Are you interested in buying a track bike, but aren’t sure which would be best for you? You’re not alone in this. It’s a prevalent problem. Whether you’ve experienced bike theft and don’t want to risk another expensive purchase or are not very sure if the bike you find stylish would be suitable in the concrete jungles of modern life -there is a solution for every problem.
Mostly popular during the Olympics season, track bikes have been garnering increasing attraction and acceptance. They’re unique and fascinating bicycles, and to help you get such an excellent bike, we have a list for you that explores the best track bikes of 2021.
What is a track bike?
City bikes and mountain bikes are typical pictures to spring up in our heads whenever there is a bicycle reference. This is understandable since both are frequently used my masses, along with hybrid bikes. Track bikes, on the other hand, is an option that has so far not been explored too much out of the specific portion of the population that loves it.
If you want to buy the best track bike, you need to understand what a track bike is, to begin with. A track bike’s design makes it compatible with racing in a velodrome or on an outdoor track. Track cycling bikes have fixed gear, contrary to road bicycles with multiple gears.
Track bikes work to deliver the specific purpose of its design. There’s a range of brands, prices, and colors you can choose for your track bike. Read ahead to explore some of the options for best track bikes of 2021.
Top 5 Best Track Bikes – (Complete Buyer’s Guide)
★ Top Pick | Product | Price | Rating |
---|---|---|---|
Vilano R2 Commuter Aluminum Road BikeSee Details | Check Price | 4.8 | |
Critical Cycles Classic Fixed-Gear Single-Speed BikeSee Details | Check Price | 4.7 | |
6KU Aluminum Fixed Gear Single-Speed Track BikeSee Details | Check Price | 4.5 | |
Retrospec Mantra Fixie BicycleSee Details | Check Price | 4.5 | |
Vilano Medium (54cm) Attack Fixed Gear BikeSee Details | Check Price | 4.3 |
Vilano R2 Commuter Aluminum Road Bike 21 Speed 700c
Vilano’s black bike has a 6061 double-butted aluminum frame, and is very lightweight, weighing 27 pounds. As an entry-level road bike, it comes with Shimano A050 thumb shifters, making it very convenient. Making for a superb commuter, the bike has mount points on the frame for a water bottle cage. It’s a multipurpose bike – you can use it for cycling for health with the Vilano R2 Commuter, exercise, or use it chiefly for commuting to work.
The shifters are thumb rear indexed 7speed, with front friction 3-speed. For brakes, an alloy caliper has been used. Upon arriving, the bike will be partially assembled in a large cardboard box. Before riding the bike, you’ll have to assemble it. For correctly completing it, you need first to flip the stem and install the front wheel.
After that, you’ll have to install the handlebars, saddle, the pedals, and then true the wheels, and tune the brakes. The process of assembling is reasonably straightforward, and you’ll only need the correct specialized tools. The inseam should first be measured, and the ideal size have a minimum of approximately 1″-2″ between the rider and the bike’s top bar. If you’re looking for a bike within a not so high budget, this is the perfect pick for you.
- Affordable and reasonable price.
- Can be used for various activities.
- Extremely lightweight.
- Convenient with A050 thumb shifters.
- May require further investment in future.
Critical Cycles Classic Fixed-Gear Single-Speed Bike with Pista Drop Bars
This slate-colored bike from Critical cycles is an ideal match for a commuter’s lifestyle. It has a tig-welded steel frame with horizontal dropouts. The component set it features is something that any commuter would appreciate as they go around the town. This brand new model comes with a premium hand-built steel fixed gear single speed track frame. It comes with Pista handlebars, and the fixit has a flip-flop hub, which makes it very convenient for you to switch cogs, so you can alternate between fixed and freewheel.
An advantage of this bike is the use of Wanda tires, optimized for city riding –which means you no longer need to fret about potholes. The sealed cartridge bottom bracket prevents any issues caused by dirt or moisture. This bike’s durability is ensured by a vigilant selection comprising of Protect cranks, Sun run freewheel, Well-go pedals, KMC chain, stainless steel spokes, and Prom ax brakes.
Furthermore, all the necessary tools are provided with this product, including three sizes of Allen wrench and a cone wrench; you can build the bike by yourself. The frames you can expect as options are: 49 cm, 53 cm, 57 cm, and 60 cm. If you do not like the slate color, Critical Cycles offers several other colors.
- Pista handlebars.
- Ideal for commuters, city lifestyle.
- Flip flop hubs.
- Careful selection of cranks, brakes, pedals, etc.
- Comes with tools to build a bike on your own.
- Comes partially assembled.
- Measurements may be misleading.
6KU Aluminum Fixed Gear Single-Speed Fixie Urban Track Bike
The next option on the list is a solid yet affordable track bike. 6KU’s urban track bike is exceptionally lightweight with a full aluminum frame and fork. It sorts out the issue of navigating through the thickness of concrete jungles in city life with its riser bars instead of drop bars. You get a perfect blend with the 6061 alloy frame coming with a matching 1 and 1/8″ alloy fork.
It’s a high-quality bike with multiple promising features like replaceable stainless steel dropouts, superior-quality aluminum, and smooth welds. It has 30mm deep V double-walled alloy wheels and a flip-flop hub, allowing you to ride both fixed gear and freewheel according to your desire. It’s a relatively easy bike to maintain, and it comes with front and rear brakes.
You can use it for transportation every day, or take it for recreational commuting. It’s an excellent option from its particular price range, being much lighter than its competitors. Assembling it is very easy, and it is a durable bike with a great fit. The rear wheel, however, could have been better. But keeping in mind that it’s a very affordable bike with the significant parts satisfyingly decent, it can be customized along the way for an enjoyable experience.
- Affordable.
- Extremely lightweight.
- Suitable for the urban lifestyle.
- High-quality parts and features.
- Requires customization after a while.
Retrospec Mantra Fixie Bicycle with Sealed Bearing Hubs
This is a fixed-gear commuter bike from Retrospec, and it comes with sealed bearing hubs, integrated seat clamp, water bottle mounts, platform pedals, and kickstand mount. As Retrospec Bicycles themselves say, Mantra is the ‘industry-leading fixie’. The design, at its core, is about simplicity and ingenuity.
This model has super deep V-rims and features a flip-flop hub for you to alternate between fixed-gear and single-speed on a freewheel conveniently. The sealed cartridge bearing hubs significantly enhance the smoothness and improve the wheels’ durability and lifespan. All city street cyclists will appreciate these hubs.
It comes with the Retrospec FGFS straps and reflectors, which are removable. The hand-built and tag-welded UrbanComfort frame is ideal for various purposes, including cruising on the beach, competing in an alley race, and commuting to work.
The Kenda Kwest tires are explicitly designed with a smooth rounded tread with large water dispersion grooves. The components have been selected from well-reputed brands, minimizing your worries regarding switching the pieces. The remarkable thing about this bicycle is the abundance of options that it gives to the riders.
- You get a fantastic connection and experience with the bike.
- Well-made with quality components.
- Stylish looks.
- Flip-flop hub.
- Rear-wheel of unsatisfying quality.
Vilano Medium (54cm) Attack Fixed Gear Bike Track Bike
This unique champagne colored track bike by Vilano immediately attracts the eye. The bike weighs around 73 pounds. With a flip-flop hub, you can quickly and conveniently decide what works for you –fixed gear or single speed. It features urban geometry with its 700c tig-welded frame and fork. It’s an affordable item by Vilano Bikes, and its most components and accessories are sufficient in meeting all cycling needs. It’s a reliable pick with a forged alloy crankset with 46T replaceable chain ring.
Furthermore, it has a 45mm Double Walled deep-V anodized wheelset matching in tone with anodized hubs. The most significant point exclusive to this bike is that it’s one of the best shots at its sold price. It strikes the ideal balance between affordability and functionality. Specifically great for the commuting lifestyle, it’s neither extremely lightweight not very heavy.
At such an inexpensive rate, the bike is the right product worth appreciating, primarily due to the comfort it provides to the biker. Its cadence seems suitable for most purposes. There are minor points to look out for, like the handles and the brake alignment’s difficulty while building it. But overall, it is a satisfying purchase.
- Impressively affordable.
- Flip-flop hub.
- Balanced weight suitable for windy cities.
- Handles could have been made with more quality material.
Conclusion
As you must have guessed, the primary problem in finding the correct bike for you stems from the lack of information. Even if there are details available, finding them in a comfortable, understandable manner can be daunting. The problem expands further due to the plethora of options available. Today’s market offers a unique track bicycle matching all personalities, but the issue arises in determining which bike suits your personality and meets your needs.
The task can be slightly challenging, but hopefully, with some of the best options listed above, you are now closer to the answer. The right bike does not seem so difficult to choose once you know what to look for in a track bike.
Plus, narrowing down the options according to your budget gives a more concrete answer. With so many brands, models, attributes, pros, and cons, you can arrive at a satisfying decision by demarcating between what works for you and what doesn’t.
Best Track Bikes Of 2021 | Buyer’s Guide
Have you been digging the seemingly endless list of track bikes options and not come to a conclusion yet? Are you still confused, which is the ‘best’ track bike? Like so many trick questions, the answer to this dilemma also says that there isn’t ‘one’ best track bike. It’s going to be the best bike ‘for’ you, perhaps. Depending on the needs and specific demands that you have, the best bike for two people isn’t necessarily the same one.
Track bikes are unique bicycles that cannot frequently be seen in use on the road, but their popularity among their fan base continues to increase. They can be spotted more and more with the Olympics and cycling competitions around the corner, and to help you find a track bike of your own, we have prepared a buying guide to tell you all that you need to know.
But what is a track bike? To put it simply, it’s a straightforward machine with one fixed gear. That means you can’t stop pedaling. There are no brakes, which means you only speed up or down. You have two wheels, one saddle, and handlebars as parts of this seemingly simple machine.
Since speed is a crucial element of track cycling, the need for a track bike to be stiff, aerodynamic, and the capacity to withstand forces coming its way are essential.
There’s a range of components that goes into building a fine track bike. Similar words can be said for the gear options.
Gears –
The typical gear comes between 84 and 90 inches, with chainring size 47 teeth. This will be the standard you’ll most commonly come across. It’s easier to pedal track bikes with gears of smaller inches and small front chainring (or larger rear sprocket). Somebody who wants to race is required to go through different ratios and train specifically for pedaling efficiency.
Chainset –
Since you’re not a cycling star, the standard road chainset will suffice for you. The chainset must be stiff and have the longevity of wear. There’s really no need for you to empty your wallets on the best and highest quality chainset when something simple and affordable is going to work almost in a similar way. You need to essentially remember the bolt circle diameter, or BCD (usually written on chainring and crank). It should fit with the chainset, so match accordingly.
Handlebar –
The basic handlebar is enough for anyone just beginning. You may try out investing in tri-bars at most.
Wheels –
You can buy the standard aluminum equipment at its affordable glory for the wheels like you can for the frame. The box rim spoked wheels, tubular, and clinches all come under the same pocket-friendly range, and all work well for everyday riding. Carbon is a more expensive option, and if you choose this route, you can purchase into a disc rear wheel. Weight can be a significant disadvantage when it comes to wheels. Multiple track disciplines require sudden acceleration for which rolling mass should be at a minimum. Wheels are the investment that will be the game-changing transformation for your performance.
According to popular opinion, the five-spoke front wheel and a disc at the back make for the best rapid wheelset. This is fair enough since this option adds aerodynamic effectiveness. Furthermore, the plus points include the weight saving and reduced rolling resistance.
Fixie –
The fun thing is that your fixed-wheeled bike can be turned into an ordinary road bike by simply adding the front brake. The option for a front brake may not be available in all the bikes, though, so if you intend to, and look forward to going around the town, it’s best first to check if there is a front brake mount hole.
In Praise Of The Best Track Bike
There is plenty of good that can be said about the best track bike. There isn’t a lack of benefits when it comes to discussing the good thing about track biking. It must then be evident that the benefits of the best track bike also form an impressive list. When you put in the care and attention of browsing through the plethora of options so you can finally find the perfect pick for you, you gift yourself numerous advantages.
Let’s begin by addressing the rise in popularity of track biking. This particular form of bicycling has pleased fitness enthusiasts to a great extent, and for good reasons. When you get the best track bike, you have the opportunity to try diverse intensities naturally. With simple combinations like sprinting and cycling, you make significant progress with your pedaling techniques and velocity.
In addition to this, this form of bicycling is an excellent means of improving group training. Circles of professional cyclists would talk about ‘engaging.’ Training with these cycles in enclosed velodromes trains you to continue training no matter what kind of weather conditions lurk outside.
One more praiseworthy thing is the possibility that opens for trainers to see the cyclists’ progress on the track. It makes taking the necessary corrective action at the appropriate time. With training taking place in closed environments, the risk of accidents decreases to an unbelievably relieving extent. It’s also a better form of Training, and cyclists benefit a lot in terms of health. When train in this particular form of cycling, your cardiovascular fitness levels grow better. Not only this but also your muscle flexibility improves along with your strength.
Track biking helps improve joint mobility, and your posture and coordination start to look up. Similarly, your bones also get more robust, and track biking reduces your body fat levels to significant extents. It also helps immensely with your mental health, reducing your overall stress level.
Since it is a physical activity, it enables you to get out of your comfort zone of the internet and slouching. With better posture and more strength in your body, you’ll also feel fit, which means the goodness will translate into your personality. That helps with your confidence. Cycling will also equip you in better fighting against diseases in general.
Final Words
The ideal track bike must handle well. You should feel confident with while you change direction at high speed or quickly accelerate. But it also needs to have stability at high speed, more so for flat out sprints. When it comes to track bikes, your priorities do not involve comfort, since there’s not a lot of time you’ll be spending on it anyway. However, it must fit you appropriately.
These bikes are well-approved in the city primarily due to the lack of many options other than the fixie while riding on a velodrome. It’s the pinnacle of simplicity, and that can be both an advantage and a disadvantage.
As an advantage, it allows you to build a connection and control with it. Since there’s no freewheel, there’s the pedal while you’re moving. But this connection comes once you’ve grown used to it. Beginners might not find this the friendliest of bikes due to the contradictory result depending upon the rider’s experience. With an experienced rider, it’s faster than the light and is a worthy addition to life due to low maintenance required because of less complexity. It’s light, simple, and super quick.
On the other hand, you need some prior skills. Especially when it’s hilly, this bike can be a challenging nut to crack. It provides full control, which something all confident commuters will adore. However, casual cyclists might not have the same opinion. That is why a section of people appreciates track bikes, but not everyone.