Lightweight Trackframeset suggestions

[joec]

assuming the OP wants fixed gear then that pretty much rules out road frames, theres very few out there with horz dropouts, and having been there with "magic ratios" its not worth the bother.

[righty]

respect if you have tried every combination joec but surely there must be something that works?

[joec]

works until the chain stretches/wears a bit...

its not fun chucking the chain on a fixed and locking the back wheel up! lol

[drider85]

Is the Cannondale CAAD track as light as a regular CAAD frame?

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk

[mattr]

And after all that effort, he explains why he will likely use a road bike in the majority of events

Yeah, that's the way it goes. Probably 50% of HC courses you'd be better off on gears, 25% it won't matter, 25% fixed is best. But once you've got a fixed HC bike, it'll last decades. It'll get used for less than 50 miles a year, it'll only have one brake, one gear, one pair of wheels. Nothing to really wear out or go wrong.

Many of the guys i used to race with around the 00/01/02 era were still riding HCs on bikes they'd first raced in the 80's..... All they'll have changed is tyres and maybe sprockets. And not as they've worn out. Either perished tyres, or the wrong ratio......

[RyanH]

54cm Dolan Seta was 1209g with seatpost collar. However, it was rubbish on the track since the screws on the dropouts interfered with the nuts on the wheels.

[thedonnydino]

Would you entertain the idea of having a titanium frame custom built up?

[thedonnydino]

viewtopic.php?t=132335

[UpFromOne]

RyanH is correct, there are a helluva lot of fairly inexpensive (and even mid-range) track frames that just suck. Flex terribly. The best (stiffest) track frames are still heavy, like Koga and BT.

Having said that, maybe check out Planet X, or Karbona, or Cobra frames?

[Dalai]

The original Planet X track bike is over 1500g (frame only) in a medium...

[mpulsiv]

I still fail to understand why you'd want to build up a track frame for climbing. Dolan frame is ~1200 grams. That's far from lightweight. My $600 aluminum Allez is 1235 grams. Like I said, track frames have a specific geometry to ride on track. If you are looking for lightweight, take a look at this thread viewtopic.php?f=3&t=136190&start=15

[kgt]

+1
A quality track frame is not a good idea at all for road racing.
1. The geometry will not be right.
2. It will be too stiff
3. It will be too heavy.

[gazrichards]

The reason why he wants one is mostly a fashion thing (nothing wrong with that) uk hill climb specialists have been using fixed wheel bikes for decades. Back in the day when your road bike was a lugged steel 8 speed machine it made a bit more sense.
U.K. Hill climbs are usually like 5 minutes long and not really comparable to mountain TT efforts you may get in the states or mainland Europe. Imagine it more like a TT from the bottom of the mur de huuy to the top.

Most people I see using fixies for hill climbs are using either the older giant omnium (before the proprietary seatpost came in) or cinelli vigorellis. Both are available pretty cheap and you can get weight down with wheels, seatpost, saddle, bars etc

[mattr]

I still fail to understand why you'd want to build up a track frame for climbing.

It's been explained several times (on several threads). A stiff bike that will take a fixed and has no "extras" is ideal for certain hill climbs in the UK.

Like I said, track frames have a specific geometry to ride on track.

No, they don't. They have a specific geometry that makes them suitable for a certain type of riding. For instance, I've seen track bikes used very effectively for road time trials. And Hill Climbs.

A quality track frame is not a good idea at all for road racing.

Did ANYONE, ANYWHERE suggest it was for road racing?

[wingguy]

I still fail to understand why you'd want to build up a track frame for climbing.

It's been explained several times (on several threads). A stiff bike that will take a fixed and has no "extras" is ideal for certain hill climbs in the UK.

Unless it ends up weighing more than a decent geared bike because the frame's so chunky.