Difference between track bike and courier bikes

Hi,
Can someone pls. explain what is the difference between a track bike and the single speed bikes the couriers ride around on in London.
Are these the same things?
Any help would be appreciated.
Regards,

I give up

well, inasmuch as not all couriers ride the same bikes...

yes, with a massive degree of generalisation, they are track bikes, often modified for the road by addition of brakes/stronger wheels/different handlebars.

sometimes they are purpose-built street bikes with more relaxed road-style frame geometry, but with track dropouts to cope with a fixed wheel.

One is on a track, the other the road. Do I win?

track bikes have a cretin geometry, that is quite steep, and vertiacl track ends, while couriers ride any thing that moves, and a few things that don't.

Have you met my mate sheldon brown? http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html

(get you torches)

track bikes have a cretin geometry
You have a cretin geometry ;]

you like boys

track bikes have a cretin geometry

you like object

We are reconciled in our hatred of you.

In serious scientific tests conducted in Lilliput, it had been found that courier bikes are much faster than track bikes.

Bull Shit

Its 100% true. The esteemed professional that carried out the tests was one (Dr)Jonathan Swift. Most of us heard about this as kids. Famous.

Sorry ChrisCrash. I felt like there was a leg-pull going on, so I responded in kind.

What's his next question going to be - "
excuse me please everybody, but can I ask you, whats the difference between a unicycle and a unicorn?"

I give up

disk crash dummies :D

Ok ChrisCrash. I let you off for not growing up in schools here. If you know who said "Father, I cannot tell a lie, it was I that chopped down the cherry tree", we'll call it even-stephen.

Thank you all in helping with my education.
The link you posted chris has proved to be very useful in researching for my hunt for a low maintenance bike for my commute.
I will now cease to look out for track bikes.
As you were people.

Ok ChrisCrash. I let you off for not growing up in schools here. If you know who said "Father, I cannot tell a lie, it was I that chopped down the cherry tree", we'll call it even-stephen.

was it that king guy....

It was Benjamin Franklin. Learned that in school in America. Stuck with me I'm afraid. I thought, "if I cut down my dad's favourite tree, would I tell him, then let him beat seven bells out of me"? No way. Mr.Franklin was a rare man.

generally tight geometry track bikes have small gaps

whereas converted geared bikes and generall non track bikes have larger gaps

edit.

track bikes have straight bladed forks also

track bikes have cretin geometry

I give up

haha. i love this!

...not too say that i'm into suicidal rabbits mind....

track bikes where the drop outs for the rear wheel point backward ie you can slide the wheel in from behind nice and easy

other bikes where you have reverse dropout and the wheel gets slid from the front of the bike backwards and into the drops

see the white bike with the stoopid front wheel look at the rear drops thats a track frame !

This is crap. There are heaps of different disciplines on the track, and many different types of track, short with tight and steep banking, long with shallow banks (HHV), wooden, concrete, asphalt etc. Therefore different frames will be more or less suitable for specific events on different tracks

A track pursuit bike looks different to a madison bike, which both look different to a sprint bike. A super-stiff ally frame fitted with super stiff wheels is probably not the right choice for a hard bumpy track like HHV, but might well be the perfect mount at a wooden wall of death like Calshot.

Therefore the only generalisation you can make is that a track bike will have a fixed-wheel, no hand -brakes no quick releases and capped bar ends (although you would have to ride drops for mass-start events, whereas you could ride lo-pros for time trial events). I don't think there are even any rules that stipulate that any bike to be ridden on the track has to have backward facing rear drop outs. I am pretty sure that you could get up at HHV with forward facing rear drop outs

Likewise any bike that any courier rides is a courier bike.

There was a guy who used to ride a MTB with a dog in the front basket, wouldn't have been my choice, but it was still a courier bike.

morning has broken, like the first morning,
William has spoken, like the first word

abide by his jive, you hepcat bombadiers, he is clued like the sherlock, janart?