right there.


Hope it helps!

This time of year you can sometimes find closeouts our people unloading bikes on ebay/craigs list for a pretty good price. If you are lucky, you can get a used $1600 bike for not much more than a new TK3. Track bikes tend not to get much wear/tear/abuse on the track, so used bikes are a good deal.

If you want a dual purpose bike (street/track), steel bikes work well. The only problem is that you will outgrow them if you really get into the sport.

I've got a steel road bike, so I'm good to go for the streets. I definitely wanted a stiff aluminum frame for this next bike.

Whoa, she's doing the 508 on a fixed gear? That's some insanity right there.

We're doing it as a two person mixed fixed gear team... I'm on a conversion that I borrowed from a guy at work since my only steel track bike isn't drilled. She did it as part of a 4 woman fixed gear team a few years ago.

deleted. moving to own thread.

That is what I keep saying. you can't take road bike to a respectable track because of the bottom bracket height

And yet inexplicably Burnaby doesn't have BB requirements. Despite the ridiculous banking and sharp corners.

Darwin's rules are more effective than Burnaby's rules.

It’s the people behind that I am worried about.

Smacking a pedal and going down is bad enough, but the people behind you are going to pay the price when chaos ensues. The 3 people behind the rider are typically going down too - sometimes the whole paceline gets caught up in the chaos.