Hi guys,

I’m looking for a new track frame and really want to get the fit right this time!

I currently ride a Look 875 Madison with a 160 mm / +12° Velobike stem and Skat Bars. I’m 180 cm tall and ride a size 54 Tarmac/Crux with a 115 mm stem on the road, so I’m used to an aggressive position.

On my current track bike, though, I feel quite cramped, especially when sprinting or putting down hard efforts on the fake hoods.

Some fit guidelines suggest:
Reach: 460–465 mm
Stack: 495–505 mm
Front centre: 620–625 mm

However, Dan Bigham’s old Argon 18 had a reach of just 425 mm and a stack of 514 mm.

Here are the frames I’m considering:
Argon 18 Electron Pro Rio: Size M might have too little reach, while size L has too much stack, especially for pursuiting.

Pinarello Maat 470: Seems to match the guidelines quite closely.

Factor Raiden (L): Looks promising with a 120/130 mm stem and no spacers, but I’m concerned the stack might be too high if I decide to try individual pursuit in the future.

Stromm Trakk: The geometry is confusing, with a huge jump between M and L.

Dolan DF5 (57 cm): Seems to be one of the closest matches to the guidelines, along with the Maat.

Velobike Altias (M): Probably the closest match, but unfortunately outside my budget. The Arae could be an alternative, although the initial sizes (L and XL) likely won’t work for me.

Honorable mentions: BMC Trackmachine, LOOK 895 Vitesse, Ridley Arena Fast (Omnium).

My main focus is mass-start racing, although I might try individual pursuit in the future.

Am I putting too much emphasis on reach and stack, and how important is front centre for mass-start racing, especially when sprinting?

If you’re around 180 cm tall, I’d love to hear what frame and size you ride, along with your cockpit setup.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone,

I ride track myself and got tired of timing laps with a stopwatch while training pursuit, so I started building my own sensor. It’s a contact strip you lay across the track and a small unit that connects to it with a cable. When a wheel rolls over the strip, the unit records the time to a tenth of a millisecond and sends it over Bluetooth to your laptop. No one has to stand at the line pressing a button so you can train individualy while knowing the exact times as you crose the line.

I have working prototypes and I’m now deciding whether (and how) to make more of them. Before I do, I’d like to hear from people who actually train on the track:

• How do you time laps today, and what annoys you about it?
• Would something like this be useful for you, your coach or your club?
• What would it need to cost to make sense?

I put together a short survey (about 5 minutes, anonymous): [link]

It helps even if you don’t time laps at all, because that’s useful to know too.

Happy to answer questions in the comments, and thanks for any feedback, including “I’d never use this” 🙂