Bike Check: Romario’s Raleigh USA National Team Track
If you’ve been following the past few months of bike checks, you know that many of them featured Romario’s impressive track bike collection. I saved what I consider the best for last, because compared to the rest of his fleet, I can totally picture myself using this Raleigh as my daily ride (minus the pair of scary Spinergy wheels, been there, done that, never again…).
I’ve always been a big fan of the classic red-and-black colorway used by the US track team on their Raleigh, but I have to admit, this red-and-blue version with stars, similar to what the road team rode is pretty sweet as well. Romario, like many of us, is a huge fan of all official USA team bikes, from the old-school GT super bike to the super-quirky 24” pursuit Raleigh by Mike Melton.
Compared to the rest of his collection, this bike already carries some patina, and Romario set it up with a 90’s fixed-gear aesthetic, back when New York messengers emptied velodromes, taking training track bikes to the streets to play in traffic.
And that’s really the whole vibe of this build! It starts with a pair of Spinergy wheels with blue decals, perfectly echoing the tones of the frameset.
Up front, Romario went with a pair of road Ergo drop bars—a clear statement that this bike now belongs to the street, and its days on the oval track are over.
The 46x15 gear ratio might still be on the heavy side, but it looks way better than if he had gone with one of his usual 53T chainrings.
Finally, the cockpit and seating area showcase some of the build’s key details: a Syncros prototype titanium seatpost (because who doesn’t want a little extra bling?) paired with a silver Kashimax saddle that adds a distinct “space-age” vibe to the whole setup.
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
Raleigh USA National Team Track
Chainring and Cog Stronglight 46T Chainring and 15T Cog
Crank Stronglight Crankset
Seatpost and Saddle
Syncros prototype titanium seatpost, Kashimax pearl silver
Steam and Handlebar
Salsa Stem, ITM ergonomic Dropbars
Wheels
Spinergy Wheelset
This is by far the simplest of Romario’s projects I’ve featured here, yet somehow it’s still my favorite. Maybe it’s because, the whole time I was taking photos and talking about the bike, I kept thinking to myself: Yep, I could have built that.
Please don’t ride on double Spinergy!
🎞: Kodak Color Plus 200
📷: Leica M6
📍: Hong Kong
