Manc Velodrome

Doki said:

I quite fancy going. Never been on or to a track before - what clobber will
I need? I assume I'll be able to ride in what I like. Will I need spd shoes
for the bikes?

I've read they've standardized on Look cleats - but they say you can
rent the shoes.

http://www.manchestervelodrome.com/static_info/sqt_training.htm

Regards,

Duncan

Doki said:

I quite fancy going. Never been on or to a track before - what clobber
will I need? I assume I'll be able to ride in what I like. Will I need spd
shoes for the bikes?

Any cycling gear will do but you will of course need a plastic hat. As
Duncan says the hire bikes all have Look pedals but you can hire shoes
with Look cleats along with the bike. Last time I went they would not
let you fit your own pedals.

Surprisingly perhaps it's a good idea to have longs with you. It may
be indoors but it can be distinctly chilly.

It's a bit initmidating at first but really great once you manage to
get up. Have fun.

--
Dave...

Doki writtificated

Quoted message said:

I quite fancy going. Never been on or to a track before - what clobber
will I need? I assume I'll be able to ride in what I like. Will I need
spd shoes for the bikes?

-Helmet
-Look Delta shoes
-Track bike

They can lend/hire you a helmet and bike. If you don't want cleats they'll
happily put clips on the pedals. I'd recommend wearing racing type cycling
shoes - the completely rigid sole makes a lot of difference.

They'll want to know what size frame you want in advance.

It's quite cold in there, so the longs suggestion is a good idea. It's
also Very dry when whizzing round so a bottle of water is nice.

Top tips:
Going into a corner is slightly uphill, going out is slightly downhill.
This means that into the corner you get closer to the bod in front, so you
slow to keep the distance, but then he gets further away as you leave the
corner. You accelerate to catch up and then get to the next corner where
it all starts again. This is silly and a waste of energy. Don't worry
about keeping a uniform distance between your front tyre and the bod's rear
on the corners- it'll sort itself out. That said, he might wheely be
slowing down, then you're in trouble!

Force yourself to have just a light grip on the bars, don't worry about the
odd cracking sound the wooden track makes, and don't worry about splinters
- it was redone recently so there's a year or two of splinter-free crashing
to be had.

dkahn400 said:

Doki said:

I quite fancy going. Never been on or to a track before - what clobber
will I need? I assume I'll be able to ride in what I like. Will I need spd
shoes for the bikes?

Any cycling gear will do but you will of course need a plastic hat.

If the hat falls off do they pull you off the track?

Last time I was there they had notices up saying "No contact lenses to
be worn on the track."

??

"Doki" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I quite fancy going. Never been on or to a track before - what clobber will
I need? I assume I'll be able to ride in what I like. Will I need spd shoes
for the bikes?

Do it.

Normal lycra suited me fine - shorts and t-shirt.

If you've not got appropriate shoes of your own, I'd definitely recommend
renting/borrowing a pair rather than using plain pedals inside their clip
adapters. (Can't remember which is free - helmet or shoe hire).

cheers,
clive

Doki said:

I quite fancy going. Never been on or to a track before - what clobber
will I need? I assume I'll be able to ride in what I like. Will I need
spd shoes for the bikes?

As others have said about shoes. Wear an undervest under your shirt.
It willhelp reduce track rash in the event of a spill.

In news:[email hidden],
suer <[email hidden]> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to tell us:

Quoted message said:

Last time I was there they had notices up saying "No contact lenses to
be worn on the track."

I'm glad they didn't have that the last time I was there. Otherwise there
would have been carnage as a myopic Mr Larrington bounced off the railings,
the coaching staff, other riders etc. etc.

--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
Jack Hackett for Pope, next time!

Dave Larrington said:

In news:[email hidden],
suer <[email hidden]> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to tell us:

Quoted message said:

Last time I was there they had notices up saying "No contact lenses to
be worn on the track."

I'm glad they didn't have that the last time I was there. Otherwise there
would have been carnage as a myopic Mr Larrington bounced off the railings,
the coaching staff, other riders etc. etc.

It's a sort of Ctach-22: you're allowed to put in your contacts because
you're too blind to see the sign, but as soon as you do you have to
remove them again. However, removing them makes it okay to wear them
because... (cont. at http://www.p94.org)

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/