$600 'track' bike. Whaddawereckon?

[simon.sharwood]

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... :IT&ih=017
The vendor says it is a track bike. The manufacturer says it is a courier bike.
Any comments from the track gurus among you?

[christian]

It says it has geometry similar to a road bike, so it won't be as steep as a track bike. It also has 110 BCD cranks, which I think is what they use on BMXs. I'd say for that amount of money you try and get an Avanti pista or look for something second hand.

[Adrian E]

Pedal clearance could be an issue:
The 720TR Fixed Gear frame geometry is similar to road bikes with an aggressive, exciting and comfortable ride.

For the money, wouldn't a Fuji be better value?
http://shop.cheekytransport.com.au/stor ... Product=14

[Toff]

It's a budget bike.

I'm a bit concerned about a few things:
- Water bottle cage bosses, and cable bosses under top-tube.
- 6061 is kid's bike aluminium.
- BMX cranks and bizarre handlebars.
- No details on the wheels at all.

Looks like a cheap road bike frame, with the rear dropouts replaced with track ends. I suspect that the geometry of the bike won't be very track friendly.

[lindsay]

I don't like... First it doesn't have stainless steel inserts on the rear tips. This means the rear wheel nuts bite directly into the Alloy & it will wear out over time. You either do them up tight & cut into the alloy or loose & risk pulling the rear wheel.

Second these bikes are of unknown parentage, we don't know what they've been set up for?? Anything that shares cross functionality with the road has to be approached with caution. My standard is all our track bikes should be suitable for Dunc Grey with the steep banks & tight turns. With this bike I can't say for sure it's a safe bike for Dunc Grey.

I think at present if your after a low cost track bike the start is
Number 1 - Hillbrick Pista
Number 2 - Fuji track

Then to go a bit better the Appollo.

Cheers,

Lindsay

[mikesbytes]

I'm not a track guru, but here's some feecback.

First, one needs to remember that it's only $680 delivered so in the end you only get what you pay for.

LEADER 720 TRACK BIKE size 56cm - aren't you taller than me? If so I think the frame is too small.

* Bullet proof crankset - sounds good but which one is it.
* 170mm length - probably correct, if I remember your height correctly.
* Forged aluminum - should be stiff.
* 110mm BCD - ? what's standard for a track bike? Reason I ask is at some point you will need to change the chain ring.
* Uses 110mm square taper bottom bracket - ok
* Average weight: 545 grams - ?
* White Weinmann DP18 rims with machined sidewalls - ? look nice
* White JoyTech fixed/free hubset - I have a history of distroying wheels. JoyTech is on my banned list.
* Hollow axles front and rear - ?
* 32 Black DT Swiss spokes, 14 gauge - DT Swiss is a quality brand.
* 100mm OLD front spacing, 120mm rear - Standard
* Rear can be spaced out to 126 or 130 - BS, you don't respace aluminum frames.
* Average weight: 1284g rear, 1243g front - heavy, but does that matter?

Other;
Nice looking bike
Can be converted to a road fixie, so once you start frothing at the mouth over some other track bike, you can still get some more value for money out of it.
After sales service can be a challenge on mail order.

Comparison;
- Second hand oldie, mine is a good example of that. Cheaper but possibly not as good as this one.
- Couple of the guys have brought track bikes for $1,000 locally. Tim and Christian I think. It would be good to compare their purchases with this one.

[Adrian E]

Lindsay, what do you think of these track bikes?
http://www.principiaaustralia.com.au/p/ ... -bike.html

Also, Toff, doesn't the quality of 6061 depend on the tempering of the alloy (i.e. 6061 T6 is used in many quality bikes).

[mikesbytes]

We all posted at the same time. ha ha.

Christian, where did you buy your bike?

[simon.sharwood]

Yeah I am pretty sceptical about this bike. The manufacturer's website says it is a courier bike, not a track bike, so I suspect the eBay seller is attempting to extract the urine.

[simon.sharwood]

For the money, wouldn't a Fuji be better value?
http://shop.cheekytransport.com.au/stor ... Product=14

I'll check to see if they have them in stock, but Cheeky are $150 ABOVE RRP on this one and they are scarce as hen's teeth in Australia right now. Next shipment due November or so!

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[Toff]

Toff, doesn't the quality of 6061 depend on the tempering of the alloy (i.e. 6061 T6 is used in many quality bikes).

Probably... I'm not an expert, since I prefer steel, but I note that 7000 series aluminium seems to be preferred on better bikes. I believe that 6061 is used when you want something that's easy and forgiving to weld, and you're not so concerned about having lots of stiffness.

[christian]

The difference in stiffness between 7005 and 6061 is very small, with 6061 having a modulus 10, 7005 having 10.4. 6061 is much easier to weld. 7005 has a higher tensile strength then 6061.

[simon.sharwood]

The difference in stiffness between 7005 and 6061 is very small, with 6061 having a modulus 10, 7005 having 10.4. 6061 is much easier to weld. 7005 has a higher tensile strength then 6061.

Let's all play 'spot the engineer'

[mikesbytes]

ha ha - true.

But stiffness is more important in a track bike than a road bike.

[christian]

yeah, but I'm an electrical engineer.

[mikesbytes]

yeah, but I'm an electrical engineer.

Better not get you and Geoff S in the room at the same time, the convesation will make nerds sound interesting.

[Stuart]

Could you track stars comment on these bikes on sale at Cell??

http://www.cellbikes.com.au/p_1624_PRIN ... reat_Price

I'd be looking at this for Jo so don't know if 49cm would be small enough? Lindsay could you comment on that after our chat yesterday? Oh, & no telling Jo.

[Simon Llewellyn]

The frame is actually identical to my inexa (same Taiwan factory) or spare bike as you would see me ride on Thursday nights at the roller sessions. It's a nice bike, I've got no problems with the performance, I had some great results on it last year.

The only issue is I have with it is changing gear. It uses those allen key bolt things on the drop outs which hold the gear in place really well & are great if you don't want to change the gear to often, but it takes about half an hour when you do want to do it. I can't see how this will be too big an issue for you though? I liked dropping my gear for racing each week, I don't think you will need to.

The price is excellent!! I think Inexa wants $1100-1200 for just the frame and bars. An apollo/raceline you would pay $1500 for the full bike.

& finally the crank length is the last thing to think about, but 165mm cranks are probably perfect for Jo.