This is a repeated attempt to post, sorry if it is a duplicate.
Even the best track bike manufacturers seem to lose sight of the correct BB height sometimes. Of course this varies with the degree of banking and style of racing. I found my '64 Paramount to be unsuitable for the steep banking of the velodrome in Blaine MN. One would think that Schwinn knew better but in time it seems the bikes were built more for Northbrook than a steep track.
Another area worthy of attention is pedals. For the bone conservative sprinter who wants straps the last generation Dura-Ace and Ultegra clip type pedals have extraordinary clearance. This can be more significant than a crank length difference of 5 mm. Unlike high BBs or short cranks, there is no downside at all to these pedals. That is why they go for good prices (especially the winged cleats).
As to the discussion of fork ends, in a bizarre turnaround, I was positively possessed by the spirit of one Carapace Umber the last time I debated this with Sheldon. I actually agree with most of Sheldon's points but will state that a rear facing fork end is stiffer and stronger, especially at the extreme of length and offers more adjustment length. I doubt if that matters functionally, especially for road conversions.
Sprinting and Keirins bring out the conservative in any rider. 200 lb riders who can squat lift 400 lbs and more do strange things to bikes. Every bit of rigidity obtainable can make a difference in how squirrely the bike is in the final turn. How the bike tracks through this turn makes all the difference in determining possible lines, effect of rules and finishing strategy. There is also a psychological component in having complete confidence in the bike. Falls are part of the game in track racing. It is very desirable for equipment to withstand falls, a consideration not given much weight in most other racing. See Hearts of Lions by Peter Nye at page 286.
Joe
At 01:10 PM 1/14/01 -0500, Jerry & Liz Moos wrote:
>Now that we're on the topic of track bikes, anyone know more details of the
>Schwinn Madison? I used to see used ones for sale when I rode at the Alkek
>velodrome in Houston in the early 90's. I seem to remember that they had a
>pretty low BB for a track machine. That's probably why I never bought
one. I
>had a supposed Yokota track bike with a BB really not much different from
a road
>bike. Even with 165 cranks, I kept hitting pedals on the banking. After
a few
>months I gave up and transferred the parts to a proper, though old, track
frame
>I bought cheap from one of the Houston trackies. Nothing like a couple of
cases
>of "track rash" to drive home the importance of BB height. Always amazed me
>that anyone would buy 170mm track cranks, but maybe the larger size track
frames
>have higher BBs to allow this. I'd be interested to know how the classic
>British fixed gear bikes, that were often used for both track and TT work,
>compared to more recent dedicated track machines in terms of BB height.
>
>Regards,
>
>Jerry Moos
>
>Diane Feldman wrote:
>
>> Yeah! I used to have one of those Panasonics, they were sold in the late
>> 70's and featured a double-threaded rear hub. Schwinn did the same thing
>> about ten years later with their "Madison," only those were more of a
"real"
>> track bike as far as frame geometry,
>> quality tubing (Columbus Cromor,) nice Sugino crankset, etc.
>> Grant Petersen wanted Bridgestone to do a bike like that but numbers
>> potential and the squeamishness of the Bridgestone home office squelched
the
>> project. And, anyone seen an Ibis Scorcher?
>> David Feldman
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Jim Foreman" <JIMFORE@compuserve.com>
>> To: "Classic Rendezvous" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2001 8:10 AM
>> Subject: [CR]Holdsworth track bike on r.b.m.
>>
>> > Message text written by "Roy H. Drinkwater"
>> > > Saw this on rec.bicycles.marketplace, I've never seen a derailleur
>> > hanger on track dropouts before. Was this something Holdsworthy commonly
>> > did, or just a one-off?
>> >
>> > Note: I downloaded the jpeg and lightened / sharpened in Photoshop,
>> but
>> > there's definatly a derailleur hanger there.<<<<<
>> >
>> > I don't know how common it is but I have a friend who has a
>> > Panasonic with a freewheel hub and single sprocket like a BMX bike. It
has
>> > a chain tensioner on that lug so he can swap sprockets without having to
>> > mess with chain adjustment. BTW, the bike came with brakes both front and
>> > rear. He bought the bike new from a lost freight outlet for $50.
>> >
>> > Jim
>> >
>> > http://www.geocities.com/