@40mpg
The plan is to finally get accredited and ride regularly through winter. Not sure I’ll be fast enough to race (even if they do a vets league!).

It a great venue and I’m hoping I can drag the kids down to climb/ski until they are old enough to try the track.

The feeling of being sucked into the bend on the black line is great, but going slow around the top the banking is fun too. But now I need another bike 🤔

I would guess a trials rider would be putting the most torque in the drivetrain – front wheel in the air, rear brake on, de-weight then slam entire body weight down into the pedal before exploding up. Polar opposite to a race. All on freewheel (on cranks or wheel).

I’ve done a fair bit of track riding, I actually own a track bike although I haven’t won any medals. When riding you are always adjusting your speed. You can’t exactly keep a constant speed, not would you want to, and nor does the person in front of.you whose wheel you are 50cm or less from. So freewheels would be a total disaster. I’m sure they started with fixed because it was what was available, but when freewheels were invented they’d quickly realise they weren’t appropriate for the style of racing they’d developed.

Also, you slow down with heavy legs to apply a bit of reverse pressure. It would take many laps to coast to a stop. And take ages. And you’d have to time your stopping pedalling to come to a stop at the gate where you enter and leave the track from several minutes out!

Calshott? With that cheeky jump in the back straight?

I’m sure they started with fixed because it was what was available, but when freewheels were invented they’d quickly realise they weren’t appropriate for the style of racing they’d developed.

I think that’s it, you might say there’s a bit of “tradition” to it, but the main thing is that the racing arena and disciplines essentially don’t need a freewheel and in many ways the bikes are the about the simplest (and most efficient) version of a bicycle it’s possible to construct. You could also therefore argue that there’s so little margin in technology that track racing is the purest form of bicycle racing in terms of rider’s athletic ability being the deciding factor… Discuss?

Ultimately there’s lots of forms of bicycle racing where freewheels and brakes (amongst other technologies) are appropriate, you could always choose one of those… If you want to race on a track, you have to ride fixed.

track racing is the purest form of bicycle racing in terms of rider’s athletic ability being the deciding factor

“Pure” is a loaded term that is probably best avoided in these contexts. All forms of cycling have their attributes, none is purer than the others, and since the opposite of pure is impure which is a negative term, that starts an argument about what’s best. Which is clearly daft.

However with respect to being only about the rider – perhaps, but then it is often about tactics, fitness, strategy and execution all together, not just fitness. And gear too. Time trial and pursuit, maybe. But even then it’s only short distances. Perhaps long TTs are more about endurace?

Surely it is really the other way round? Why would y ou need anything but a fixed sprocket? No gears needed, no stopping needed or a good idea, no hills for gears.
It is the physical need and to a greater extend human wimpiness of late that chucks in anything else.

I did preface that sentence with;

You could also therefore argue…

Maybe I should have said ‘simplest‘ but I don’t think in this context it’s that much of a “loaded term” I think it’s quite clear what I meant…

You could also therefore argue that there’s so little margin in technology that track racing is the purest form of bicycle racing in terms of rider’s athletic ability being the deciding factor

There is more technology in track racing than road racing in as much as all teams have very similar road bikes to choose from as each supplier makes very similar bikes.
There is a much broader set of options available to a track rider based on budget. The Hope Lotus bike is VERY different to my rather standard/traditional looking track bike that a team with a low budget would use.

The Hope Lotus bike is VERY different to my rather standard/traditional looking track bike that a team with a low budget would use.

thats one bike and thats today ….. and its majorly visulally different to the layman. much as the original 1994 lotus bike that was then banned….

plenty of innovation like that has occured over the years in road bikes – and been either banned or found to be of no benefit – or is just not as in your face.

Either way – the timing of the release of the hope bike was quite telling on its intended purpose.

thats one bike and thats today

Other examples are available (WORX WX-R, Pinarello MAAT) all very different from a ‘standard’ track bike and each other. Those levels of difference are not seen in road racing or not for long as the other teams quickly use the same the following season which I why I would disagree with the statement “there’s so little margin in technology that track racing is the purest form of bicycle racing “, that is all.

lets be honest – those are just normal bikes which took the obvious route post uci rule relaxation on the width of fork and seat stay “blades”

anyway – not like the hope bikes exclusive 😉 – if you have a spare 25grand youll be ready to fit tires and a drive train.

Hope HB.T pricing
Standard frameset (frame, fork, seatpost and stem): £15,550
Pursuit frameset (frame, fork, seatpost, integrated stem and pursuit handlebars): £17,100
Upright (Omnium) frameset (frame, fork, seatpost, integrated stem and omnium handlebars): £18,200
Sprint frameset (frame, fork, seatpost, integrated stem and sprint handlebars): £19,600
Rear disc wheel: £2,450
Front disc wheel: £2,100
Trispoke wheel: £2,250

I would guess a trials rider would be putting the most torque in the drivetrain – front wheel in the air, rear brake on, de-weight then slam entire body weight down into the pedal before exploding up.

Maybe. I’ve never seen any power / strain / torque data from a trials rider, it’d be interesting (though they never really do full revolutions so I don’t know how accurate the data would be).

However, as someone who rode quite a bit of trials BITD, I can tell you that you don’t actually generate that much power through the chain/rear wheel. On a big gap, your forward momentum is gained by accelerating your body up and forwards (see any YouTube video of a rider doing a proper big gap). Of course, whilst you’re leaping hard, you’re putting some of that jumping force through the front pedal, but you’re also pushing off the back pedal too (otherwise your back foot wouldn’t contribute to the jumping aspect), as well as working your core / upper body etc. I don’t know what proportion of a rider’s effort is going through the chain, but I’d guess not all that much.

We did used to break chains and freehubs fairly often, though, so maybe I’m talking nonsense.

I think my point still stands, the main areas for technical innovation that have been explored mostly relate to aero, and that’s generally a tightly controlled, expensive game where competitors and their bike suppliers are taking a flier on what the UCI will ban/allow from season to season.

You won’t be modulating speed with a freewheel. I ride fixed most of the time. On the road in a bunch it is always smoother than freewheel. Modulation is very subtle.

Stopping without brakes off the Cote d’Azure would be interesting too!

I don’t know what proportion of a rider’s effort is going through the chain, but I’d guess not all that much.

We did used to break chains and freehubs fairly often, though, so maybe I’m talking nonsense.

instantaneous moment is likely high but over all power likely low .

Track riders generate up to 2500watts but they don’t go Zero to 2500w instantaneous

Trials riders go zero to max in an instant (or as close as)- a bit like hitting with a hammer (think when your trying to loosen a bolt with an impact driver where application of constant force hasn’t worked)

lets be honest – those are just normal bikes which took the obvious route post uci rule relaxation on the width of fork and seat stay “blades”

And road bikes are normal bikes too which is the point. Track cycling is no more pure than most other cycling as equipment choices can vary dependent on budget/availability. It is no more a ‘pure’ test of fitness/technique than a road race where all the riders are riding very similar bikes with very similar groupsets and wheels where no advantages come from the bike technology between them.

anyway – not like the hope bikes exclusive 😉 – if you have a spare 25grand youll be ready to fit tires and a drive train.

Speaking to them at bespoked, they’ve had a couple of enquiries, both from the Far East, no confirmed sales yet though 😉

mostly relate to aero, and that’s generally a tightly controlled, expensive game

Those HOPE frames will be banned any time soon. Leg spoilers won’t be allowed. Probably worth one for future novelty value. I have a Dolan Seta that is a lovely (upright) ride. I’m no sprinter for sure so a low DF4 is a waste of my back muscles!

Those HOPE frames will be banned any time soon. Leg spoilers won’t be allowed. Probably worth one for future novelty value

exactly.

be back to standardised bikes soon enough

Other examples are available (WORX WX-R, Pinarello MAAT) all very different from a ‘standard’ track bike and each other.

There’s the pursuit bikes that Team USA use as well which have left-handed drivetrains.
Some calculation about the weight/aerodynamics of the drive system being on the “inside”. Doesn’t seem to have done them much good but a lot of these things are more mind games than anything. The idea that someone else has something new and therefore “better” can often be worth a fair bit from a psychological point of view.

Calshot is a wicked track, my mate Chester is one of the coaches you might come across. The drop off coming out of the banking is quite a thing to get used to! No way I’d race on it but it was fun to have a go on. Chester stood on the edge of the track run off and I was able to get a photo of my shoulder above his head on the banking!