Japanese Bikes

"Why didn't I splash out that extra £8 on the BT.. DOH!"

As Hippy has said the presence of brake holes doesn't mean a bike is not a "track" bike, although it may not conform to the whole "ultra-tight clearances, ultra steep angles, crazy paint job" track bike look. To be honest there's been a lot of variety in track bikes over time and also depending on the events they are designed for. The whole 75/75 geo and tiny clearances is mainly for mass start races and sprints. Look at the bikes for longer races and six day stuff and they are a bit more relaxed, pursuit bikes are more like TT bikes than anything else and modern bikes tend to have slighly slacker geo than the bikes from the 70s and 80s.

The Witcopmb posted above looks like it has typical road angles, but it's a long way away from being a touring bike.

I say 'touring bike' in the pejorative sense

Nuthin' wrong with touring bikes if you're touring..

nope no brakes, no rack, no bottle mounts, this bike is built to go fast, look at that clearances on this thing

on no I don't subscribe to that new fangled nonsense

yeah course you don't ...;)

THIS bike is designed to go fast. I like new-fangled.

But I'm not riding a track bike 200k..

hippy Nuthin' wrong with touring bikes if you're touring..

next you will be telling me its alright to have gears if you ride up hills

I rode my bareknuckle a fifty miles and my hands went numb, BUT if you want to burst through traffic with maximum speeeeeeed and agility, nothing comes close to a 'road track', which is why we ride them

and not touring bikes

the-smiling-buddha I rode my bareknuckle a fifty miles and my hands went numb, BUT if you want to burst through traffic with maximum speeeeeeed and agility, nothing comes close to a 'road track', which is why we ride them

and not touring bikes

your hand probably went numb because of your riding position, my 4th and 5th finger went numb and it was just because of the handlebars, if your hands are at 90deg angle to your forearms it traps a nerve and can cause numbness, you ideally want your hands straight from your arms.

http://sheldonbrown.com/pain.html#fingers

the-smiling-buddha

nope no brakes, no rack, no bottle mounts, this bike is built to go fast, look at that clearances on this thing

on no I don't subscribe to that new fangled nonsense

yeah course you don't ...;)

You totally got me there! I mentioned the thing about brake holes necause my previous bike had really steep angles and tight clearances but was drilled for a front brake. Sold it cos it was too small as this photo shows:

In my defence, this is my other bike and is the one I use for longer rides. It's a track bike (designed for grass track), but has bottle bosses, front brake and would have mudguard eyes if I ordered it again:

to be honest glow I think it was because of the really rough surface on the roads I was riding on and the ultra stiffness of my frame but I will check out my hand position just to be sure..... I just checked it, yeah you are right my hands are at ninety degrees on my riser bars, good job I am building a new bike, I'll have o watch out for that ...thanks

I should bloody cocoa, you ain't going touring on that thing, look at that head angle and fork rake ....

If I met you at the traffic lights I'd like laugh and then race you all the way home you are a LOON ain't ya...;)

As to your Bob Jackson are those angles 73 - 73 I think we might be on a similiar tip

have a look at my 'MERCIAN build' thread

I've recently seen a florescent green LeveL going round Covent Garden. Very nice too. I must say though, that I much prefer classic UK track bikes and some Euro models. The jp's are nice too but are too pricey and a bit of a trend right now. Doesn't take away their beauty though but has huge effects on price.
There's some sweet bikes here and I believe the Llewellyn is Austarlian. Never heard of them but have just been checking their site. A great frame builder.
classicrendevous.com gathering
www.llewellynbikes.com

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Events/Cirque/Cirque_05/bike_show_winners.htm

Stop it I just lokked at the best lugs and nearly made a mess.

Todd I believe the Llewellyn is Austarlian. www.llewellynbikes.com

Yep!

the-smiling-buddha

nope no brakes, no rack, no bottle mounts, this bike is built to go fast, look at that clearances on this thing

"Edit" This bike was designed to go fast 20 years ago.

Can you ride a carbon track on the street or does the carbon crack...?

Yes. No.
Locking it up anywhere presents obvious thieving problems though :)

Hey buddha, i rode my bareknuckle (v stiff) to manchester last week and i wasn't in any discomfort at all. I put on some old innertubes wrapped around the bars, and wore mitts for dampening road vibrations. Also put on a old squishy saddle off an old hybrid, and i was good to go. In retrospect, i think i would've put a pair of hoods on the track drops (if this is even possible).

lpg - I ride with my hands 90° to my arms - apparently that is BAD - with the seat tube angle on the Bareknuckle - that might have contributed to the numbness - did you ride from London to Manchester...?

hippy Yes. No.
Locking it up anywhere presents obvious thieving problems though :)

never seen anyone ride a carbon track on the street that's kinda like a whole different thing

the-smiling-buddha

never seen anyone ride a carbon track on the street that's kinda like a whole different thing

Well, no, you'd not be riding one of those BTs, but you could speak to Parlee..
http://fixedgeargallery.com/2005/july/SethDavis.htm

Vitus ENO conversion:
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2005/may/AlanCook.htm

that parlee's pretty nice man

Yeah i know what u mean, the bareknuckle is steep and places your weight further on the front wheel. Work your arm muscles, it really helps dampen the stiffness of the bike.