Bear with me, I've been lurking here for a while. I'm a roadie, but don't hold that against me. The road forum is just filled with non-sense nowadays and this is my first post here.

I've been looking for a fixie to use as a commuter and augment my road bike for a while now. I had been looking at converting an old road bike, but was recently offered a track bike that's been sitting in somebody's basement that sounds like it's in better shape than anything I've found at the thrift places so far. He's asking $175 CDN for the entire lot:

- chrome Kabuki track frame with Sugino hanger (50cm seat tube, 54cm top tube)
- tubular wheelset with Campy hubs
- spare tubular wheelset with Shimano hubs
- 51 x 16 gearing (might get swapped out after a few rides depending on how I feel about being stuck here all the time)

Any insight on the frame would be helpful. He says it's chrome, though I'm considering either powdercoating it or spraying it matte black. As for tubulars, I'm not so sure; I've only ever dealt with clinchers, so I don't know how easy it is to swap out a punctured tire.

EDIT: See last post.

i'd say that's a good deal

Go for it ... make it cheap at first ... you might hate it down the road

go for it. track frame, 2 wheelsets (track hubs, i will assume), and more for 175 cdn? what is that, 120 us? do you even have to ask (just kidding)?
i think bridgestone made a track by the name kabuki, and you can ebay or trade the tubulars and pick up some clinchers im sure.

sounds like a good score. i ride tubulars daily and it's been ~5000 miles since i've punctured. sometimes i think tubulars are indestructible or possibly magic.

Go for it, seem like a good deal for the price. I would be crazy to pass on a deal like that, don't be.

buy it. if you hate the tubulars you can sell the a set of wheels and buy a set of IRO clincher wheels with the proceeds, with cash left over.

i'd say don't powdercoat the frame. if it is chromed and you don't like that, strip the parts off and spraypaint the frame whatever color you want. the paint won't hold up very well, but it will be easy for the next owner (or you) to remove later.

you're almost certainly going to want to change the gearing.


(btw, $CDN175 is less than one of the wheelsets is worth.)

pics once you get it would be nice :)

youre just bragging...

Oh, I definitely plan on jumping on it. I'll be hitting up an ATM sometime this week and plan on picking it up this weekend. Pics will follow soon enough. The best I've found at the thrift places is $100 CDN for a rusty road frame.

He hasn't told me whether there are already tubies glued on, so I'll possibly have to get my hands on some cheap rubber before I can ride the thing.

Don't even think about it,just buy it. the wheels are probably worth more than $175 CDN ($150 US)

Buy the bike, sell the wheels on ebay, and buy a set of clinchers. Maybe the IRO set. You might even come out money ahead depending upon what the tubular wheelsets are. Campy Pista, and Dura Ace High flange would fetch a good price. OR sel one wheelset, and lace the hubs from the other to new rims. Either way, great price.

I'm sure you COULD, but I'm not sure why you would want to commute on tubies. CLinchers with nice cheap durable tires are the way to go.

oh.. no tubulars? **** that ****...total ripoff

I can't wait; I love new toys.

EDIT:

Picked it up today after work. Sorry for the quality of the photo, but it was the only digicam I could get my hands on at the moment (I'm still a film SLR guy).

A few more specifics:
Sugino Mighty Competition 51-tooth chainring
wheelset #1: Dura Ace high-flange
wheelset #2: Campagnolo Record high-flange

He drilled the front fork himself for a brake, but the bolt I have for the take-off calipers from my Cannondale is too big. Will likely have to take it to the shop and get them to drill a wider hole or find a smaller bolt.

Obligatory photo:
http://img478.imageshack.us/img478/5509/im0000828mv.jpg

if you don't like it i'll give you twice what you paid for it instantly.

You got a deal!!!

Oh, I already love it. I'm just waiting to install a front brake and bring that gear ratio down a bit before turning it into a daily rider. Would it be easier to match a 48t chainring to the 16t cog or find a higher-tooth cog to match the chainring?

I'm still torn about the wheels; can't decide whether to strip one of them and re-lace the hubs to clincher rims or just sell them both and buy a new set of clinchers.

It's easier and cheaper to just switch to a bigger cog. 19 would probably be good to start with, unless you have a ton of hills to deal with.

Back to the paint thing: the bike looks like it's all bare metal. As I'm going to be using this as a daily commuter, should I strip everything and go over the frame/fork with a few coats of rattle-can black and clearcoat?

I'm also still torn about the wheels; the Record/DA hubs seem almost too nice to abuse daily. Can't decide whether to strip one down and relace to clincher rims, or sell them both and get a low-cost clincher set (though with Canadian prices, a new set might end up costing more than I can get for my old wheels).

might have some clearcoat on it already... I think the chrome looks pretty slick, I wouldn't mess with it.

good lord what a deal. the bike looks really nice, and an extra wheelset to boot. and yes, cogs are cheaper.

Well, I suppose the smart thing to do would have been to ask the seller whether it had been clear-coated since he was the one who stripped it. I'll fire off an email to him.

I spent half an hour on my street trying to learn to trackstand without success, but without toppling over either. I still have my right pant cuff rolled up...

So where in town are people giving these bikes away and where do I sign up?
A 19t cog would give you a good gear ratio for training in Gatineau and tooling around downtown. If you're doing longer rides in the flatter south (Manotick, etc) an 18 or a 17 might be a better fit.

Haha, nice to meet a fellow Capital-region dweller. It was a private seller who responded to an ad I placed.

I'll probably use the Shimano wheels to tool around for a while. The guy told me that the tubies currently mounted are near 10 years old. The rubber looks like it's about to peel off, so when I go down to the shop to see about the brake drilling, I'll probably get them to mount a new set of tires for now. Still seeking advice on what to do with the wheels.

48/17 should be fine for Ottawa/Gat.