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Lockring is a must on the road, not so good for track racing on steep tracks.
On the road you'll need to back pedal to slow down and you don't want the rear cod to unscrew and thus give you no braking.
I think on steep wooden tracks not using a lockring protects the track in case of a fall. There may be other reasons, can't remember at the moment.
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Still got one of the daimonds that marked the inside of Paddington Track. A souvenir from when it was dug up.
The track was dug up by city of westminster after a bit of political maneovering by the council on behalf of the yuppies that moved into the area and felt cycling to be too low class for them. I raced at the last meeting attended by the then tory minister of sport Colin Moynehan and we all know his pedigree.
Not a great track by then but better than nothing.
After that the Paddington track league tried to run events at Welwyn. And the Paddington CC carried on for a few years. Paul Shuttleworth went on to win the world masters points race one year. In their heyday Paddington CC had some good riders like Roubilliard, Dodd and Ford.
Not heard of them for some time.
I remember Liggett riding at Paddington, I think for the Finsbury CC. Later it was Wiggin's dad and fellow aussies.
After the racing it was off to the Carlton Arms, just outside 'the rec' for some Charringtons ale.
Best organiser was Bob Drew and Kurt or Burt Goldschmit on the mike especially for the Charrington 100 series which attracted the best track riders in the country on Friday nights.
Any of these dudes still out there?
Wow amazing to see how Saffron lane track has just been abandoned. Last time I was there I was doing the motor-pacing. We we told at the time it would be used for for field hockey.
Basically it was the demographic change in the area that lead to its demise.
However the track was never a nice track to ride. The less steep tracks like Welwyn are more fun or short tracks like calshot.
There is a track in Trinidad I think that was as big as Welwyn but had the banking as steep as Saffron Lane and its impossible to ride up the banking unless you're going 40mph.