Bob,
The track bike you have was used in road racing and time trials by the Fife rider it came from.
It was set up with the Williams cottered chainset, AVA sprint rims/Le Tour hubs, Super Coureur saddle (like a Unicanitor), track bars and a single front brake.
On the subject of grass track racing, it was the practice of many riders who wanted to retain their amateur status in the days before open competition to give a false name when competing at Highland Games meetings where the first few home received a prize of some sort.
This led to some interesting commentary over the tannoy system along the lines, "And it's Julius Caesar in the red closing quickly on Abraham Lincoln with Attila the Hun right on his rear wheel..."
I thought this kind of thing was apocryphal until I met former Scottish track champion, Hector McKenzie, from whom I got a Cinelli Super Corsa and Pista. I asked Hector if he had heard of this practice and he said, "Heard of it? I was Julius Caesar!"
For those who have looked at Bob's section on grass track riding on his website, the chap Vic Polanski, who is pictured on the orange-coloured Flying Scot, ended up with Hector's Cinelli Pista from around 1960 and says it's the best track bike he's ever owned. Vic has had just about every great bike you can think of including Curly Hetchins, Thanet Silverlight, Selbach, several Bates, Hobbs and Flying Scots-and still has many of them-so he knows what he's talking about. In fact, I wish I'd never sold him the Pista!
This is his 40th and last year as a grass track competitor. Grass track racing wil not only be the poorer for his retiral but could be in some danger unless other enthusiasts pick up the baton.
Bruce
3234w2esd
> From: Bob Reid <bob.reid@btconnect.com>
>
> Whilst the fork crown is drilled out, It came equipped as a track bike
> (Bruce?) but framewise it's could be either/or !
>
> Percy Stallard sold out-and-out track bikes under the name "Championship
> Path" for obvious reasons in the days when most riders rode the one machine
> they owned for all purposes not just the once a week track meet. Yet they
> were real velodrome machines. Personal economics today and the ability to
> afford more than one lightweight machine seems to be the only difference.
>
> As far as grass track is concerned, see this page -
>
> http://freespace.virgin.net/
>
> Thanks to Bruce and friends of the Dundee Coup.
>
> Bob Reid
> Stonehaven
> Scotland.
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