Fixed, brakeless, one gear: what gear you actually need for track cycling, how gear inches work, and why the frame looks so different.
The short answer: to get started you need almost nothing besides sportswear — your first track bike is a rental. Only once you train regularly does owning one pay off.
The track bike itself is still the most interesting piece of sports equipment you'll ever ride: a rigid frame, a single gear, no brakes — the latter isn't a style choice, it's regulation. Every bit of force you put into the pedals goes straight to the rear wheel with no detour. Nothing suspends, nothing shifts, nothing brakes except your legs.
The gear itself is measured in gear inches — a measure of how far a single pedal revolution carries you forward. Beginners typically ride a ratio of around 80 gear inches, which is a good 6 meters per revolution — roughly the length of a small van. Elite sprinters like Harrie Lavreysen, by contrast, spin up to 123 gear inches — almost 10 meters per pedal stroke, the length of a city bus. As a track cyclist you literally grow into a bigger gear over time.
The frame shape has a reason too: track bikes sit with a higher bottom bracket over the track so the pedals don't touch down in the banked curve — a problem a normal road bike would actually have at that lean angle.
Unlike a road bike, a track bike has no gears, no freewheel and no brakes. The cog is bolted rigidly to the hub: wheel turns, pedals turn — inseparably. This reduction isn't a downside, it's the core of the sport: less mechanism, more pure riding skill.
Your ratio — front chainring to rear cog — determines how "heavy" pedaling feels and how far each revolution carries you. Beginners deliberately start with a lighter, spinnier ratio of around 80 gear inches (a good 6 meters per stroke), so starting off and braking stay controllable. Sprint specialists later choose noticeably heavier gears around 100 gear inches, and pursuit riders even more, because that event is about holding speed, not accelerating from a standstill.
Because you brake with your legs, your foot must be firmly attached to the pedal — otherwise it simply slips off under back-pressure. Toe straps are the classic, beginner-friendly solution; experienced riders often use clipless pedals like in road cycling. Both work as long as your foot can transmit force in both directions — forward and back.
Track bikes have a higher bottom bracket and usually steeper tube angles than road bikes. The reason is simple: in the 42–45 degree banking, a low bottom bracket would mean the inside pedal touches the ground — a potential crash trigger with every pedal stroke. The taller build creates the ground clearance you never need on the road.
A track bike costs noticeably more than an entry-level road bike, because frame and wheels are purpose-built for the track. Rent a club bike for the first few months, figure out your right gear ratio and frame size — and only buy once you know exactly what for.
Foot retention on the track isn't a comfort detail, it's a safety one: because you slow down solely through the pedals, your foot must stay firmly attached in every situation. Check straps or clipless system before every session.
Have a coach or experienced club member check your gear ratio before your first time on the banking — too heavy a gear makes controlled braking with your legs needlessly hard.
Ask your club for a gear ratio chart — most keep exact records of which chainring-cog combination produces how many gear inches. That way you compare instantly instead of recalculating every time.
And a trick experienced riders share: for your first own bike, pick a ratio that leaves you feeling slightly underchallenged rather than one you have to fight. A gear that's too light costs you a bit of speed — one that's too heavy costs you control.
Gear inches measure how far a single pedal revolution carries you forward, based on chainring, cog and wheel size. Beginners typically ride around 80 gear inches (a good 6 meters per stroke), elite sprinters up to 123 gear inches (almost 10 meters). The higher the number, the "heavier" and faster, but also harder to accelerate.
Because regulation requires it — not nostalgia. On a track everyone rides in the same speed window in the same direction; a brake would create unpredictable speed changes that, in a tight space with many riders, would be more dangerous than a fixed pace.
No. Almost every velodrome rents bikes for beginner courses. Owning one only pays off once you train regularly and know which gear ratio and frame size suit you.
Mainly because of the higher bottom bracket: in the 42–45 degree banking, the inside pedal needs more ground clearance than a normal road bike offers. The taller build stops the pedal from touching the surface mid-stroke.
Track Cycling: Riding Without a Brake