Slacker <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<opscjqacnam83lxu@slacker>...
Quoted message said:Alright, don't get your panties in bunch, I know most of you are GR's or
on the fence, so I thought I throw this out here.
Looking at a few possibilities, but because it's been 2 decades since my
hairless, Hot pants wearing daze, I'm a bit out of touch.
Anyone have any info on the following:
<http://www.fujibikes.com/road/bike.asp?category short name=road&myArr
ay=87,88,89,90,91,92,93,102,94,95,96,103,97,104,106,99,98,100,105,101,
107,108,109,112,110,111,113,114&myArrayID=19&yr=2004#>
http://www.bianchiusa.com/pista.html
http://www.khsbicycles.com/04flite100.html
http://www.feltracing.com/2004 bikes/tk2.html
http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/04/cusa/model-4PRT.html
I might have to disqualify some of those listed if I can't get a frame
under 50cm (need a 48 or max 49). Now I remember having this same proble
m
when I was look for a road bike, back in the day.
Haven't looked at pricing yet except for that KHS that I was checking ou
t
yesterday at my local DH/FR beach cruiser shop. Would like to stay well
under $8 bills only because I can't see paying more for such a simple, y
et
efficient machine, but ......??
Muhahahaha!!!
Background info: I'm 210lbs and 6'2, riding an old Paramount track
bike in NYC as a commuting bike and fast park riding, with an old
Nishiki fixie (hot pink!) I've taken longer rides with. I have yet to
ride a velodrome. My bikes range in size from 58cm to 62cm. I've taken
almost all of these bikes for a test ride, but none for much more than
a trip or three around the block. I shaved my legs once, two years
ago, and I'm wearing frilly women's underwear.
Fuji: It's cheapest and steel. Not a bad bike. No frills and cheap
thrills.
Bianchi: Good bang for the buck, lots of sizes, probably the best hubs
and rims in the bunch, it attracts squirrels. Mechanics tell me that
the bb falls apart quickly. A very popular choice around these parts
with a lot going for it all around.
KHS: The nicest frame/fork in the bunch, cleanly welded, crowned fork,
tight track geometry, stiff and pretty zippy. No-name wheels, which
may suggest that you'll be repacking the bearings every few months but
not necessarily. The Sugino 75's are nice high-end track cranks. I
liked this bike quite a bit. I think the handlebars were steel, which
is a good thing. Retro adjustable stem, another good thing. Only 4
sizes, between 50 and 60, so it may not fit you. (*The recommendation
I got while shopping was to buy a bike a bit smaller than my road
bike.)
Felt: This is the only bike on this list I have not ridden. It's
aluminum and, from my best newbie's 'pick it up in the bike shop'
ooh-ahh test, danged light. The model I saw went for a grand with nice
parts. The wishbone chainstay LOOKED flimsy for something I'm
presumably going to put 110% full grunt into (and if you're riding in
the Palisades with Corvus on a 48x16, you certainly will!) but I'm
steel-centric and err towards strength. But if you're light and quick
and want to win track races, the Felt might be the ticket. (I also
think that if you've got a velodrome in the nabe, light weight isn't
going to help you as much as it would on a road or mtn bike. No
climbing, and the acceleration burst isn't going to be dramatically
better. But what do I know?)
Cannondale: Around $1200 with top shelf parts. The frame is kind of
strange, though. Track stuff tends to have tight tolerances, tighter
than typical road bikes. The C'dale's angles are unusually slack. Not
necessarily a bad thing, just different. You'll be buying into the
whole integrated headset thing, which may be wonderful and ubiquitous
now but makes me nervous. So does the idea of locking it up outside.
One of the nice things about track bikes is there's really little to
steal. This bike has heavy bling. In a city where I've had the brake
shoes stolen from one bike, that's significant.
If you want to go cheap, I'd recommend picking up an old road bike
with horizontal dropouts. They're a dime a dozen. You can remove the
old freewheel cog and put a fixed cog on with some sort of washer and
nut along with it to help hold it in place. Keep the brakes on -- you
don't have to be a hero, brakes will let you go faster, and the ladies
aren't going to love you more with your face smashed in. If you want
to get a decent track wheel, I was able to find a Surly hub / Mavic
MA3 / Wheelsmith spoked wheel online for a little over $100 that has
served me with nary a complaint for a year.
Have fun. Your teal jersey, Nair, and Astroglide are in the mail,
Hotpants!
/s
