With the shorter rake fork, how do track-specific frames handle in the street? Let's be honest, they are not designed for street riding. Is the steering twitchy? Am I better off building a fixed gear on a road frame, if I will only be doing street riding?
I want to hear from people riding NJS and track specific frames. I'm not talking about modern frames like State and Wabi etc. Thanks.
by Twig_Scampi
4 Comments
I have this exact frame, it’s great (except mine looks like it’s survived a house fire!
Track frames, especially njs are going to be tighter clearance and twitchier. Compared to a road frame, if you aren’t in true fitment, you maybe have a more shrimpy posture
There is an old interview with Sky Yeager where she says that she designed the Bianchi pista concept after watching bike messengers in NYC – she wanted to build a true track frame that people could ride on the street. The first Steel Bianchi pista’s had the same frame geo but Bianchi quickly switched to more roadish angles. Their Super Pista kept the same angles but with a more aero and slightly heavier frame.
I have done courier work in the city on a 51cm pista concept (28mm fork rake) and found it to be fast and responsive – but one persons twitchy is another persons agile/nimble so yeah, YMMV.
I now have a WXR long reach (30mm fork rake) and 4 NJS frames (3built and one waiting on parts) one has slacker angles than the others and is great for long rides but I prefer the steeper angles for navigating traffic. I no longer do messenger or delivery work but I commute to work every day and ride in the street and park – works 4 me 🙂
It’s not for everyone
I’ve ridden njs track frames and aggressive pursuit frames for years, so take my opinion with a grain of salt but at this point I feel more at home on a track frame than any other type of bike. I’ve ridden road, cx, gravel, mountain, fgfs, bmx, single track frames and probably more. To me they all feel “soggy” aside from a well setup road bike, but I still feel more set apart from the road compared to being on an aggressive steel track bike. The snappy and nimble frame, combined with a fixed gear allows me to be extremely comfortable and in tune with the road. For longer rides, anything over 20 miles, a road bike will be much more practical. But a track bike would always be my choice for my personal commute. Being able to slow down no handed, navigate urban environments and busy traffic are things I appreciate and why track frames fit my specific riding style. At the end of the day it just comes down to you and how you ride. Aggressive track frames are most at home being shredded in urban environments or at the track. If you aren’t going hard in a busy area, ride for long distances occasionally off-road, or aren’t really a “form over function” type of person, a more relaxed geometry frame will probably be for you. But that’s no fun.
To me the most noticeable difference is toe overlap with the front wheel. As long as you get an appropriate size frame and have it properly fitted, it shouldn’t be a big issue.
Another factor is frame material. If you’re using this for road riding, consider spraying the inside of the tubes with a protectant. This helped me keep my +20 y/o Bridgestone in decent condition when I used it as a commuter in DC.