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Permalink Reply by J on January 9, 2009 at 2:41pm

If you already have a build kit and are intent on aluminum, the EAI Brass Knuckle is very affordable and reasonably stiff. Yojimbo's among other shops sells bunches of them.

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Permalink Reply by Gecko on January 9, 2009 at 6:43pm

You should check out the Attack by Fetish Cycles here.

It's almost identical to the Fetish SAC road frame I had for awhile. For some reason the SAC felt faster than my Surly Cross-Check at the same (built) weight. It was quick, responsive, and lightweight, but it was a little too harsh on longer rides. It would probably be great on the track.

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Permalink Reply by Jim "Niterider" on January 10, 2009 at 3:02am

Try a velodrome association like Kenosha Velodrome or at Northbrook. They have loaner bikes and sometimes bikes that people are looking to sell. I live up here in Kenosha and right now The Bike Shop still has there sale on still. The are a Trek dealer. Ask for Tony. He is the service mangaer. They have I belive 2 or 3 Trek T1's still. They are located on 75thst and 30th Ave. They also have a web site called www.southportrigging.com They are open from 10 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Felt track bikes are very stiff and as long as you are riding on the velodrome, they work good. On city street though you take a hell of a beating. The T1 rides well and is a good in terms of stiffness. The one item is the rear wheel drop outs. On some they have a tendency to have wheel slipage problems. Saw this last year on Tuesday night bike racing. The wheel has to be well tightened after the first few times. This is not a problem on all of them but a few. Get a quality headset like Chris King too! Don't want that missle your riding to go "unguilded". Hitting the fence fu*king hurts.

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Permalink Reply by root on January 10, 2009 at 3:24am

hey mate. i'm looking to sell my '09 Leader 735TR for a modest sum. it's built up right now, but i could also piece it out.

here she is in action

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Permalink Reply by root on January 10, 2009 at 7:38am

yeah i have been going crazy with the pictures since getting a new camera for xmas. i also have some friends from other forums who like to see what i've been up to, so they tend to get posted here

i'm can be vain, but at least i'm polite!

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Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on January 10, 2009 at 8:36am

Thanks for (most of) your help. I think my next step is to go over to Yojimbo's. I'm waiting for access to chifg.com, a friend of mine said they have a good for sale area too.

Once I pick a frame (one I won't want to sell in a few seasons), I'll use my alex/nashbar wheelset and the pake cranks off my raleigh to keep the cost down at first. But those will both have to be upgraded too when I can afford it. And the only reason I got the pake was for the raleigh anyway. I'd hate to get them on only to put the old one's back right away. The track bike should have 144bcd chainrings anyway.

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Permalink Reply by J on January 10, 2009 at 12:42pm

I'm sure you'll get some good advice on racing specific sites, but one general observation I'd make about the track racing scene here is that although it's pretty small -- you won't feel any pressure to have "legit" equipment. As long as your equipment is safe -- and unless you're a really big guy who breaks/flexes stuff, or racing in the higher categories -- there's really no need to upgrade to the latest racing-specific gear.

But if you want to, by all means! Half the fun of track bikes is outfitting them.

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Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on January 10, 2009 at 2:13pm

That's what makes it so hard. I WANT the cool stuff, I don't NEED it. But want is a form of need. I know this isn't the forum to talk about these but cars (NOT the go fast turn left kind!)were always my first love - for racing and style. I'll never be able to afford a full fledged top of the line modern race car, but an all out racing bike is within my eventual means. So in some ways it's my way of fulfilling a fantasy.

Do you know why the Brass Knuckle is so much less than the Bare Knuckle? TheBikeBiz has a $400 price gap - is it just frame material that's different, or geometry too? Does the lugged construction add that much to the cost?

J said:

I'm sure you'll get some good advice on racing specific sites, but one general observation I'd make about the track racing scene here is that although it's pretty small -- you won't feel any pressure to have "legit" equipment. As long as your equipment is safe -- and unless you're a really big guy who breaks/flexes stuff, or racing in the higher categories -- there's really no need to upgrade to the latest racing-specific gear.
But if you want to, by all means! Half the fun of track bikes is outfitting them.

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Permalink Reply by J on January 10, 2009 at 3:15pm

Both come from EAI and are specifically designed for track racing, not necessarily road riding, so this is the first thing that differentiates them from some of the bikes you listed. The angles are reasonably steep, and neither are particularly comfortable for longer rides or daily use. The Bare Knuckle came first, and then the Brass Knuckle was released in order to bring a legit super stiff track racing frame to budget oriented buyers. If you intend to use the frame for racing, it's hard to go wrong with either of these.

Bare = steel tig
Brass = aluminum tig

As such, it has ugly welds, a ridiculously stiff aluminum fork, and a compact geometry. And so to many, it's maybe seen as unattractive. But don't be fooled -- even though this frame might look like a Langster or a Giant Bowery it rides very differently. Although often bought as fashion bikes, both EAI frames were designed specifically for racing. We have sold several at my shop, and as long as folks know what it is they are ordering, the feedback has been consistently excellent.

So just take the comments I'm sure you'll get from the fixie forums with a grain of salt. A lot of the time, folks will give their 2 cents with absolutely no first hand experience. Marcus at Yojimbo's has more experience than anyone in this genre and will surely provide guidance. But there are other honest mechanics who are also generous with their time. Or you can just do your own research and make the leap yourself.

The one thing that I would recommend is to really think about the end state of this potential bike. The whole build-and-upgrade thing tends to be a lot more expensive over the long run. But then again, it's a good way to really figure out what it is that you like and what will work for you. As a novice racer, I would absolutely want to wait before making a buying decision so that (1) you're sure that racing is for you and (2) you have a chance to see and try other racer's equipment. Lastly, and I guess this is kind of obvious -- but know that you will be crashing as a track rider, especially in the lower category events. And, you know, it's a bummer to have to worry a lot if your bike it too pretty.

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Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on January 14, 2009 at 6:29am

OK, I've gotten some great advice here and at chifg. I think I've decided on the Dolan Pre Cursa. For about $400 you get an alum fram with real track geometry, carbon track fork, integrated headset, and a seatpost. I'm going to look for wheels this weekend at the swap.

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