# Track vs. Road reach



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I've signed up for a track racing class at the end of next month, with an eye to trying a season of track racing this year. I can rent a bike for the class, and for Cat. 5 and 4 racing, so I don't need one right away.

Since I have some time, though, I'm tempted to keep an eye on Craig's List and see if I can pick up something. Which brings me to my question -

I notice that track bikes have pretty different geometry, including a steeper seat tube. With most models, if I were to match my ETT to one of my road bikes, I'd end up with a bit more reach. Do I want that? Or do I really want to match the reach? Using reach as the horizontal distance from the BB forward to the top of the head tube, as described in the article on slowtwitch.com.

And, do people favor different frame reach for sprint and endurance events, or is that more of a setup or non-issue?


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## UrbanPrimitive (Jun 14, 2009)

I'll leave it to the experts to share the real information about preferred reach and so forth, but I'll add this much to the conversation:There's a reason a lot of older track stems looked something like this










"people favor different frame reach for sprint and endurance events"


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## mushroomking (Sep 26, 2008)

I don't know how much truth there is to it but a guy I ride with on occasion who is an old school track racer said he used to use different size frames for Kilo and sprint events.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I was afraid of that. Maybe I should stick with my previous idea of just waiting until I've done the class and have some better idea of what I'm doing.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

typically more drop on track bikes, maybe slightly shorter reach
Kilo Bikes are Track TT bikes and have more TTish geometry
Get a regular track bike and if you get really into it, then find a Kilo bike
regular track bikes work for points, scratch, point a lap, miss-n-out, etc.....
where are you going to take class / race?


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Marymoor Velodrome, near Seattle, WA.


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## UrbanPrimitive (Jun 14, 2009)

Another common solution before dropping the money for a discipline specific bike is to change the cockpit. Different bar/stem combos can go a long way, as could different seatposts, though I haven't come across many people who swap their posts and saddles between races.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Yeah, I'm back to leaning toward buying one, if I see a good price.

I talked to my mechanic about it and am thinking that if something doesn't come along for a better price, I'll be looking at a $400 catalog bike. I just need the right geometry to play well with others and components that will have halfway decent service lives. So "a good price" would be about $200 on a used bike, I think. I may give that a little more time at a higher figure when I figure out what I'm looking for from the frame's dimensions and wait a bit longer - it would take me a few years of racing to spend more renting than buying my own bike, but I also like having my bikes be really set up for me. I figure I could get $200 back out of a bike if I take a flyer on it and it's not really right for me, though.

And one never knows - a teammate could decide to dump something, or I might find that someone's trying to unload last year's race bike within the group of people racing at the track...


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## waldo425 (Sep 22, 2008)

AndrwSwitch said:


> Marymoor Velodrome, near Seattle, WA.


Thats my home track. Good to see more people joining the ranks. Marymoor is an awesome track. Don't be afraid to pick peoples brains. Just about everyone there will answer your questions; even the 1/2 guys on Friday nights (best time to ask us is in the beer garden.)

As the person teaching what they think you should do. Do you know who is teaching the class yet? 

Personally I would match the bikes that you have unless you think that your current fit doesn't - well - fit. Yes, you do generally have more of a drop with a track bike but there is no need to sacrifice comfort for the most "aero" position if you can't get into it. You can hurt yourself if you do something like that.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I haven't had any communication since registering, and there's nothing about who's teaching what on the web site. So, I don't know.

I do have a couple bikes with a reach I'm happy with. I notice with the 'cross bike that if I fit it on the road, the reach is fine and the drop is wrong for 'cross. So I wonder if I'll find something similar with track. My road bike is a little big for me, which is irritating, so its fit is a bit of a compromise - a little more reach and a little less drop than what I'd prefer. But I do think I have enough information to get it right on a future frame. 

So far, Craig's List doesn't have anything for the right price. So I may end up buying something new after I've had the opportunity to sort it out on some rental bikes anyway.


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## waldo425 (Sep 22, 2008)

AndrwSwitch said:


> I haven't had any communication since registering, and there's nothing about who's teaching what on the web site. So, I don't know.
> 
> I do have a couple bikes with a reach I'm happy with. I notice with the 'cross bike that if I fit it on the road, the reach is fine and the drop is wrong for 'cross. So I wonder if I'll find something similar with track. My road bike is a little big for me, which is irritating, so its fit is a bit of a compromise - a little more reach and a little less drop than what I'd prefer. But I do think I have enough information to get it right on a future frame.
> 
> So far, Craig's List doesn't have anything for the right price. So I may end up buying something new after I've had the opportunity to sort it out on some rental bikes anyway.


What size frame do you need? I have a good frame hanging in my garage that could use a new home. 

Chances are that you'll end up playing with your fit when you get a new bike. I would just try and emulate the fit of the bike you like best as a starting point.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I picked up a complete 2008 Raleigh Rush Hour earlier this evening. It's a 53cm, feels slightly short, but the woman I bought it from has it set up funny, with a pretty stubby stem. So I'm confident that I'll be able to get it dialed in. At worst, I'll probably be able to recover what I paid for it.

Big thanks to everyone who participated in the thread. I'm happy that I'll be going into the class and season with my own bike. Special thanks to waldo.

Pics tomorrow. It's late and I need to have dinner, but I have a short day at school tomorrow, so I'll copy the fit from one of my other bikes and get some practice on it. It's my first time on a fixed gear drivetrain, felt weird!

About the only outcome from this that I'd be really bummed out about is if I just can't make it to any track nights after the training. I think if I do make it, even if I suck, I'll have fun and develop some more top-end power, something that I could really stand to improve. And, maybe I'll find out that I really love track racing.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I roughed it in to be pretty similar to the 'cross bike. It still comes out with more drop because of the bars, so we'll see how that goes. They're also quite narrow relative to my 'cross bike and even my road bike. I'm going to try to restrain myself from bolting more money to it, aside from a new set of road pedals if they present themselves, until I've done the class. But if I don't totally hate track and I also don't like the bars that are on there very much, I'll probably go for another set of "mine." I expected to have the saddle pretty far back, given the steepness of the seat tube, but I've ended up with a relatively steep setup on the 'cross bike, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.


track bike 001 by Andrew183, on Flickr


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## waldo425 (Sep 22, 2008)

AndrwSwitch said:


> I roughed it in to be pretty similar to the 'cross bike. It still comes out with more drop because of the bars, so we'll see how that goes. They're also quite narrow relative to my 'cross bike and even my road bike. I'm going to try to restrain myself from bolting more money to it, aside from a new set of road pedals if they present themselves, until I've done the class. But if I don't totally hate track and I also don't like the bars that are on there very much, I'll probably go for another set of "mine." I expected to have the saddle pretty far back, given the steepness of the seat tube, but I've ended up with a relatively steep setup on the 'cross bike, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.
> 
> 
> track bike 001 by Andrew183, on Flickr



Not bad at all. That should give you a good starter bike. 

Yes, the pad is put there on purpose (probably.) You'll see that a lot on track bikes. It is to protect the top tube from getting dented by the handle bars during a crash. 

Go out and ride the bike on the track. That way you can get a feel for the bike and the track.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Thanks.  If the weather cooperates, I'm going to have to head out there. I'm told it's a really bad idea when the track's wet.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*with no brake or derailleur cables*

your bars will swing without resistance. They can dent the TT. The pad prevents this
Track bars are narrower you'll get used to it
Here's my drop, not as low as it used to be as I'm getting older (late 40s) and am not as flexible as I used to be


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Still a whole lot more drop than I like. 

The chrome thing is correctly placed for the handlebars to bang into. So that's good to know.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*I could drop the stem*



AndrwSwitch said:


> Still a whole lot more drop than I like.
> 
> The chrome thing is correctly placed for the handlebars to bang into. So that's good to know.


another 2". You get used to it, track races aren't that long


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