AQA - any questions answered - Track Edition

i'm new - and have a ton of questions ...bear with / indulge if possible :)

i ride 175mm cranks on the road - what crank length should i ride on the track?
what principals govern tyre pressure on the track?
can i swap over my bike fit measurements from the road...track specific bars seem so much deeper..body geo must be different on the track..right?
how significant is weight when in comes to component choice as compared to road cycling?

Member since 2009

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new to track riding

what crank length should i ride on the track?

Indoor 165mm, outdoor might depend how steep the turns are.

what principals govern tyre pressure on the track?

Physics I guess? Just put min 120psi in for starters.

can i swap over my bike fit measurements from the road...track specific bars seem so much deeper..body geo must be different on the track..right?

It'll differ a bit.

how significant is weight when in comes to component choice as compared to road cycling?

Not sure. There's a minimum racing weight to stop folks going full drillium iirc.

^^^^ thanks 👍

can i swap over my bike fit measurements from the road...

Not if your bike fit was any good.

It should have put you in the most power producing and aero position you could sustain for the period you'd be riding for and you don't ride your track bike for the same duration as you do your road bike.

what principals govern tyre pressure on the track?

Put as much air in your tyres as they can hold. There is no rough terrain to worry about so not pumping up to the max pressure is just unnecessarily adding rolling resistance.

good, thanks.

Remember that you probably won’t use the same tires on the track as the road. Velodromes will have a list of what is allowed.

Don't turn right.

On bike positioning, track events are short and intense, so you spend a whole race in the drops, something that rarely happens on a road ride. It might feel a bit odd to begin with, but it soon feels normal.

Anyway, half the time you are hurting so much everywhere else that any positioning discomfort is a distant second.

so i'll set my position up in the drops -and see how aero i can get while retaining control, power and a degree of comfort

How're you getting on?

Anyway, half the time you are hurting so much everywhere else that any positioning discomfort is a distant second.

So if you wear Rapha, do you suffer more or less?

He's probably still going round in ovals and can't hear you.

got my training accreditation at HHV and getting used to it - go to Monday night sessions - enjoying it!

Nice one.

---Noob question---
Taking my bike on the track for the first time next weekend. I'm pretty happy with the set-up generally but I'm dithering on tyres. I have a choice between Conti GP 23mm (slick centre with very shallow rain channels on the shoulders) or Vittoria Tri Evo 22mm (slick and much tinier than I'm used to! Not ridden these yet).

Is there much in it? I'm temped to return the Vittorias and just keep the tyres I'm used to riding.

Which track, Newport?

Some indoor tracks don’t allow Vittoria tyres as the compound lacks grip on wood or something. I’m sure there was a thread on here about it.

Yeah Newport. I think they use Vittorias on their hire bikes and i’m pretty sure they’re in their list of OK tyres, but I will double check!

Edit: yeah they’re fine 💆‍♂️

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Yeah, I’m confusing Michelin and Vittoria. The former seem to be akin to kryptonite for indoor wooden tracks.

If it was here (Glasgow) you’d not be getting on with either of those tyres.

Conti dont make a track clincher and while Vittoria do, something with ‘Tri’ in the name sounds much more like a road tyre. If it’s slick it might ‘slip under the radar’ but it might also slip on the track and then you’re likely take out a bunch of other riders...