Keirin bikes

nashcom

I like the look of some of these (Nagasawa etc) but are they reallly as special as some of the blurb on the Internet appears to suggest? I'd be using it on the road - with drilled fork - but am wondering what they're like to ride. Are they heavy? They're fairly expensive compared with a lot of other hand-made steel frames. I assume they're made with a lot of attention to detail, and finished accurately, but not sure if that would make a noticeable difference to the ride.

Monty Dog

Keirin bikes have to be made to NJS specification, which even stipulates things like tube diameters/geometry etc to make sure everyone is virtually identicaland provides no competitive advantage to the rider. They are out-and-out track bikes, so will have front wheel overlap and pretty steep angles so may be pretty harsh for road use. Depends what floats-yer-boat really, but they're probably the ultimate in fixed-gear statements and likely to last a long, long time. I expect for similar money, you could buy a custom frame with more relaxed road geometry and top-notch kit with the likes of Phil Wood hubs.