True Track OTP's

I've got fuck all academic qualifications, and as punishment I find myself employed as a support worker for academics. I've yet to discover any clientele with a higher density of fucktards.

I was rubbish at being a scholarly scientist.

No wonder I have stopped participating as much on this forum.

And this thread proves that it's not such a good idea to try making up for lost time...

Thanks Markyboy. Thats super.

And now more seriously, is there a thread that discusses the differences between the sizing of regular (racing) bikes and track bikes? Obviously the bottom bracket is higher on a track bike, and would give a different feel. I've heard others commenting on them coming up smaller. Where does one discuss this best? If the thread hasn't been created, can someone trackie-like, open that up?

I've heard others commenting on them coming up smaller. Where does one discuss this best?

Not here.

If a road bike has a 56cm top tube and a track bike has a 56cm top tube then they have the same size top tubes. The end.

Some brands bikes can come up smaller or larger, it depends how it is measured for the manufacturers description.

With a tape measure?

realised the second half of that sentence made no sense. Edited.

Ignore manufacturers' numbers, establish true stack and reach before buying.

I need a top tube of at least 600mm, preferably 610.

My 60cm Dolan FXE winter bike has a horizontal TT of 605ish. But it's heavy and long and ugly and I don't really want to race on it. The position I'd want on the track needs a 135mm stem on the dolan FXE.

Any help appreciated.

What's the top tube on your Condor? What stem are you using? What bars (reach/drop) are you using?

What's the top tube on your Condor?

I'll be taking a tape measure on wednesday. Can't find any geo sheets online. It's pretty short though.

What stem are you using?

140mm Deda Pista Newton. Pretty sure I'm not UCI legal with it.*

What bars (reach/drop) are you using?

With some large radius bars I might get more reach, but as above It would only make the UCI thing worse.

Which UCI rule, specifically?

(TT probably 58cm if you're on a 61cm frame)

Fuji's framesets are a tiny bit longer than Condor's (59 or 59.5 for a 61cm frame).

Which UCI rule, specifically?

The rule that specifies how far forward your bars can be relative to the front hub axle.

If I remember correctly the inside of the curve of the bars mustn't be further forward than the front axle. Judging by sight, I think I'm 10 - 20mm in front.

RPM posted a useful diagram somewhere. Searching for it now.

Do you plan to race UCI sanctioned events?

^that was my next question. Even if you are (Masters or something), you can possibly get a morphological exception test done (I know this is easy to 'fix' for saddle, but not sure about bars).

Yeah the fuji's do look a little longer.

My road bike is a 59tt, which is an ok fit, though I'm going to try lower and longer at the front end with that, starting with dropping the stem by 20mm. But that's a slightly different position to what I want on the track.

**"The request for an exemption from the regulations can only apply to one element, either the saddle position or the advanced handlebar position."

**I thought most handlebar issues were about aerobar extensions and upper/lower arm angle anyway.

I saw a diagram that had a line drawn from the front axle up to the the mid-section of the drops at the furthest forward point of their curve, but it also showed a +5cm tolerance.

http://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uci.ch%2Fincludes%2Fasp%2FgetTarget.asp%3Ftype%3DFILE%26id%3DNTI0MDY&docid=15601cda968bfd2d796639511eb444a6&a=bi&pagenumber=4&w=754

Do you plan to race UCI sanctioned events?

^that was my next question. Even if you are (Masters or something), you can possibly get a morphological exception test done (I know this is easy to 'fix' for saddle, but not sure about bars).

Not this year or next. But maybe.

Masters? It'll be nine years before I qualify.

Speaking of saddle position: My current set up is a compromise between reach and saddle position. I'd ideally like to sit further over the BB. Meaning that I might be 15-30mm short at the moment, but with an ideal saddle position it could be even longer.

Isn't this all a distraction though. You'd get more performance gains from spending less time in the wind, and saving your power for those make-or-break moments.

Yes, I'm working on that also.

This is more of a long term thing, next year maybe or the year after. When I'm at the track more.