Track geometry fitting.
#26
Originally Posted by dutret
Then say you think it will look silly and don't make up some bull**** about handling and try to pass if off as fact. If the op needs a 56cm tt he will be better suited with 50 56 then with 53 53.
yeah there we go.
yeah there we go.
Sorry, i wasnt trying to pass anything off as fact. Either way, i understand your point on the matter and i agree with you.
Now, back to why youre always such an ass to everyone on here. Whats wrong man?
#27
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 6,401
Likes: 19
This one will probably get lost in the noise, but...
I think I understand the question to mean "Should the riding position on a track bike be the same as on the road?" and the answer is "depends".
I don't know squat about what the fixed/road riders are into, so I'll assume the question is refering to track bikes on the track.
For the longest track events -- the six days -- the positions are very much like road positions, as the racing is very much like road racing. Some riders like to move the seat foward just a hair so as to improve spinning ability, but that's an individual preference. If you are new to track and are trying all the various events, you can copy your road position exactly and be well off.
For "normal" endurance races like points, miss-and-out, omniums etc., the standard advice is to imagine your road position but with a smaller front wheel. That is to say, rotated slightly forward and down: seat forward and bars down, no more than a centimeter or so in both cases.
For sprinting, kilo, team sprint, etc., many riders prefer an even more aggressive version of the above, with seat well forward and bars quite low. Some sprinters disagree, though. Paul Swift, for instance, believed that a fairly rearward seat position was best for high cadence.
Timed events involving aero bars, of course, require a radically different position that we probably don't need to bother with.
In all situations, seat height should remain unchanged.
As far as frame geometry, size, tt length etc, in my humble opinion far too much thought and argument has been put into it here. The frame itself needs to be strong and stiff, especially in the top tube, with weight saving being fairly down the list of priorities. Angles can be a touch steeper than for the road, but should not be silly. Twitchy bikes are never useful in any racing scenario, and angles beyond 75 degrees or so are silly. Neither seat tube nor tt length are terribly critical. A centimeter or two in either direction can be accomodated by stem length and and seat post extension. Track races have been won with stems between 7 and 14 cm and that's just in my personal experience. It wouldn't surprise me if the range is even greater than that. Stem length does affect steering, but the rider rapidly adjusts. Assuming your road bike is correctly sized (I don't know anything about compact frames so if that's your deal you should ignore my advice on sizing) you can either use the same size or 1 cm smaller for the track bike.
As for mashing your nads on the tt, if your frame is anywhere near the size it ought to be it is a non-issue. On the largest size frame you should even consider riding, your balls will be at least an inch from the top tube.
Short version: get the simplest, non-gimmicky track frame you can, either the same size as your road frame or 1 cm smaller. Make sure the top tube isn't foolishly long or short and then add a stem to get your reach either the same or 1 cm less than your road position. Position your seat at the same height as your road position and either the same setback or up to 1 cm further forward. Set your bar height either the same or 1 cm lower than your road bike. The longer the event, the more like your road bike. With the above parameters, you cannot go wrong, assuming that your road position is correct to begin with.
Then forget about all the arguing and go ride.
HTH!
Does one fit oneself to track frame dimensions within the same
parameters as being fit for a road bike geometry???
parameters as being fit for a road bike geometry???
I don't know squat about what the fixed/road riders are into, so I'll assume the question is refering to track bikes on the track.
For the longest track events -- the six days -- the positions are very much like road positions, as the racing is very much like road racing. Some riders like to move the seat foward just a hair so as to improve spinning ability, but that's an individual preference. If you are new to track and are trying all the various events, you can copy your road position exactly and be well off.
For "normal" endurance races like points, miss-and-out, omniums etc., the standard advice is to imagine your road position but with a smaller front wheel. That is to say, rotated slightly forward and down: seat forward and bars down, no more than a centimeter or so in both cases.
For sprinting, kilo, team sprint, etc., many riders prefer an even more aggressive version of the above, with seat well forward and bars quite low. Some sprinters disagree, though. Paul Swift, for instance, believed that a fairly rearward seat position was best for high cadence.
Timed events involving aero bars, of course, require a radically different position that we probably don't need to bother with.
In all situations, seat height should remain unchanged.
As far as frame geometry, size, tt length etc, in my humble opinion far too much thought and argument has been put into it here. The frame itself needs to be strong and stiff, especially in the top tube, with weight saving being fairly down the list of priorities. Angles can be a touch steeper than for the road, but should not be silly. Twitchy bikes are never useful in any racing scenario, and angles beyond 75 degrees or so are silly. Neither seat tube nor tt length are terribly critical. A centimeter or two in either direction can be accomodated by stem length and and seat post extension. Track races have been won with stems between 7 and 14 cm and that's just in my personal experience. It wouldn't surprise me if the range is even greater than that. Stem length does affect steering, but the rider rapidly adjusts. Assuming your road bike is correctly sized (I don't know anything about compact frames so if that's your deal you should ignore my advice on sizing) you can either use the same size or 1 cm smaller for the track bike.
As for mashing your nads on the tt, if your frame is anywhere near the size it ought to be it is a non-issue. On the largest size frame you should even consider riding, your balls will be at least an inch from the top tube.
Short version: get the simplest, non-gimmicky track frame you can, either the same size as your road frame or 1 cm smaller. Make sure the top tube isn't foolishly long or short and then add a stem to get your reach either the same or 1 cm less than your road position. Position your seat at the same height as your road position and either the same setback or up to 1 cm further forward. Set your bar height either the same or 1 cm lower than your road bike. The longer the event, the more like your road bike. With the above parameters, you cannot go wrong, assuming that your road position is correct to begin with.
Then forget about all the arguing and go ride.
HTH!




