looking to buy a new, lugged, steel track frame for under $1000
 

Hey everyone,
I'm looking to buy a new lugged, steel, track frame that can support a front brake; and I don't want to pay more than $1000. What options are available to me?

I just bought an order-made Panasonic for ¥68000, which I think is about $650 these days. It's the full-track version, but they do have a model that has mounts for front and rear brake for only a little more. Huge selection of colors and options on graphics. It's a beautiful bike, and I think a pretty sweet deal. It's the real thing, NJS keirin certified and all that nonsense.

It might be tricky (and more pricey?) to find a US importer. Best bet is to find a friend in Japan to do it for you.

This is what I've found so far:

http://www.steelwoolbicycles.ca/fram...itylimited.php
http://www.somafab.com/delancey.html

I haven't been able to find a Panasonic Bikes page that's in english :(

Yeah, I think you can get Panasonics through Yellow Jersey (in Madison, WI), but the mark-up looks significant. Still under $1000, but it'd be cheaper if you could find someone on the ground in Japan. I haven't really researched other makes much, but I routinely see new keirin frames hanging in my LBS for less than $500 US equivalent.

Oops, scratch that- I just looked at Yellow Jersey's site and Panasonic keirin frames are being sold for $1295. The normal retail in Japan is ¥80000, which at current rates is about $750. That's a pretty hefty markup. Close to criminal.

Here you go:

http://www.pistoposeur.blogspot.com/

It's $1000, which is something like a 20% markup from Japanese retail, but maybe that's a fair reflection of the import fees.