Originally Posted by
FastJake
I'm not opposed to vertical dropouts since they do have some advantages over horizontal.
But I fail to see any advantage of rear facing track ends over forward facing horizontal dropouts. They make wheel removal slightly more annoying and they can't be used with gears. So why use them at all? Except on a legitimate track bike where they are required by the rules. As far as I know, that's the only reason they survive today.
Track ends do not change the the angles of the bike/bottom bracket height, both important things for a track bike (which can already be twitchy bikes). For a regular bike, not so much important, except: loose axle nuts/QRs will result in the wheel being shoved *into* the end, rather than slowly ejected from it (the chain retains the wheel when braking, on a fixed gear).
Hardly a minor consideration, when you consider the types of bikes that 'track' ends are still used commonly on: BMX and track bikes (which are meant to be used on a track, after all).