I consider that the beauty of track bikes is that they are extremely simple and purposeful, which to my mind precludes messing them about by drilling holes in them. I have temporarily fitted a road fork to get round the problem, without any adverse effect on handling in spite of the greater rake. You only need a front brake, which is just as well because the seat-stay bridge is just a hollow tube which is unsatisfactory for mounting a brake on. Some people have made an awful mess trying to drill them. That said, there is probably enough strength in the fork crown to take a hole without any problem other than the aesthetic one. Whether you do it or not is really up to you -- it might put off some prospective purchasers when/if you come to sell it, but shouldn't substantially affect the value. I have purchased a track bike with a drilled fork crown, but paid a bit less because if I ever re-finish it I will have to go to the expense of filling the holes up again.
I am sure I have seen the very same bike that you bought -- a North Toronto dealer (forgotten their name) had several and I would have bought one had they had one in my size. Nice bikes -- Campag-like Gipiemme crankset as I recall. I don't know if they were Reparto Corse built or not and I assume they were not top-of-the-line because of the tubeset used.
Hugh Thornton
In a message dated 21/01/01 01:09:52 GMT Standard Time, strungl@pathcom.com writes:
> Hi Gang,
>
> I am after the groups advice and consensus again. This time regarding the
> ethics of drilling forks and seat stay brace for brakes on a track bike.
>
> I have a mid-eighties Bianchi track bike (Columbus 3-tubes) that is
> basically a virgin, being bought a couple of years ago by yours truly from
> a dealer who had it nos. I've used it on my trainer, and on a couple of
> road rides. I was going to use it on the track, in an attempt to join our
> local racers in their weekly summer series. A crash on the track last
> summer (on a different bike) has lead me to re-think this path, and I am
> now tempted to drill the fork and seat stay brace for brakes.
>
> Will I be spoiling a perfectly good track bike?
>
> Alternatively, how much would I effect the geometry and handling of the
> bike if I bought a road fork to substitute for the track fork? The trail
> would be reduced with the road fork, and the rake increased slightly (by
> the amount that the road fork would be taller than the track fork).
>
> The crown is quite shallow on the track fork, which also makes me a little
> nervous about it's strength after drilling it.
>
> There are lots of couriers riding around Toronto on track bikes (with and
> without brakes), so drilling the crown is common. That still might not
> make it right.
>
> I'm not in a panic to do this work, but it has been spinning around in my
> head for a while. For the moment, the bike is safe until the snow melts
> outside and I loosen the clamps on the trainer.
>
> Larry - going downstairs to spend another hour with Phil Ligget - Strung