So I was cruising the internets over at Velospace and I came across a thread that was posted for a 90’s Cannondale Track, well this is relevant to me because I hacked my Cannondale into a track setup. I wish I documented the hack so anyone interested could see how it was done. Regardless, there was some interest on velospace — So I will piece together how it was done without the in-process pictures.
To start, Cannondale has some wacky dropout designs and while searching the net I found several variations. My bikes dropouts weren’t that hard to convert given a little fab skills. So the disclaimer is that not all dropouts are equal and you must apply discretion when taking your beloved frame to the bandsaw, or grinder, or welder, or hacksaw, or… you get the picture. So my approach was to chop off the vertical dropout, cut an L shape into the dropout that would be the top portion and inner edge of the axle slot. You have to make sure this cut is the same on both sides, otherwise, your axle will not sit level, filing can true this up. Once this is done I took a flat piece of 1/4″ aluminium (luckily this is the width of the factory dropout), shaped it and glued it onto the bottom of the chainstay with a TIG welder to create the bottom piece of the dropout. Some grinding, sanding, filing, and sweating got everything in paintable condition. Here is a crappy photoshop picture of the mod.
Tags: bike building, Tutorial, Velo
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