Fixie Nascar
April 10, 2013 8:55 AM   Subscribe

The Mini Drome is one of the smallest cycling tracks in the world. Fixed gear cyclists ride the 51 foot velodrome(Velodromes are typically 1 kilometer in length) without any brakes. The Mini Drome is pretty much a fixed gear version of Nascar.
posted by rageagainsttherobots (24 comments total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
More like a fixed gear version of Mad Max if you ask me.
posted by Chutzler at 9:15 AM on April 10, 2013


They need it on a hydraulic arm that lifts the entire track up until it is perpendicular. And Tigers.
posted by srboisvert at 9:22 AM on April 10, 2013


Seems a bit short to me, but I love the venue. If you're into riding bikes, any kind of bike, riding in a proper velodrome is one of those 'bucket-list' things you really should do. It's a transformative experience.
posted by the painkiller at 9:23 AM on April 10, 2013


Figures. Bushwick.
posted by ReeMonster at 9:28 AM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


What is that dude wearing at 1:35 and where can I get a knock-off?
posted by griphus at 9:34 AM on April 10, 2013


that video reminded me of the Simpsons episode where they went to the Superbowl - in this case, there was no actual racing to be seen...

snark aside, i would never be able to watch something like this for fear of crashes, but I can see the appeal. i'd probably participate too, if I could wear a padded foam suit.
posted by bitteroldman at 9:38 AM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


It's funny that that guy mentioned Madison Square Garden, because the first one was a velodrome, which is how we got the Madison.
posted by hydrophonic at 9:57 AM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


snark aside, i would never be able to watch something like this for fear of crashes, but I can see the appeal

I am pretty sure that, like Nascar, the appeal IS the crashes.
posted by Theta States at 9:58 AM on April 10, 2013


yeah, no thanks.

that looks like it has some serious design issues, as in, the "straights" have not enough incline/banking to keep riders on the track at anything approaching racing speed.

They had an indoor velodrome here in Boulder that was something like 150 metres long and at least a half dozen riders wound up rather severely injured (broken arms/hips) from ejecting over the outer wall because the straights didn't have steep enough banking - rather than build it with an underpass or pass-thru, they tried to level the straights enough to just ride on, and it was a dangerous failure.

the way to do this properly is the old-skool "wall of death" type near-vertical affair from old timey circuses. You enter either underneath or via a door that latches flush and becomes part of the "wall". Otherwise you're always going to run into the problem of riders going fast enough to flip over the outside wall.
posted by lonefrontranger at 10:03 AM on April 10, 2013


real "wall of death" riding is shown by trials rider Martyn Ashton here (approx. 2:40).
posted by lonefrontranger at 10:08 AM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Looks like a wall of death for pussies and posers if you ask me.

But then I'm really tough. Not as tough as this lady. But pretty tough.
posted by MuffinMan at 10:09 AM on April 10, 2013


Missing the Red Bull tag.
posted by yoga at 10:17 AM on April 10, 2013


Fixed gear? On a track? With no brakes? Crazy, man!
posted by jetsetsc at 10:23 AM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Most modern velodromes are 250m in length, not 1km.
posted by anagrama at 10:24 AM on April 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


Watched the whole bit. Can't tell if it's a parody. Leaning toward yes.
posted by echo target at 10:28 AM on April 10, 2013


I dig track cycling, but for 3 minutes they go on about how wonderful it is and show scant little actual racing, let alone a single finish.
posted by dgran at 10:44 AM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


250m is the Olympic / World Championship standard, yes, but there are "modern" (post 1950s) velodromes all over the world at lengths between 150-500m. The Roubaix velodrome that last weekend's Paris-Roubaix one-day classic famously finishes on is a good example - it is a 500m outdoor velodrome and the road pros in sprint finishes there will frequently misjudge their timing and the distance to the line because of the tremendous length of the finish straight (in comparison to the tracks where they likely learned the finishing tactic of "coming off the banking" to gain advantage for sprint speed). Happened again on Sunday in the 2-up sprint for the win.
posted by lonefrontranger at 10:46 AM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Eh, to make it even remotely similar to Nascar, they would have to have, like, at least a dozen cyclists on that track (since there's hardly room for 40). And throw debris cautions every five laps.
posted by daniel_charms at 11:10 AM on April 10, 2013


Of course. Why wouldn't it be in Brooklyn?
posted by Tanizaki at 11:35 AM on April 10, 2013


Pro-tip: NASCARing any product or service of yours, outside of the South, is generally considered a negative.
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 1:43 PM on April 10, 2013


Nice set up but we weren't shown any of the competition. Or is this a joke, like someone mentioned above?
posted by zzazazz at 3:29 PM on April 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Is this a roller derby rink?
posted by Marky at 11:05 PM on April 10, 2013


red bull has been doing these in different cities every few months for a few years now. i entered and raced in the 2012 tokyo edition of this event.

the format is timed individual pursuit for qualifying and head to head pursuit for the finals where winners advance up a bracket. riding a track that small is very challenging and i crashed out in the qualifying. very fun event, partly because the guys that think they're going to win (messengers, racers) usually crash out or can't get up to speed and trick riders or otherwise non-fixed gear guys win. the guy that won the tokyo event was a bmx racer who hadn't ridden a fixed gear bike before the event.
posted by mexican at 11:26 PM on April 10, 2013


hipster anthill...
posted by xjudson at 8:14 AM on April 11, 2013


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