The NY Bike Jumble

Vintage Track Day, Kissena 11-22-09

Wednesday, November 25th

A beautiful day at Kissena Velodrome where we brought out our vintage track bikes to test them on the banks!

Here are some photos of the day, courtesy of Len Diamond:

The above bike is a Baines from the forties. The eye catching design is to bring the wheel even further under the rider than with a conventional frame design. The result of such a close wheelbase is a nimble bike, at the expense of comfort.

The backstretch at Kissena:

Kissena Velodrome was opened in 1962 by Robert Moses, then commissioner of Parks. The track has always been a vibrant place for New York City’s track bike riders to race and gather. As the years went on, however, the track fell further into disrepair. BY the nineties, when I first saw it, it looked more like a simulation of a potholed New York Street than a smooth surface for racing. Particularly notable was the frost heave in turn three that would throw your bike up as you went over it at high speed. Very thrilling!

Really nice red Frejus Pista

Nice Schwinn Paramount.

Drilled out!

Nice bike from Jamie Swan.

One Response to “Vintage Track Day, Kissena 11-22-09”

1. Oiseau says:

   December 3, 2009 at 8:58 pm

   Personally, I could never understand how leaning over like a monkey is a) comfortable and b) safe for riding.

   Which is probably why these guys are on a track and not the street.