When three-time World Track Championships medal winner Martyn Irvine wanted a road bike made to the same dimensions as his track machine, this was the result.
Having come to the end of his tenure with the Unitedhealthcare road team in the United States in recent months, former World Track Champion and three-time medal winner at the Worlds, Martyn Irvine has now refocused on going fast around a velodrome wearing the green of Ireland.
When he needed a road training bike that would mimic the position of his long and low designed-for-top-speed Felt TK1 track racing machine, Brendan Whelan of the Bicycle Design Centre took up the challenge, explains Irvine in his latest dispatch.
As soon as I moved my focus back to Irish duty and to the track again my main aim was to look at everything that could make me a better bike rider.
Advertisement
One of the first things I looked at was the very thing I train on everyday.
My track racing bike and road training bike were very different animals so I thought ‘why not have them set up exactly the same?’
Problem is that my Felt TK1 track racing bike is pretty unique.
It's setup for the optimal performance on track and there isn't a road bike out there with the same geometry.
This is where Brendan Whelan and the Bicycle Design Centre came in.
I know Brendan from racing on the Irish track scene and I've seen some of the work he’s done on other custom bikes.
Since I started cycling I've been on a limited budget; cheap or free.
Columbus steel frameset and a full carbon fork.
Things pretty much still run in that trend and I'm really grateful for Brendan's help.
I approached him with the idea of getting a road frame with similar geometry to my track bike.
I wanted to be training in a similar position to my track bike; it makes perfect sense in my head.
I honestly think Brendan fell off his chair when he looked at the dimensions that I showed him.
The 60cm top tube and 14cm head tube was probably his main concern; long and low.
Related News
The other obstacle I lobbed in his path was the time frame.
I was heading to Mallorca to prepare for the European Championships last month and I wanted to get training in that position as soon as possible.
The new machine in the rig, crafted by Brendan Whelan; himself no slouch when it comes to winning medals on the domestic track scene.
Thankfully Brendan was up for the challenge.
Soon enough he was keeping me posted on progress and I was really looking forward to getting my hands on it.
I had the frame in no time and set about building it.
I measured everything ten times, changed the stem a few times and added a spacer here and there. Eventually I got it set exactly like my Felt TK1; same saddle setback, same reach and saddle to bar drop.
Within the week I was in Mallorca and soon racking up the miles.
Straight away it felt great. I didn't have the aches and pains I’d usually get from changing equipment.
At this point I've had the bike running for a few months. It’s been around Europe, to Guadeloupe, Mexico and back.
There's roughly 200hrs on it now and it's still going strong. I just wish I could say the same about myself!
Cheers
Marty
Irvine's track bike and his new road machine with exactly the same low and long position.
Topics
