New track frames in London shops now

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  • Hi everyone,
    I'm starting a bike from scratch and I'm interested to know what you think of some of the track frames that are out there at the moment. I'm after something tight and sprightly like my old Tommasini, so I figure that rules out the likes of Surly and On One.

    So far on my travels I've seen a bianchi pista, a condor pista, a ciocc steel frame, a steel pinarello (new style, oversize, lugless, carbon forks), a fuji, a gromada, and some aluminium stuff (a Dolan and a Ridley). I've got a feeling for which ones I like most, but it's mostly on aesthetic grounds as i haven't ridden any of them. So it would be great to hear what people have to say about them.

    btw, maybe we could have inidividual frame reviews in the 'reviews' section?

  • ciocc pinarello are nice i've seen some v.nice ridleys down at herne hill on the track those three are a little different too you may have noticed our conversations on some frames on the forum differing opinions on certain frames and i can't say i have seen/ heard of gromada let me search a little

  • i have yet to have any luck to try any of those, so i won't be able to tell you the ride qualities. somehow you can sort of guess by looking at the geometry, and for me quite a lot of it depends on the wheels too. but with no disrespect to anyone who owns a bianchi pista, here's a funny article about it...

    http://www.trackstarnyc.com/web2/askzach.php?PHPSESSID=fc2859b8e61f6ee67c6e1a7363ee11b1

    a thing to consider before buying one... it's so easy to spot one you know...

  • yes, i've looked through some of the other threads - the pictures give some idea but almost any frame looks nice as a single speed :)
    the gromada is a polish frame that was in brick lane cycles, but web search turned up a big fat zero - they must be really new.

  • http://gromada.waw.pl/?show=2

    Plus jan at brick lane is part polish as far as i can remember maybe there is a connection there

  • no disrespect to anyone who owns a bianchi pista, here's a funny article about it...

    i remember the first time i saw one - I thought it was beautiful, some sort of vintage classic, but then i saw several more, the most recent one being ridden next to me on the way home one evening so I could get a good look at it - it looked kind of rough and unfinished, as well as looking brand spanking new, so i figured bianchi must be cranking them out to cash in on the fg/ss craze. My guess is that as far as the engineering is concerned, bianchi have gone for style over substance, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

  • good find dicki - my anglocentric search didn't spot that!
    my brother speaks polish so I'll get him to translate the blurb.

  • i saw this website a while back to check out the frames towards the bottom of the site lots of jf wilson frames plus other goodies dotted in amongst them range of sizes tubing types and styles
    http://www.wilsoncycles.co.uk/frames.htm
    just shield your eyes before you look at the paint jobs though !!

  • keep yer eyes peeled and your hands in your pockets coz Bricklane Bikes is waiting for more gromadas, and a couple more prototyoes from Poland and Italy, so go in there make frinds with Yan and the girls and they'll tell you more about it.

  • I think I already did on sunday :)
    will probably go in again tomorrow and have another look - after all, there's a bunch of components to think about too...

  • natureboy My guess is that as far as the engineering is concerned, bianchi have gone for style over substance, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

    I think Bianchi made a mistake with the Chrome pistas by just making them too blinging. But I have to stay that over the years (esp the lean years when off the shelf fixies were a rare breed) Biachi Pistas have proved themselves as decent bikes. They're one of the few frames that have a geometry suitable for both street and track. The frames are decent, the components aren't anything special but my girlfriend's Pista has been going strong for 4 years with nearly stock components.

    'bout the only thing wrong apart from the current finish, is that Bianchi's here have a bit of a mark-up on them compared to the states. Sure, they're nothing to really shout about but IMHO as a first fixie etc they're definitely worth considering.

    Can't believe I'm defending a mass-produced, made in taiwan, tig welded, heavy tubed frame. I need to lay down...

  • I don't have much to compare it to, but here's my impression of my 2007 Condor Pista.

    It feels pretty damn stiff (steel innit?) and very repsonsive under steering. Jumps nicely when I put my foot down and seems to love braking hard into corners. Maybe a bit too aggressive for road riding if you like it laid back. but, having said that I am only comparing to shitty alux hybrids.

    I wouldn't change it for the world at the moment - highly recommended.

  • i think pistas are wank.. the components are poor and its got funny geometry, the fuji is a nice ride for a low end bike.. i used to ride a dolan which i cherished, its really stiff and ligggght.. all the bikes you mentioned have different ride qualities.. i think its matter of opinion

  • Gromada is pretty much a one man operation in poland. He's a cool guy and has some nice stuff (check out his hubs, actually made by a guy called Mack). Not sure how long he has been framebuilding, but some of the stuff looks quite nice. I think there's a bike on FGG made by him and ridden by one of the Dublin messengers.

  • I don't like the gromada in bricklane bikes. columbus EL tubing is nice but is shaped funny, lugless construction and slack 72 angles just don't do it for me and my cash. The other gromada is much nicer IMO...
    I agree with max, the fuji is best bang for buck . Its cheap enough I wouldn't feel cheated when I had to start replacing the crap bits.

    Pip - weren't the older bianchi pista speced a lot better?

  • trampsparadise
    Pip - weren't the older bianchi pista speced a lot better?

    I wouldn't say a lot better, but they've had a 'Pista' bike in their range for quite a long time which confuses things. All the recent 'Pistas' (last six years or more) have been pretty similar, lots of bianchi branded cheapo components but the hubs and saddles do seem to be getting worse and logos larger and 'louder'. Further back in time the 'Pistas' were definitely higher end but thats was way back and have long since been replaced by the Pista Concepts (which I can't believe folks actually work on but theres a few messengers in San Frantastic that use them).

  • glow i think pistas are wank.. the components are poor and its got funny geometry

    It's a very expensive frame for what it is.

    450 notes is just too much.

  • I've just been to brick lane cycles again - the gromada in the window is probably the only one in the country but Yan says he's got some more on order. He said that the company is quite new but the guy who welds them has been doing it for years. Have to say I'm intrigued, but I'm reluctant to blow 350 quid on a frame without at least one person saying they've ridden one and it was good! One of the girls in the shop said she's getting one built up but it'll be weeks before the frames arrive.

  • [cite]Momentum:[/cite]I think there's a bike on FGG made by him and ridden by one of the Dublin messengers.

    Is this the one? It doesn't look like a Dublin messenger's bike to me! Nice though..

  • Ugly decals and fork IMHO.

  • I quite like the decals - understated - but I see what you mean about the fork. Did you notice how it says 'recycled by gromada' on the down tube? I wonder if that means it's not actually a gromada frame?

  • The decals look like they should be on the latest desk-top printer not a sports machine!) Maybe if the frame was made of super space age materials or a kick precission style frame it would look more at home to me.

  • I must have seen it on bikeforums. I think most of the Gromada frames I've seen have some unusual geometry, especially for a track bike. Given that the hubs he sells are rebranded Macks then I expect that the frames are similarly rebranded.

  • natureboy Have to say I'm intrigued, but I'm reluctant to blow 350 quid on a frame without at least one person saying they've ridden one and it was good!

    Sounds steep since the most expensive frame on the site is £250, the cheapest half that.

  • Badly rebranded. That guy should buy a few books on typography.

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New track frames in London shops now

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