Originally Posted by big2050
I'm currently looking to get my first track bike, which I'm planning to only use training and racing on the track, and the bike I'm looking at buying has a road crankset on it, but also is using a 1/8" chain. Is that a bad combination? or are those two systems compatible?
A 1/8th chain will work ok on the 3/32" ring of the road crankset. But why not get a 3/32 cog and chain?
Also, the bike has a 38mm fork rake, is that a reasonable amount for a track bike? From the geometries I've found online, it seems many track bikes have less than that.
The stand alone figure of fork rake really means nothing. Fork rake, combined with the head angle give a Trail measurement and it's this measurement that has the greatest effect on how a bike steers and handles.
For instance, my frame has a head angle of 74.5 degrees, a fork rake of 34mm which gives a Trail of 58mm. The custom builder of my frame - Marinoni - considers a trail of 59mm to be optimal for track. If we put your 38mm rake fork into my frame this would give a Trail of 53.2mm which, relative to my setup, would give faster/more twitchy/less stable handling. Let us remember that MORE rake = LESS Trail = "faster" handling.
Play around with this calculator -
http://www.anvilbikes.com/images/1064634020.xls