I agree. There are TONS of decent, mid-range, aluminum track framesets - mostly from the major manufacturers but some from smaller ones too - and all of them are more or less comparable. Some will have more classical sprint geometry with 74-75 degree angles, and some will have more contemporary enduro geometry with headtube angles going down to 73 or even 72.5 in some cases (some people don't like that, some people do, carleton might post extensively about it
). They'll all have aluminum frames, carbon forks with aluminum steerer tubes. There are a few features that are a little better than others:
- Long track ends that are plated in steel (alu track ends get chewed up; the more length of the track end, the more your bike can accommodate every gear combo you want to use with only one length of chain
- Aero-looking tubing, which probably is a little more aerodynamic than non-aero-looking tubing
- A reliable seatpost like a 27.2mm or 31.8mm seatpost instead of something proprietary (aero-looking seatposts tend to slip under larger riders)
- Short head tubes, or a greater reach-to-stack ratio - this lets you use the same track frame for both a mass start setup (you might need a stem with some rise to put your handlebars where they belong) and a time trial setup with aerobars (where you probably need to mount a shorter stem much lower).
And, honestly, tons of bikes meet these criteria. I raced a Spec Langster Pro as a Cat 1 for many years. I wouldn't hesitate to use a Giant Omnium, a Bianchi Super Pista, a Dolan TC1, Masi Coltello, Fuji Track Whatever They're Claling It These Days, or a Felt TK2 in a pinch.
They're all pretty similar. Buy the one that you think looks best, get an experienced person to help you buy the right size, plan to spend some more money on accessories (chainrings and cogs, contact points that you like - bars saddle and pedals), and that bike will take you very far into the sport.