orangepaint

So I've decided I would like to begin track racing. I've ridden fixed on the street but only on a conversion. I'm on somewhat of a budget and ideally, I'd like this build to cost <$1000 but I might end up going over by a bit.

So here's what I'm thinking.

Frameset:
Kilo TT frameset via BikeIsland
Soma Rush
Bareknuckle

Now I know the Bareknuckle is definitely the best out of the three. However, it is also a bit more expensive and I was wondering if it is worth the extra price. The Rush is also a bit more expensive than the Kilo TT and looks very appealing on paper. Would this be a better choice?

Hubs:
Suzue Promax
Dia Comp Gran Compe
Miche Primato Pista

I hear good things about all of these. Which is the best value? Am I better off getting Formulas

Rims:
Tubular or clincher?

If tubular, I'm probably going to end up with Mavic Reflex. If clincher, I will go with Open Pros. Any other ideas?

Cranks:
Sugino 75's

Any other suggestions in 144 BCD(I don't wanna shell out for Dura-Ace or Campy)?

BB:
Here's where I'm kinda lost. 75 is ISO and it seems like my only choices are either Campy or corresponding NJS parts. I don't wanna pay for the NJS BBs so I guess what I want to know is whether Campy makes mid level BBs(Centaurish) in appropriate spindle lengths.

Pedals:
I'm going for Look style but that's all I have at this point. Suggestions welcome.

Cockpit:
I'd like to run deep drop track bars but beyond that, I know little. Suggestions for both threaded and threadless systems welcome.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

CrimsonKarter21

Frameset:
Kilo TT frameset via BikeIsland (it's the same thing as the Soma, and the Bareknuckle is overhyped. The short headtube will be good for getting into low, powerful positions and for TT's.

Hubs:
Suzue Promax

Rims:
Tubular, Mavic Reflex or Velocity Pro Elite/ Escape (tubular version of Deep V/ Aerohead respectively)


Cranks:
Sugino 75's


BB:
Campy Centaur 110mm (maybe it's 111mm?)

Pedals:
Look Keo Sprint or Carbon

Cockpit:
A regular aluminum seatpost, Deda Newton Pista bars ($47 on PBK) Dead Newton Pista stem ($119). The bars are two cm's deeper in drop than WCS or Newton road bars, so you might not want to go for the Pista Stem, but whatever works. Remember, the Newton Pista bars have a 2cm longer reach, too, and they're measured outside-outside, so a 42cm bar is actually 39 cm wide center-center like most bars are measured.

40x14

I disagree on the mercier. Mercier is fairly heavy and made of much softer metal than both the soma and the bareknuckle.

Also the geometry on the mercier is more of a singlespeed commuter type than that of a track bike. The mercier is basically a road bike with track ends. It has a road fork and road bike angles. See https://www.cyclesmercier.com/geometry_tt.html No matter what parts are on the mercier, it will never be a true track bike maybe with the exception the track ends. I like the Mercier just fine, but with a $1,000 budget for a beginning track racer I would not waste money putting fancy parts on a mediocre frame unless I was more interested in looking the part than actual racing.

The soma has true track geometry with steeper head and seat tube angles, as well as a higher bottom bracket. The Soma "lugged track fork" has 38mm of rake - more track like than road like.

The bareknuckle has true track geometry. It also uses slightly oversized steel tubing for more efficient transfer of power from the rider to the road. The fork is a little less raked (35.5mm - geomtery link) than the soma and this will provide a more stable ride at the speeds typically ridden in track racing.

You do get what you pay for.

zzzwillzzz

or just buy a bianchi pista for less than $600 and start riding. if your still gonna build a bike go with clinchers for now. after a while get some deep carbon tubulars for racing and use the clinchers for training. use the same pedals you use for the road so you just need one pair of shoes, no need to make it difficult.

bonechilling

^ - That's the best suggestion yet. The Pista is far and away the best entry-level track bike for someone looking to get into the sport. $600 is on the high side, you should be able to find a gently used one pretty easily for $4-500.

40x14

Yes, that's a very good point. You'll still have a few hundred dollars left over for incidentals like race fees (a few bucks per race), a racing license ($60), decent tires, and a couple of different chainrings that you will inevitably want to try out (47,48,49, even 50x14 or 50x15) at the track depending on whether you like to spin or mash. You might also find yourself swapping saddles, stem, bars to get a really comfortable and efficient fit. The bianchi is a decent entry level bike, i think the white schwinn madison might be too although from what I recall they completely changed the geometry as soon as they started painting it blue. +1 on getting the same pedals as your roadie.

bonechilling

The Schwinn Madison really bears no resemblance to the Madison of old, which was my first track bike. I wouldn't call it a track bike, just a road bike with track-ends, like so many others. I think that the Pista is probably the best bang-for-the-buck track bike if you're getting into racing. I would recommend the Kilo TT, but there's been some discussion about the geometry, as you can see.

Towards that end, I don't think that the geometry on the Bikes Direct site is correct. The poster Retem owns both the KHS and the Mercier frame, and says that the geometry is identical. In fact, as I recall, he measured the Mercier frame, and the specs were closer to those listed for the KHS Flite 100 than those listed on the Bikes Direct site.

omrra108

I don't understand how the new Schwinn Madison is not like the the old model. I found that the seat tube angle(74 degrees) and head tube angle(75 degrees) were identical. From pictures i noticed that the new and old both have very tall head tubes. The wheel base is also very similar the original is 38.4 inches or about 975mm the new in a 56 (large) is 972 mm. The new Madison BB is about 11 inches from the ground i am unsure of what it is on the old model. it appears that the new Madison and old Madison are very similar thus making the new Madison a decent track bike. i could be wrong though, feel free to point out why the new Madison does not stack up.

nateintokyo

the Madison is massively heavy? (esp. compared to the Pista)