Equipment - Riggio Track Bike, Numbers

I'm a bit tired but I ran some numbers to satisfy my own curiosity. They are rough but reasonably accurate.

Measured Item Riggio Cannondale
Seat tube, c-c 50 cm 48 cm (it's a "52 cm")
Top tube, c-c 52 cm 52 cm (it's a "53.5 cm")
Head tube length 11.7 cm, 16 w/hdst 12 cm
Chainstay length 38.5 cm min, 39.5 cm 40.5 cm
Saddle-BB height 67.8 cm 67.7 cm
Stem length 14 cm 13 cm
Stem drop, approx 2.5 cm 0 cm
Bar width, c-c 39 cm 40 cm
Bar drop, approx 18 cm 15.5 cm
Front center (BB-hub) 56 cm 57 cm
Crankarm 170 mm 170 mm
BB drop, approx 5.2 cm 6.5 cm
Wheelbase 95.5 cm 97 cm
Seat-bar drop, approx 28 cm 25 cm
Seat center to drops 82 cm 77 cm

Some of the values are approximate since I don't have a super accurate way of measuring certain things. One measurement is variable - the track bike's chainstay length (BB to rear hub) differs based on chain length and gearing (you move the axle to take up chain slack). Currently it's 39.5 cm. If I went to a 52x15, I'd shorten it by 0.5 cm. A 53x16 may not fit, or it would put me at my minimum 38.5 cm (and make it virtually impossible to get the wheel in).

The huge differences are in the "aggressiveness" numbers - wheelbase length, chainstay length, BB drop (or lack thereof), short front center, and big saddle-bar drop. All are different by a centimeter or more, unusual for such critical frame specs. However the difference between track riding and crit riding is also different by such magnitudes, and the bikes simply reflect what works for what.

Interestingly enough the Cannondale is a very conservative race bike. It's equally at home on long rides, steady climbs, and harrowing descents. My first (racing) road bike had a much shorter chainstay, I think in the 38.x cm range, the same length as the minimum on the Riggio.

This means the Riggio is also a conservatively designed bike. Although it has some steep angles (long ago I used a protractor and convinced myself I had a bike with a 74 degree head tube angle and a 75 degree seat tube angle, but I think this is about as accurate as a day dream) it's otherwise a very forgiving and easy riding bike. My ham-fisted handling of the bike never put me in the pavement nor did it ever freak out on me. The only thing I wish it would do is turn faster in a full sprint.

For now though, like all the problems I have with the Riggio, the main issue is the nut that holds the seat down.

Once I get that working reasonably well I should be all set.

Equipment - I Want This Bike!

The BIKE

So as not to freak out the missus, no, I have not tried to get one. Yet. But, man, talk about a bike that would fit yours truly.

52 cm seat tube. Not a big deal - I have one now.

58 (!) cm top tube.

Holy smolies. That's 5 cm longer than my current top tube. I might even go down to a 12 cm stem! Maybe even an 11 cm stem.

And it's stiffer and all that.

Look, the mold's already there. It wouldn't take much to just, you know, lay a few pieces of carbon in there, some resin, do whatever hocus pocus they do, and then borrow a bit of carbon fiber oven time to cure the thing.

Heck, it's made in Pennsylvania. That's only, what, a 7 or 8 hour drive away? I could do the lay up. Just give me some of that carbon fiber... wait, I could even buy the stuff. Well, I could at least pay for it. I think you can buy that stuff on the internet. If you can buy steroids, you should be able to buy carbon fiber.

Then I could do the work in the Bedford factory. You know, on the real workers' lunch hour. They'll be munching on sandwiches or going on their ride or doing both at the same time and I'll be carefully laying down one of hundreds of pieces of carbon into whatever a mold is.

Or however all that works.

Abracadabra and all that too.

I promise I won't reveal any production secrets to anyone.

Maybe they could justify it as a spare bike for Bennati. If that's the case, I'll hold two for him. Just in case he needs a bike in, say, the Nutmeg State Games. Or whatever other Pro race he might enter in the area. If he does one of those big races we could put one of the bikes on the team car, the other on the neutral support car. And afterwards, for safe keeping, I could take care of the bikes.

For safe keeping, of course. I could even bring myself to ride the bikes, to make sure everything keeps working.

So, Cannondale, what do you say?