Andy_K 

Following my War-and-Peace-like post from a couple of days ago (thanks to those who took the time to respond), I think I've focused my thinking enough to ask a useful question.

Does anyone have experience using disc brakes and fenders with a bike that has track fork ends?

I'm leaning toward getting either a Surly Karate Monkey or Voodoo Nakisi frame, but they both have this issue and I'm interested to hear any first hand experiences as to how much of a hassle it actually is.

I expect to use gears, so I won't be sliding the wheel around to adjust chain tension. I'm just concerned about having to disassemble, reassemble and adjust brake alignment by the side of the road on a dark and stormy night if I get a flat.

tswg

I built a pugsley with 29er wheels, fenders, a rack, and an internal hub. The internal hub could make things a little annoying, but I never had any issues with the rack or fenders due to the nice position of the braze-ons on the Pug (should be the same as the KM).

The disc brake adjustment can be a little annoying, but if you're only pulling the rear wheel off for random flats or seasonal tire changes, it's very live-with-able. You learn the 'sweet-spot' and can get it set-up pretty quick. It became almost moot when I added a chain tensioner (to run multiple front chainrings), just slide the brake all the way front and up every time. It should work the same for a derailleur.

If you can find a 29er with sliding drop-outs it solves everything.

Andy_K 

OK. I can see how the eyelet being at the end of the fork would help a lot. Have you used a rack with that? Any problems there?

The Nakisi has its eyelets (at least in the prototype) up the seatstay above the disc mounts, which I'm sure is better for racks, but maybe not so much for fenders.

Mr IGH

You can mount fenders and disc brake on the misfit diSSent, it has slider dropouts. Run an IGH and things are much simplier.

Giro

I have no experience but I can think of two issues:
1. Will the track fork have tabs for mounting disc brakes? As I recall, track bikes do not even have brakes (much less disc brakes) because using them would be dangerous during tightly packed and drafting racing. Are you planning on having a skilled welder add a disc brake tab?
2. Fork dropouts for disc brakes should have "lawyers ears/lips" to prevent the front disk brake from pulling the wheel out of the fork under hard braking and less than a really tight quick-release skewer. See, for example, this LINK provided by Sheldon Brown's site. Even the lips are not fool proof; if you do not get the wheel's axel seated fully within the fork dropouts, you can clamp the quick release on top of the lawyer lips, which is even worse than no lips at all.

p.s. You stated "fork" so I asume you meant the fork's dropouts and not the rear dropouts. If you mean the rear dropouts, item #1 still should apply but item #2 does not. In fact, horizontal dropouts are one way dropouts should be designed with the current orientation of disc brake mounts since the pulling force is down when braking, which would not pull a wheel out of horizontal dropouts.

Andy_K 

Actually, no I meant the rear dropouts. I was merely distinguishing the "track" type ends (which Sheldon insists are not "dropouts" as such) from the forward facing type of horizontal drop-out.

xB_Nutt

Yes, it can be done. Fair warning though, mounting fenders are tricky on a KM and I never had to change a flat in the rear thank the Lord.