Kid Krinkle

Went to a wedding the past weekend in Michigan (I live outside of DC) and found that the Velodrome @ Bloomer park is only 15 minutes away from my hotel. I was lucky enough to have some free time Saturday morning to take their intro class. Only been riding fixed gear about a month so I thought this was a great opportunity to try the track.

Holy **** did I have fun! First, this intro class is FREE!, the loaner bike was a great fit and now I really want clipless pedals. We started out with the basics of the fixed gear bike and how to ride etc. Next we saddled up to do some laps on the apron. Quick rest then we advanced to small group rides on the blue line then moving to between the blue and green. Then we did some cone drills to learn how to do a proper right turn (drop that elbow!) followed up by drills advancing us to the rail. Finally we paced a instructor and played follow the leader dropping from the top green lines down to the blue on the high banking WOOHOO! I dropped out on this event halfway because my legs were shot and I could not keep up.

Anyways I attached some crappy iphone pics my fiance shot of the day. If any of the instructors are on this forum I'd like to thank you guys again for such a great life experience. Now I need to move closer to a track...

joker8baller

Looks like a fun time! Bring you Mash out to the track! Yours looks a lot like mine! Just a lot bigger.

Baby Puke

That's a nice looking track. Wood?

chas58

I’m glad you liked our track. Too bad the commute for you is so far!

Wood track, 1/8 Mile, 44 degree banking. The track is a trip. Never a dull moment; the straights are shorter than the turns.

Bummer I missed you!

Chas

Kid Krinkle

Yes the wood was a experience for sure. Reminded me of my better skateboarding days on halfpipes. Just curious if you were in the Friday night races the night before? Live band and a lot of GREAT racing.

chas58

Yep, I race on Fridays. If you are talking the 16th, I was there. I was riding a new bike (8years old, but new to me), so I was taking it pretty easy as I tried to sort out the bike and get used to it. Last Friday I got second in the only race we had before the rain, so me and the bike are finally getting used to eachother.

plowmanjoe

i'm in grand rapids and i've been thinking about making it out there for the intro class. just wish it was a bit closer to me.

chas58

6:00pm Thusdays, or (better for you): 10:00 AM Satudays. Bring the basics + mountain bike shoes+cleats (or your own shoe/pedal combination). Kinda a long haul from Grand Rapids though. Still, its an experience you won't forget!

plowmanjoe

if i bring my own bike to the intro class, would it be ok to use bullhorns? or do i need some sort of drop bar?

Kid Krinkle

As a bullhorn rider myself, I couldn't imagine using them on that track. I'd recommend drops. BTW their loaner bikes are Felt TK3's which I found myself to be a great ride.

chas58

Ya get a free loaner bike your first time out. Just bring the basics (helmet/gloves) + spd shoes (mountain bike shoes/cleats or your own pedals and shoes). Bring your bike, and we can check it to see if it is track compliant. Really, the biggest issue is the bottom bracket. With the 44 degree banking, anything more than a 50mm BB drop (with 165 cranks) is too much.

plowmanjoe

i have a cinelli vigorelli with 165 cranks. not sure what the bb drop is. also i just have regular track pedals with clips and straps (mks sylvan lite), do i need clipless pedals?

so if i pick up a set of drops, what bars do you suggest in terms of comfort? what do most people use? track drops, road drops, ergo?

using the loaner bike is not a bad idea, i just feel bad having such a nice bike and not being able to use it.

redxj

Thats a little extreme as the rental Felt bikes have a 55mm BB drop. I have ridden bikes with more than 60mm drop and done just fine on Bloomer.


Drop bars are a requirement for Bloomer and the ends must be plugged.

chas58

redxj is right - the felts are 55mm. Any BB drop over 60 mm generally won't be let on the track (although it is pedal clearance that is actually measured at the track). I have 60mm drop, one sided pedals and 165mm cranks, and I have problems with the pedal being too low. If I am going under 15mph (cool down) it is very easy to hit the track. Even at speeds over 20, it is possible to hit the track when maneuvering.

Most track bikes are going to use track drops - you can use any drop you want to get your upper body to where you want it. That is more of a sizing issue.


Yes, you can use your own pedals and shoes - either on your own bike or on one of the Track's Felts.