I've been recently introduced to the idea of a path racer (track ends, road geom) after researching the Rivendell Quickbeam. I was interested in picking one up, but if my memory serves me correctly, I can't recall ever running into one on CL or the recent forum sales. Are these hard to find nowadays?

Original path racers? Yes. However, it wouldn't be hard to make a faux racer with a set of drops, Weinmann centerpulls, and 27 or 700c alloy rims laced to Sturmey Archer hubs. Put a Brooks on it, and paint it a subdued English color, and you'll have a bike that fools nobody, but that you aren't afraid of dinging up either.

As Mickey85 said, you could build a pretty good approximation with a bike with relaxed geometry and the parts he listed. Pashley currently makes a path racer inspired bike, but it isn't cheap.

I've heard Kogswell makes a path racer inspired bike either, but from what I've seen, their stuff isn't super cheap either.

I may just abandon this idea - I'm hoping to build my first fixed/ss and thought a path racer looked like the perfect frame for it, but it seems much easier to simply pick up some old 10 speeder and convert that.

Why not get an old 10 speed and put a 3 speed hub under it instead of a fixed gear hub? It'd take the same amount of work, and wouldn't be that much more expensive (unless you're going fancy, like the Sturmey S3X)

You should buy my 56 holdsworth zephyr and call it a day.

You need some inspiration? Here - I haven't gotten around to messing with a Sturmey hub, but otherwise it does just fine:



My approximation of a 1948 BSA I saw at the Westminster, MD swap meet.

A 3 speed sounds great, but I'm trying to add a fixed gear to my stable. unless you mean a 3 speed fixed hub thats not the Sturmey?

and PDXaero - is 56 the year or size?

syke, what are the stem/crankset? beautiful, btw

The stem is the original GB that came with the frame ('64 Raleigh Gran Sport). Crankset is the outer ring of the original off my Magneet (late-'60's).

Path racer = track bike (not "track ends, road geom"). Common misperception. Track ends + more relaxed geometry + braze-ons = "road/path."

(Y'all knew I'd show up here, right?)

I knew it was coming.

Interesting. At least according to Wikipedia, path bikes are track bikes, not path racers. Either way, you all know what I'm trying to describe, I think...

There was some talk of this bike not long ago.
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...kilott_s3x.htm

Not your classic path racer, but a cool modern 3speed fixed gear!

They're both terms used to describe track bikes. And yeah, I did know. But I do think it ultimately avoids confusion to make the distinction.

I live the rest of the time waiting for that moment. It leaves making the distinction between "Record" and "Nuovo Record" in the dust.

Syke, this thing is sweet! Now I want to rebuild the 60's BSA 10 speed I found on e-bay!

here's mine:

nice. i'm getting more and more jealous by the moment. out of curiosity, are those scorcher bars?

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/.../kilott_os.htm

not sure what scorcher bars are... those are north roads I took off a huffy.

These are scorcher bars. https://antbikemike.files.wordpress.c...aylor-0062.jpg

Not sure why they're called that, but either way. The north roads look nice.

Look like flipped NR's to me.

I took the inspiration for this build from various Path Racers. Sturmey 3 speed rear wheel.

This was my Velo-De-Cheapo Entry which I now use for daily commuting. My original intent was to do the handlebars and brake levers the way skyerocker has 'em done but in the interest of saving $$ for Velo-d'Cheapo points I kept it as you see it. Its worked out fine.



Thats a photo from the spring...its now got a 42T chainring (the 52 was too much) and a rear rack. After today's near 100 degree commute its getting a water bottle cage tonight.

What were path racers used for originally? Were they the original road bike before deraillers came along? Or was there some other purpose?

Obviously us C&V folk don't always do things because they are practical, so I was just curious if there was another reason for a path racer.