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Rode this on Monday at training and wow what a difference. I felt I could easily tuck into a similar position and could get a decent bend on the arms, much more spacious and sprinting felt a lot more comfortable. Definitely noticed my glutes were getting more of a workout as I think my hip angle was more open. Managed to get a PR on a single lap which was good, but not quite able to break 60km/h peak speed though... but I'll keep trying!
Plans for wheels... Im not going to go to deep carbon rims for now. I'm on a bit of a budget so decided to go with a shallow alloy rim with some budget hubs.
- Polso hubs from Aliexpress
- DTSwiss A510 rims 24h front & back
- Pillar bladed spokes
- Veloflex Record TLR tyres. These are the second fastest tyres on https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com
Rims have arrived, although I didn't realise they are drilled for internal nipples... so I ordered the wrong spoke length.
Mounted these on the rims to check width, they come out at 25.6mm which should fit OK on the frame. Hubs and spokes still on the way. The plan is to run these tubeless for the lowest rolling resistance, it should gain about 10w @30km/h so even more at typical race speeds.
- Polso hubs from Aliexpress
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Ok hubs have arrived. I actually went for a different model without the cutouts in the hub flange, as I ended up going for Pillar 1432 bladed spokes which have a 1.0x3.0mm profile which require slotted hubs.
I've never hand slotted hubs before, but it was surprisingly easy and didn't need to remove much material actually, took like about 15-20min per hub. I'm running 24h front and back
All done, the spoke holes are more like teardrop shaped now. Minimal amount of material removed
and it was towards the middle of the hub which isn't doing much structurally
Front wheel laced one half, note the internal nipples. They weren't actually that hard to build with if I'm honest. The downside to these is that they require removal of the tyre and tape to true, however as a symmetrical track wheel only ridden on a velodrome it's pretty unlikely they will need frequent truing.
All done!
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This is fucking great. Happy days on the track!
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Such a great look with super shallow rims.
Love an aero frame with box rims. Just looks great.
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We have a semi regular customer who is a complete cunt and was running tubeless. He got a puncture and sprayed sealant everywhere. Makes a mess of the boards but more importantly, it's a danger to everyone else riding as they could slip off on it.
It'll definitly be a no no at any indoor tracks and I wouldn't be surprised if it were frowned upon at HHV too.
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Yeah I've just shot them an email. I can imagine sealant being an issue if you get a flat, but if you run it dry I'm not sure how it is any worse than running clinchers. If anything a tubeless tyre when used with a tubeless rim is harder to demount than a clincher when flat. Even then in my 8 or so years of running tubeless, my experience is that they tend to deflate quite slowly, as opposed to conventional clinchers which tend to deflate instantly when punctured
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but if you run it dry
So no tube, no sealant? Will they hold air like that?
The sealant is the issue so yeah, no sealant, no issue.
That said, if your tyres are tubeless then they probably aren't track tyres? Road tyres are, again, probably fine at HHV, not so at an indoor velodrome.Withdrawn. Looked at the tyres you're using and, that must be about the only tubeless, track tyre there is right?!
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Bit of a race report from tonight:This round not only did I completely change my bike and position, also dropped the gearing a smidge and swapped out the chain for a waxed YBN SLA410 (tested as the fastest 1/8" chain on friction facts). Gearing used to be 49x14 (94") down to 54x16 (91"). Also went all out and bought a nopinz skin suit and wore my aero overshoes.
Last two rounds I would normally place in the top 3, but could never win a race as was always beaten at the line, usually by a fair bit. This round had 4 races: Scratch, Keirin, Win out and Points. I managed to win the first three, and I think I won the points as well (wasn't counting!). Overall I came first tonight, pretty stoked as I have never won any kind of bike race before. Mind you this is Vets Cat C, so not the fastest category by a long shot but I'm still new to this.
This was my first time racing with this bike, I've run it in practice a few times. Feels a lot more comfortable and definitely more aero as I can feel I can tuck much better but have a more open hip angle. With my previous setup, I was getting frustrated as my max speed would hit a wall at about 59km/h. This race I managed to get to 63km/h max speed, so super happy with that!
My partner took a video of me crossing the line, so much happier with this position. Definitely more comfortable with my arms bent and felt way more aero. Getting used to the super narrow bars, I really like the extra positions, the long low tuck works really well.
Video here
Oh and I won a mug!
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Haha I knew someone would find me! Thanks! I'm not sure how the move works, as in Round 1 someone got moved automatically by the organisers. So let's see!
Funny you say that about the gearing, I was finding I was hitting a wall with max speed at my previous gearing (about 94") and I felt it was a bit hard to get over this gear sometimes, but the change to a slightly lower gear (91") I think actually helped increase this when tested in training.
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Yeah normally I will use a bit of sealant on initial setup, however once it seals (varies with setup) in my experience they are airtight from then onwards. They do tend to lose air more quickly than a tubed tyre but less than latex. I also tend to rely on tubeless plugs as well in the event of a flat, as I find they are much more effective than depending on sealant alone.
Yeah I think that may be one of the few ones that is marketed for track although in this context for tubeless/clincher tyres it's not clear to me what that actually means other than a marketing term.
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Yeah I think that may be one of the few ones that is marketed for track although in this context for tubeless/clincher tyres it's not clear to me what that actually means other than a marketing term.
Slick tread (or at the very most a consistent file type tread) and a single compound of rubber would be the salient points.
At Glasgow we only really allow tyres where the manufacturer has specified suitability for velodrome use in their description of it.
Just remember, if someone moans at you about tyres, it’s usually not because they want to sell you tyres, rather because they have to deal with the first aid, clean up, repair and paper work when someone slides off on road tyres and more often than not take other riders with them. In the worst case scenarios, they have been the ones the lawyers have come for when there’s been compensation to be paid when people suffer injuries or are killed.
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Amazing, well done and congrats 👏👏👏
Great motivational thread as well. I need to get bloody training for the coming track season 😬 -
Yeah I’ve read that whole thread on Lee Valley actually and understand why they have to be strict, although I guess there are other safety checks as well eg. should be using lock rings, tubs glued on properly etc.
Single compound and slick make sense, tho I guess ultimately in my mind the criteria for what is a suitable track tyre seems a bit fuzzy if it’s relying on a manufacturer’s literature, what criteria are they using? Is it an EN ISO standard? Or is there some independent sporting body that certifies it like the UCI? Just doesn’t seem that clear to me to be honest.
Ultimately rider safety is key but personally I don’t put a lot of trust in manufacturers saying it’s suitable. There should be some kind of more tangible standard like most other things regarding safety.
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Great thread. Love your approach, it's inspiring.
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My foray into the velodrome
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That looks great, I actually like these wheels on it