jdgesus 

the welds on that stand are really nice too

Nagrom_

He probably made it, haha. They look exactly like the welds on the bike.

himespau 

What's with the weld bead at the top of the seat tube?

Nagrom_

I believe its the seat post clamp, and seat tube extension.

carleton

Yeah, he told me that I got the last one


I only know of 4 in existence. There may be more, though.

The seat clamp "guts" are in the top part. Plus, if someone damages the seat clamp area, he can cut it off and weld a new one on.

himespau 

Oh ok. I guess I'm used to the clamp being more external, but that's probably not aero for you track riders.

McRussellPants

So, the kit wheels on my TK3 are bummin me out, 3 weeks and maybe 200miles and the seal drag is so bad its almost like the rear hub is seized, despite adjustment by a few shops. The rim doesn't have a welded seam, overall not so great. So I'm looking for wheels. I'm 225lbs, looking for something solid for commuter riding but decent for all the entry level track stuff I'm signing up for.

Mavic Ellipses are bomb proof, but that 20 rear spoke count and 1900g weight doesn't seem great when i think about my weight and their cost compared to these next two.

Kinlin XR380s laced to Am Classic track hubs would prolly be around 1500g, basically copy of the 420 tracks without the cost. They have a slightly higher rear spoke count and I imagine some good quality for about the same cost as the Ellipses

Suzue Pro Maxs in 28H laced to Velocity Vs, probably the most similar to whats on the bike now, with quality components. The hubs have a rainbow flake sticker, which appeals to my love of the absurd and gaudy.

Is this worth having an opinion on? Do I need to shut up and do whatever I want?

ben4345

Dear Carleton,

My bicycle is acting weird lately, it seems to only ride backwards now. How do I make it go forewords again?

Sincerely,
Ben

bitingduck

Sort of, since there aren't a lot of pros getting signed to track contracts.

In some ways track riders go from Cat 4 to Cat 1, since much of the time the 3's race with the 1's and 2's. I usually tried to offer 3/4 and 1/2/3 options so that new 3's could get a chance to race with the 4's and get schooled by the 1's and 2's.

For women, it's even tougher. They sometimes get thrown into a 1-4 field right from the start.

broakland

But if they race with 1-4s right away: does it mean they get more braggin rights? just wondering

carleton

That 1/2/3 or 3/4 option is a great idea.

Yeah, it's tough for the ladies.

Not much to brag about when you get dropped like a hot rock. Not much learning happening either.

bitingduck

It also gives you twice the upgrade opportunities... A great way to get better fast is to do both fields.

carleton

I'm going to mention it to Jeff (Hopkins) and see what he thinks about it.


What makes things more confusing is the whole Sprint vs Mass Start races thing. I'm at the low end as a Cat 2 sprinter, but I get blown out the back of CAT1/2 mass start races.

I'd like the option to race Cat 3 mass start races, but if I ever won anything in a "3" race while holding a "2" license, that would be grounds for a complaint. But, if I downgraded to "2", then I wouldn't be able to participate in "P/1/2 only" events. So, I choose to keep the 2 on the license and suffer in the mass start stuff.

Some say we should have Sprint and Endurance license categories. That would solve that problem, but may not be worth the trouble.

USAC did have a rule in 2010 when one had to qualify for Elite Nationals that one could race Sprint events if you qualified via a sprint event, and the same applied to Endurance and Omnium. That was a fair rule. But, of course, if you race at a fast track (like TTown) and there were few qualification spots available, then a fast guy couldn't win the right to go. Similar to the Olympic debacle now.

Ultraspontane

Seat Carleton,

Do you evet commute on a bukr?

Kayce

What is the strategy for an unknown distance, other than stay with the field?

Scrodzilla

Go away already.

carleton

Stay with the field if you think you think you can out-sprint them. But, obviously, the longer the race goes, the more it favors the long-distance enduros. If you don't have the endurance, take a flyer and pray that they ring the bell before you blow up.

Taking a flyer only works about 10% of the time, though.

carleton

Thanks.

Ultraspontane

My phone autocorrected "dear" to "seat". Or it autocorrected whatever I fat fingered into tje phone into "seat". Pretty funny, actually.

The question was do you ever commute? Or do you just train and race?

carleton

I followed a kid and his mom one day.

Kayce

Not really a question, so much as a fun track story.

Tonight there is a 50 lap combined A and B points race. They points will be scored as one race, but the two groups will be places seperate. The money is on the winner of the B group will have 0 points.

carleton

Pretty much.

TMonk

For many working stiffs like myself, these are often the same ride (about 2x/week for me).

The commute is still counts as "training" because the intensity the I ride the commute at is usually prescribed.

Kayce

Winner of the B race won with -6, I got second with -10.

carleton

That's actually pretty good. When there is a long A/B race at our track, the As demolish the field.