elderJoined: 10 Feb 2006Posts: 594Location: The Bucket
i'm kinda sorta looking at track frames right now... because if i like this track racing thing i'm going to have to build my own bike. my biggest problem is that i really don't know what i'm doing here. i'm taking tips, references, and patience.
_________________ putting the gay back into gangsta.
jillita
Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 9:25 pm
Joined: 13 Oct 2005Posts: 744Location: the westside
I see John made you drink the kool-aid. Very tasty stuff. Drink up!
I'd recommend just using your fixie for now, you just have to take off the front brake, and it would be free. Learn more bike handling skills by going to the Thurs night training and/or the Mon night races. Right now it's more about skills than what kind of bike you have. I know one girl races her fixie conversion on Wed nights.
Since there are only about 6 weeks left in the track season and it would take you a while to build a bike up once you get it, hence my rec would be to ride your fixie for now and build something up this winter when you can find more used frames/bikes or save your $$ for something new.
If your arm is being twisted way too hard, keep an eye on Ebay or CL for track frames or bikes. And steel frames. Nothing else.
leah
Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 9:49 pm
elderJoined: 10 Feb 2006Posts: 594Location: The Bucket
harlot wrote:
I see John made you drink the kool-aid. Very tasty stuff. Drink up!
I'd recommend just using your fixie for now, you just have to take off the front brake, and it would be free.
what kool-aid? wha happ'ned?
i don't want to use my fixie for a couple of reasons. not only would i have to take off my break, but i'd need drops too. so i'd be modifying it twice everytime i went out. also, she's my work bike. i'm sort of particular because she's my only bike,
normally i'd just rent one but i get off work too late to be down on monday night in time to grab one. or so i'm told.
that and i was just curious and sort of looking into it. thought i could stand to learn a thing or 200.
(today was awesome. *sigh*)
_________________ putting the gay back into gangsta.
jillita
Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:01 pm
Joined: 13 Oct 2005Posts: 744Location: the westside
Oh ya, the track kool-aid/crack/dope/drug of choice. Those banks are addictive, aren't they?
Word on the work bike. Looks like you'll need another bike! I used their rentals last year, but they really jacked up the price of renting this year which sucks. Recycled might have a fleet of Fujis that are really good intro bikes for only a few hundred bucks and unlike Ebay or CL, you get instant gratification. The intro Raleighs and Bianchis are also in the same price range, but I remember RC had the Fujis on sale this time last year.
josh m
Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:32 am
Joined: 09 Jan 2006Posts: 448Location: portland
the handlebar bit.
I just have my drops on a track drop stem and then i have my bullhorns on my normal cinelli stem. I just swap the stems out when i go to the track.
leah
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 6:20 am
elderJoined: 10 Feb 2006Posts: 594Location: The Bucket
josh m wrote:
the handlebar bit.
I just have my drops on a track drop stem and then i have my bullhorns on my normal cinelli stem. I just swap the stems out when i go to the track.
that's what denny suggested, although i do rock ye olde brakes, it wouldn't hurt.
so then there's switching up my gears everytime, which i'm none too thrilled about. it can be done, though. it's be nice to not have to switch out the cog because i don't own a chain whip... and it's difficult. the problem there is that i ride an enormous 16, and i don't know what gear i was in on sunday. a 54t in front would but me at about 91 gear inches, but i have no gauge for what that feels like.
_________________ putting the gay back into gangsta.
lantius
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 8:37 am
1337Joined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 6705Location: right over
ever since i learned about rotafixie my chain whip has gotten all cobwebby. that said, i don't know if you can swap to that many gi without needing to change the chain length.
leah i'm sure if you scrounged together some parts you could find some folks who would more than gladly help you wrench them together into something resembling a track bike.
Stanglor
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:48 am
Joined: 28 Jan 2006Posts: 555Location: Wallingford
As to the lateness thing, true that it's first come first serve and all for the rental bikes, but last night my buddy Wes and I rolled up at 7:02 and he still had time to rent a bike. We got yelled at for holding up the show, but old dude with the beard still let us race (after saying that he wouldn't). So for the immediate future renting is probably the easiest solution. Other options could be if you know a roughly the same size guy who will be racing Monday nights as well you could share a bike given that men and women will be run separately.
As for chain whips, they are pretty cheap, and if you know someone with a drill press, they can easily be built with a scrap piece of aluminum, and an old chain (for the deluxe version add excess bar wrap and electrical tape).
As for the 91" thing I don't know about you but Phil (the USCF dude who stands in the middle and tells you how you did) yelled at me for doing Mondays with too much gear. He wasn't happy until I got myself down to 81". I felt like a chipmunk on speed when I was trying to sprint, but it made Phil happy. Next up Wednesday Nights and hopefully Friday nights in time for the FSA track event at the end of the month.
_________________ Confidential to everybody: "Pearl necklace" is out. "Cheney" is in. Pass it on.
leah
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:25 pm
elderJoined: 10 Feb 2006Posts: 594Location: The Bucket
Stanglor wrote:
As to the lateness thing, true that it's first come first serve and all for the rental bikes, but last night my buddy Wes and I rolled up at 7:02 and he still had time to rent a bike. We got yelled at for holding up the show, but old dude with the beard still let us race (after saying that he wouldn't). So for the immediate future renting is probably the easiest solution. Other options could be if you know a roughly the same size guy who will be racing Monday nights as well you could share a bike given that men and women will be run separately.
As for chain whips, they are pretty cheap, and if you know someone with a drill press, they can easily be built with a scrap piece of aluminum, and an old chain (for the deluxe version add excess bar wrap and electrical tape).
As for the 91" thing I don't know about you but Phil (the USCF dude who stands in the middle and tells you how you did) yelled at me for doing Mondays with too much gear. He wasn't happy until I got myself down to 81". I felt like a chipmunk on speed when I was trying to sprint, but it made Phil happy. Next up Wednesday Nights and hopefully Friday nights in time for the FSA track event at the end of the month.
i didn't know you were track racing?! hopefully i'll be out on thursday.
_________________ putting the gay back into gangsta.
pyörä
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:29 pm
Joined: 09 Jan 2006Posts: 69Location: bicycle
old dude with beard = Jerry Baker
slow guy racing w/o lycra = me
Stanglor
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 8:49 pm
Joined: 28 Jan 2006Posts: 555Location: Wallingford
leah wrote:
i didn't know you were track racing?! hopefully i'll be out on thursday.
Given that I raced the track Monday, PR Tuesday, and weather permitting I'll race the track again on Wednesday I think that I will skip Thursday this week. See you out there soon though.
_________________ Confidential to everybody: "Pearl necklace" is out. "Cheney" is in. Pass it on.
All times are GMT - 8 Hours
The time now is Fri Aug 11, 2023 9:09 am
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
elder
Joined: 10 Feb 2006
Posts: 594
Location: The Bucket
Joined: 13 Oct 2005
Posts: 744
Location: the westside
1337
Joined: 22 Jul 2005
Posts: 6705
Location: right over
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
Posts: 555
Location: Wallingford
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 69
Location: bicycle
