I'm relatively new to cycling, and haven't broken into the track field yet, but I recently came upon an abandoned track frame w/ front wheel that has piqued my interest. The bike is clearly a track frame in that it has no component mounting points....It's outfitted with Aerobars and is apparently titanium as its extremely lightweight. The odd part though is that it's front wheel is maybe 21 in. in diameter and it appears to have room for a 650c rear wheel. The bike is free to me for the taking, and I'm going to pick it up tomorrow at work, but I just wanted to hear if any of you had experience with older, less standard track bikes. Also, the front wheel is a sew-up wheel and I don't even know if I can get that size replacement. The bottom bracket is only missing crank arms, and the bearings seem fine. I think if I am able to buy or build a 650c fixed rear wheel and get some crank arms and a chain it'll basically be ready to go. Any suggestions/advice is welcome. You guys know more than I do I'm sure. Thanks.
Looks like a good find and a fun bike to ride....however, it won't be legal for racing as the governing body banned all bicycles with different size wheels. 650c wheels are ok to race on (if a little unusual unless you're shorter than 5'2"😉 but both wheels need to be the same size.
That bike harks back to an era (1980's ?) when no such rule exsisted and the idea was that you could get the front of the bike lower (and therefore more aero body position) than with a conventional front wheel. It was also of benefit to people riding the teams pursuit as you could get closer to the rider in front for a better draft.
Is the wheel you've fitted in the back a 650c? 'cause if it's a 700c, it looks like it is the right size. You may have a bit of difficulty getting front tyres but you could re-build the wheel with a clincher 24" rim as there are clincher tyres available in that size.
It is a 700c wheel in the rear. And I believe you are right about it being designed for a 700 rear. I was able to find a store that seems to carry the 24" tubulars (www.tufotires.com), so that problem is solved. The next challenge is simply finding cranks and a rear wheel. I'll be in business with those two. Thanks for the history.
