Velo News Doesn’t Know What a Track Bike Is

This is a track bike, not a fixed gear

I saw an article on Velo News (no, I won’t link to it) about the Red Hook Crit and it angered me to read such incompetent journalism.

“And gone this year were tight jeans, sneakers and the other garb synonymous with “alley cat” style races. Skinsuits and matching lycra were the styles of choice for participants.”

First of all, it’s not an “alley cat” and people never wore jeans to race the RHC, at least not the serious racers (Nick doesn’t count). It’s always been a serious race and quotes like this undermine the event. It’s as back-handed as you can get. Second of all, these TRACK BIKES were all USAC-legal for a mass-start race and everyone was pushing heavy track gearing. Don’t mistaken a bike that’s ridden on the street for fun with a bike that is built to race. And if you’re going to write an article on a widely-read news source, don’t get an idiot to source quotes, only to have him misquote people. Frederick Dreier, stick to what you know and that’s not track bikes.

/end rant

16 Comments »
by prolly |
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  • Arms1

    As norm… Media is still cacoon in its own shell..

  • Guest

    On a similar note, rant needs proofreading.

  • Sk8indj

    wow normally you try to stay neutral on most topics…

  • Richard Smith
  • Dave_us

    I may be wrong but I think a bike has to be equipped with at least a front brake for USA cycling road races/crits. Regardless, it’s an unsanctioned event so fuck their regulations. It’s a legit race, for sure.

    • hater69

      He was referring to mass-start track races not road or crit races. 

  • Mookies

    Deep breath dude…it’s all semantics. The bikes ridden in the Crit are, in fact, fixed gear track bikes. The Red Hook Crit is rad no matter how idiots describe it.

    • crihs

       what?

  • Cberken

    from usa cycling rulebook 2012 -

    1M3. Bicycle Types
    (a) For track races, only a bicycle with a single cog fixed 
    wheel and without derailleurs, brakes or quick releases may 
    be used; However, in pursuit and time trial events that are 
    not championships or selection events, brakes, freewheels, 
    quick releases, and derailleurs may be installed on the bicycle 
    so long as only one gear is functional.
    (b) For road, cyclo-cross and MTB races, only a bicycle 
    with a freewheel and one working brake on each wheel shall 
    be used, except as allowed elsewhere in these rules.

  • David Trimble

    My main issue was that Velonews didn’t even post the results

    http://results.active.com/pages/searchform.jsp?rsID=125097

  • http://twitter.com/itsEricLuke Eric Luke

    VeloNews is just writing for its audience… typical suburban roadie dad.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Lucas-Brunelle/1244560580 Lucas Brunelle

    the “alley cat” sure did look weird, thx for not being neutral

  • Marty

    Velonews obviously doesn’t read this blog so how one can understand their ignorance as track bikes on the road are generally associated with hipsters. RH not included but if you examine other similar races no one drafts..it kind of a clusterfuck.

    Blame the dorks on their tarck bikes and Jared Leto for the article.

    • http://prollyisnotprobably.com John Watson

      Or just blame Velo News.

      • Marty

        Goes to show it’s just not taken seriously. Maybe you should submit a column

  • toy killer

    loser


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