Track Bike - Argon18 Electron, Giant Omnium or Planet X

myth001

Newbie here, looking to start track riding in a velodrome (to be finished constructing soon, merely a 5 min. ride from my home). Been riding a pro road bike for few years, but need to change gears for winters with the Velo as an option.

So, looking to get my first track bike, 3 have caught my eye (5 actually, but keeping the BMC and Pina out of the equation to save my wallet, and marriage).
Giant Omnium
Argon 18 Electron
Planet X Comp Track

Omnium and Electron are Alum bikes, while the PlanetX CompTrack is carbon. From what I've heard that carbon doesn't make too much of a difference in track. Still, PlanetX does look cool there. Keeping within that budget of $1,300-1,500 eliminate the Pina XTrack, BMC TR02 or PlanetX TOR.

I'm too old to race too much, am 40 now, but I do occasionally venture into competitive road events (maybe 1-2 a year). But I'd like something that I can build endurance as well as compete if/when I want.

I'm a short 5'6" guy that likes compact frames. I have ridden Specialized, Trek and Pinarello, and love Pina the most. Currently ride a Dogma 65.1, and absolutely love the setup. Trek was alright before, but the reach was a bit too much for my short body-build.

So, looking to get opinion to choose between the Omnium, Electron and CompTrack. Any suggestions welcome.

Omar Little

The three of them are decent and will do a good job. Actually i'd say that about most 'proper' track bikes (ie ones that have track geometry rather than aimed for people wanting to ride fixies on the street) . Some might flex a bit if you are sprinter putting out big power in a standing start but other than that they are all pretty good. So choose the one you like the look of and that fits best.

You could also look at Dolan, Felt, Canyon, Fuji, Moda and Look i think they all have models which will be in your price range.

myth001

Thanks Omar. Of the other brands you mentioned I did like the Dolan bikes, though they'll be harder to find around where I am.
I guess I'm going to rent some bikes in the start, and then see what kind of setups I prefer for the long run.
Cheers.

slam that stem

Agree with Omar. All of them are great. People ride bikes they like so get the one that screams "ride me" the loudest at you.

But don't buy right off. I'd recommend doing at least 4-5 sessions so you can see what sort of bike people tend to ride. Depending on if you're more of a sprinter or a strong endurance rider - get to the know the guys/girls and speak to the riders of a similar style to what they like. Way back when I really like the monocoque Corima bikes in bright yellow and wanted one badly. But they were for big beefy sprinters and I'm anything but. I ended up with a narrow tubed/aero profile Alu bike and love it. It completes me :-)