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@M_V
I’ve been daydreaming at work a bit and have come up with a cunning new project...
I was thinking it’d be fun to build a track frame. It’d be reasonably cheap, simple and something I don’t currently have (a track legal track frame that is). But I don’t have a jig and I’m not sure it’s worth shelling out for tubes and lugs etc when it’s probably very unlikely I could build a straight frame at the moment.
I’ve also been thinking though, that I’ve robbed a couple parts from my shopper for the Surly and it’s not really worth replacing these parts as the Surly has made the shopper redundant.
Enter the Frankenshoppertrack.
I need to do some measuring but the basic plan would be, replace the forward facing dropouts with track ends, modify the existing fork or get a new one, build it up with 700c wheels instead of the 26x 1 3/4 it’s meant to have which might hopefully increase the bb height to something track legal.
It’s a cheap as chips gas pipe frame so I know it’s not going to be light or fast but it would give me brazing practice and I’d end up with a bike to ride on the velodrome.
I’m thinking I start by chucking some 700c wheels in there to see what the bb height is like as if it’s too low it’ll probably not be worth continuing.
If the bb height is workable, cut the existing dropouts out and reuse the chain stays if possible. I have 2 sets of seat stays from ceeway so I might just replace the existing ones. This might also allow me to tweak the geometry of the rear end a little to lift the bb. Either way the existing brake bridge is a horrible pressed plate affair so that would be going, I have a couple nice brake bridges I could put in there instead.
The current fork is too raked out for track use so I’m going to look at whether I can trim the legs down a bit. This would remove some curve/rake and I’d attach a new pair of dropouts. Ceeway have some nice socket type fork ends.
Shortening the fork will obv have an impact upon the bb height but it would at least steepen the head and seat angles.
If modifying the fork works then that might be it, if I have to replace the fork I’m going to struggle as the headtube is pretty long. In this case I might chop the current toptube out, debraze the top headtube lug, cut the headtube down and fillet braze in a new top tube. I have a couple of suitable tubes already.
So...good idea or bonkers and gonna end up with an abortion of a frame?!
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