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Are some of these old racers riding track bikes?
In this picture of the starting field of the 1947 Bob Brown road race on Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley, CA:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wrnfqhjgu3..._Race.jpg?dl=0 Can you guys tell if the riders having no brake levers on their bars are riding track bikes? Thanks. -retroguy |
Are some of these old racers riding track bikes?
retroguybilly wrote:
In this picture of the starting field of the 1947 Bob Brown road race on Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley, CA: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wrnfqhjgu3..._Race.jpg?dl=0 Can you guys tell if the riders having no brake levers on their bars are riding track bikes? Thanks. To the best of my knowledge, road bikes have brakes. Here is what Wikipedia says: Unlike road bicycles, the track bike is a fixed-gear bicycle; thus, it has only a single gear ratio and has neither a freewheel nor brakes. Tires are narrow and inflated to high pressure to reduce rolling resistance. Tubular tires are most often used in track racing and training, though advances in clincher tire design have seen them being used somewhat more often. [1] BTW I've heard that narrow tires don't necessarily have "reduce[d] rolling resistance". They are lighter (rotating mass) and more aero tho which I suppose actually does matter when you get up to the speeds those guys ride. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_bicycle -- underground experts united http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573 |
Are some of these old racers riding track bikes?
John B. wrote:
I believe that bikes fitted with coaster brakes are still seen, No brake levers at all, when you pedal backward it actuates the brake built into the rear hub. Sure, tho track bikes IIUC in particular don't have coaster brakes. They are fixed so one would brake by resisting the forward movement of the pedals slightly until the bike stops. I never tried this myself but I suppose it is a good feeling riding such a bike and the pedaling technique will probably benefit from it. -- underground experts united http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573 |
Are some of these old racers riding track bikes?
On Mon, 05 Feb 2018 04:27:01 +0100, Emanuel Berg
wrote: John B. wrote: I believe that bikes fitted with coaster brakes are still seen, No brake levers at all, when you pedal backward it actuates the brake built into the rear hub. Sure, tho track bikes IIUC in particular don't have coaster brakes. They are fixed so one would brake by resisting the forward movement of the pedals slightly until the bike stops. I never tried this myself but I suppose it is a good feeling riding such a bike and the pedaling technique will probably benefit from it. I've only got personal experience with one Track Bike. I came across a bicycle messenger in Bangkok riding one. He ran into my rear wheel to stop at a red light :-) -- Cheers, John B. |
Are some of these old racers riding track bikes?
On 2/5/2018 2:07 AM, John B. wrote:
On Mon, 05 Feb 2018 04:27:01 +0100, Emanuel Berg wrote: John B. wrote: I believe that bikes fitted with coaster brakes are still seen, No brake levers at all, when you pedal backward it actuates the brake built into the rear hub. Sure, tho track bikes IIUC in particular don't have coaster brakes. They are fixed so one would brake by resisting the forward movement of the pedals slightly until the bike stops. I never tried this myself but I suppose it is a good feeling riding such a bike and the pedaling technique will probably benefit from it. I've only got personal experience with one Track Bike. I came across a bicycle messenger in Bangkok riding one. He ran into my rear wheel to stop at a red light :-) I've never ridden a fixed gear (although my kid has). But I was impressed by watching, then talking to, a young guy riding one in a distant large city. He was immensely agile with it, almost like the bike was part of his body. He demonstrated several quick stops, including things like hopping the back wheel into the air before swinging it sideways as he skidded to a stop. However: There's no way a fixie can stop as quickly as a bike with decent brakes on both wheels. And in my mind, the acrobatics of an expert city fixie rider are like the acrobatics of a skateboarder: more flashy than useful. -- - Frank Krygowski |
Are some of these old racers riding track bikes?
On Monday, February 5, 2018 at 11:17:34 AM UTC-5, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 2/5/2018 2:07 AM, John B. wrote: On Mon, 05 Feb 2018 04:27:01 +0100, Emanuel Berg wrote: John B. wrote: I believe that bikes fitted with coaster brakes are still seen, No brake levers at all, when you pedal backward it actuates the brake built into the rear hub. Sure, tho track bikes IIUC in particular don't have coaster brakes. They are fixed so one would brake by resisting the forward movement of the pedals slightly until the bike stops. I never tried this myself but I suppose it is a good feeling riding such a bike and the pedaling technique will probably benefit from it. I've only got personal experience with one Track Bike. I came across a bicycle messenger in Bangkok riding one. He ran into my rear wheel to stop at a red light :-) I've never ridden a fixed gear (although my kid has). But I was impressed by watching, then talking to, a young guy riding one in a distant large city. He was immensely agile with it, almost like the bike was part of his body. He demonstrated several quick stops, including things like hopping the back wheel into the air before swinging it sideways as he skidded to a stop. However: There's no way a fixie can stop as quickly as a bike with decent brakes on both wheels. And in my mind, the acrobatics of an expert city fixie rider are like the acrobatics of a skateboarder: more flashy than useful. I converted my old Raleigh to fixed gear as my hack bike in foul weather. I left the Weinmann centre-pulls on front and rear as the thing weighed close to 12 kilos and removing the rear brake would make little difference. -- Andrew Chaplin SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO |
Are some of these old racers riding track bikes?
On Monday, February 5, 2018 at 8:17:34 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 2/5/2018 2:07 AM, John B. wrote: On Mon, 05 Feb 2018 04:27:01 +0100, Emanuel Berg wrote: John B. wrote: I believe that bikes fitted with coaster brakes are still seen, No brake levers at all, when you pedal backward it actuates the brake built into the rear hub. Sure, tho track bikes IIUC in particular don't have coaster brakes. They are fixed so one would brake by resisting the forward movement of the pedals slightly until the bike stops. I never tried this myself but I suppose it is a good feeling riding such a bike and the pedaling technique will probably benefit from it. I've only got personal experience with one Track Bike. I came across a bicycle messenger in Bangkok riding one. He ran into my rear wheel to stop at a red light :-) I've never ridden a fixed gear (although my kid has). But I was impressed by watching, then talking to, a young guy riding one in a distant large city. He was immensely agile with it, almost like the bike was part of his body. He demonstrated several quick stops, including things like hopping the back wheel into the air before swinging it sideways as he skidded to a stop. However: There's no way a fixie can stop as quickly as a bike with decent brakes on both wheels. And in my mind, the acrobatics of an expert city fixie rider are like the acrobatics of a skateboarder: more flashy than useful. Fixie is a life style. Hopping, locking and landing the rear wheel is a neat trick, but it is hard on tires and not very efficient, and simply back-pedaling is exhausting on descents. I commuted on a fixie-beater for years until I got sick of pounding my kidneys on the descents, and BTW, I always used a brake on the road. Fixies are great if you live in a flat area -- low maintenance, good speed modulation, etc., etc. I'm too old for a fixie living on the west side of PDX and riding hills every day. Any gear low enough for the climbs would beat me to death on the descents. I raced track in the days of yore and used my track bike for off-season road training, which was the standard prescription back then -- fixed gear spinning to work on your stroke. Modern thinking is that the best bike to develop your road skills is a road bike. The training rationale for using a fixing on the road is at best questionable. -- Jay Beattie. |
Are some of these old racers riding track bikes?
Frank Krygowski wrote:
However: There's no way a fixie can stop as quickly as a bike with decent brakes on both wheels. You can have brakes on both wheels on a fixie as well. The reason they don't have that on track bikes is there are no obstacles and the goal is to go as fast as possible. The brakes add some weight and reduce aero which at the elite level at least has some meaning. But if it weren't about doing everything possible to win I think they would have at least a brake on the front wheel. I sure would like a brake, regardless of what bike I'm on. -- underground experts united http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573 |
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