Context
After the success of the first titanium track bike, I decided it was best that I get some feedback to make some necessary changes in order to bring it one step closer to production. I brought the bike to be photographed by Wilis of Deluxe Cycles, and while I was there he rode it around the street. The most critical bit of feedback that he gave me was that the bike felt soft in the rear end and lacked power transfer. I took his advice seriously and went to work.
Increased chain stay area, ovalized tubes for increased stiffness, and larger diameter tubing. You can also see the 28mm Alpina fork which I sourced from an older Bianchi Pista
How do you fix a soft rear end?
The most obvious thing to do was to increase the diameter of the chain stays, down tube, and seat tube.
- Chain Stays: increased from 26x18mm ovalized tubes (at the widest circumference) to 31*18.5mm ovalized tubes — a 42% increase in area
- Down Tube: increased by 0.5mm in diameter and ovalized at the bottom from a 45mm straight tube to a 40x50mm ovalized
- Seat Tube: if I decided to change the seat tube it would greatly alter the aesthetic of the bicycle. I wanted to keep it as a 32mm straight gauge to maintain the visual balance and ride quality.
But what about the seat stays and bottom bracket?
- Seat Stays: they do very little to enhance power transfer, which is why modern carbon road bikes have very skinny stays; mainly for compliance and comfort
- Bottom Bracket (BB): This was the hardest decision. The logical step would be to convert the BSA BB into a T47 68mm BB. Most fixed gear riders would be able to adapt and navigate around a larger diameter BB so long as it was still threaded. However, most of the existing solutions for converting T47 to BSA meant not fully utilizing the larger bearings that are the primary advantage of the larger shell diameter. It would also mean more cost to the consumer. Despite limiting my maximum tube size, I decided to keep the BSA BB.
Other improvements
- Single-piece CNC dropouts: the original bike had 2-piece hooded dropouts that were welded while the new dropouts are CNC’d from a single block of titanium. This means your wrench will no longer hit the hood of the dropout and has a cleaner appearance.
- Higher quality welds: the welds on the v2 are cleaner and tighter. The welds are neatly layered and there is good heat control (as seen by the lack of discoloration within the head joint). The quality is close to that of American welders (V2, V1, No22 shown):
- Ovalized top tube: the top tube was ovalized slightly at the seat tube junction to improve torsional stiffness
- Bottom bracket height: the height of the BB from the axles was lowered by 7mm, from 28mm to 35mm. Although this is still quite high by most “street” track bikes, it provides a little more stability to the ride. For reference, the MASH Parallax has a BB drop of 54mm.
Takeaways
The goal with the v2 was to improve upon the learning of the v1. Although people would probably like to ride a bike that is most visually-similar to the Cannondale Track, the reality is that when translating an iconic frame from aluminum to titanium, the difference in how the material behaves greatly changes the riding characteristics. I sought to improve upon the frame without departing from the original ethos and aesthetic of the v1.
The v2 is more responsive, higher quality, and still a true spiritual successor of the C-Track.
What’s next?
I am currently in talks with a potential carbon fork supplier who owns the same mold as the 28mm rake Alpina track fork, but the fork will be made entirely from carbon with no aluminum steerer tube. I should receive the first sample of the fork later this month for testing.
I also want to create a two-tone polish/blasted finish for the frame to give it a more recognizable and iconic appearance.
If all things go well, I should be ready to open up pre-orders in early Spring 2023. The bike will be offered in a frameset and frame-only option with a headset included. I am trying my best to keep the price point under $2500 USD if possible, as my goal is to bring titanium track bikes to a broader audience. Shipping is still in the works.
Thanks for reading, and keep your eyes open for future announcements!
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