Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Opinions on the mercier track bike on ebay?

Just interested to get any opinions, So I hear they are rebadged khs frames, but for the price of $300 plus tax, I would not mind having a second bike. My bike is being worked on at the present time (accident), so I have no bike to ride. it's been a week already and it kinda sucks taking public trans.

been discussed a bazillion times. search for endless pages of it.

cliff notes: far from great, but fine for the money. upgradable and perfectly rideable as is. many have said that the extra $150 or so to get a pista or similar would be well spent, but if you already have a better bike then this would probably make sense.

personal experience: a friend has one and on a quick tool around the block it felt ok.

i have to say it's not too shabby.
plenty of flex when you want it but sturdy enough to be called "tight"
the geometry feels good and the price is right.

then again, what do i know...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v385/TinkTank/threquatahs.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v385/TinkTank/side.jpg

tink representin with the '**** WORK' stickers

That saddle makes my anus hurt just by looking at it. Is that the apside?

Check for the mercier on bikesdirect.com, you may get it a little cheaper. You will never do better for the money, and the frame is worth upgrading.

If I could go back in time I might have gotten one of these rather
than go through all the stuff I went though with my conversion...
the conversion was fun to do though, I learned a bit more than
I would have buying a complete bike. Plus, my frame has pretty
lugs and has gotten me into lugs big time. My next step is having a
higher quality wheelset built. When I do upgrade my frame it's
gonna have to have some nice lugs, be it a track frame of road
with tight geometry.

I

In doing some research, I spoke with the guy from Spicer. He confirmed that his stock steel frame is the exact import that EBay sellers are selling as Mercier and others. He said he would move down in price to $225 on the frame set alone (from $275) with $15 shipping (to Midwest). No guarantee of course, but that's what he told me for a single frame. In reading some posts here, the components on the EBay bikes can be total crap. Although some posts suggest that the frame is OK to nice. Peace.

I have one still in the box that I havent built yet.
I had a bunch of stuff shipped from Gene Spicer and
Dans Comp to put on when I build it. First look, unbuilt ,
looks to me to be well worth the 300 Samolians. After
I build it up Ill put up pics and a report.
I dont feel I made a mistake. (Yet ?? :eek: )

In doing some research, I spoke with the guy from Spicer. He confirmed that his stock steel frame is the exact import that EBay sellers are selling as Mercier and others. He said he would move down in price to $225 on the frame set alone (from $275) with $15 shipping (to Midwest). No guarantee of course, but that's what he told me for a single frame. In reading some posts here, the components on the EBay bikes can be total crap. Although some posts suggest that the frame is OK to nice. Peace.

225 !? so for 75 dollars more on Ebay you get a wheelset, tires, tubes, a dura-ace cog and lockring, chain, crank, BB, pedals, headset,stem, handlebars, seatpost, saddle, and shipping? Good lawd. The mercier is looking better and better.

All the components, I repeat, ALL THE COMPONENTS on this Mercier is EXACTLY the same as the 2005 KHS Flite 100.

With the exception of the saddle.

Tink is fast on his Mercier.
Really Fast.
And this guy doesn't even train.

i have to say it's not too shabby.
plenty of flex when you want it but sturdy enough to be called "tight"
the geometry feels good and the price is right.

then again, what do i know...
...........


tink, just out of curiosity, what size is your mercier frame ?

at least, what was the advertised size?

I am hoping I did not order the wrong one ! OUCH !

I just ordered one myself to ride to and from work. If it rides ok I plan on replacing the wheelset with something from IRO. I can use the wheelset that comes with the mercier for my current $20 (goodwill) fixed commuter bike. I hope its a nice bike for the money. But regardless, It has to be an improvement over my current ride.

driven1, just curious...

how tall are you and what size mercier frame did you order ?

thanks =)



(I ordered mine based on stand-over height, since the c-c measurements seemed kind of small, I know track bikes are supposed to have a slightly higher BB and that may account for the smaller c-c measurements... but anyway..... ? )

I was curious about sizing as well. They all seem either too big or too small for me... no in between!

I got a mercier kilo tt bike from sprtymama on ebay for 322 bucks, and I LOVE this bike. I've put about 250 miles on it so far, and I don't know what people are talking about when they badmouth this bike. You need to tune the bike when you first buy it, by that I mean greasing the bearings on everything, fine-tighting the hubs and headset. It rides beautifully, and does have bad toe-overlap. I ride the 50cm frame, and I have a 30.75" inseam. Fits wonderfully. I don't get it, this bike is exactly like the KHS flite 100....people RAVE about that bike - and the kilo tt is BLACK (which is good)!! Why is this bike which is $200 less...getting badmouthed!?

Chad

People rave about the KHS Flite 100?

I got a mercier kilo tt bike from sprtymama on ebay for 322 bucks, and I LOVE this bike. I've put about 250 miles on it so far, and I don't know what people are talking about when they badmouth this bike. You need to tune the bike when you first buy it, by that I mean greasing the bearings on everything, fine-tighting the hubs and headset. It rides beautifully, and does have bad toe-overlap. I ride the 50cm frame, and I have a 30.75" inseam. Fits wonderfully. I don't get it, this bike is exactly like the KHS flite 100....people RAVE about that bike - and the kilo tt is BLACK (which is good)!! Why is this bike which is $200 less...getting badmouthed!?

Chad


After only 250 miles, you haven't exactly experienced the entire lifetime of the components yet, and the shortness of said lifetime seems to be the greatest complaint.

I'm guessing that the low life expectancy of components comes from people who buy a bike online and then don't adjust the hub bearings, headset properly, or take the time to tension and true the wheels. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I built up a Mercier/Windsor/KHS, the stuff would all last quite some time, since it would be put together right from the get go.

The only original part on my Kilo TT is the frame, and even the frame is altered (taken down to the bare steel and clearcoated). I needed a bike when I bought it; had I been as big of a bike snob then as I am now, there's no way in hell I would have bought it.

I'm guessing that the low life expectancy of components comes from people who buy a bike online and then don't adjust the hub bearings, headset properly, or take the time to tension and true the wheels. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I built up a Mercier/Windsor/KHS, the stuff would all last quite some time, since it would be put together right from the get go.

Word to that. Way back as a kid with a non-existant parts budget I became familiar with the practice of making crappy componenets last as long as possible, or extending their service life after they broke.
Thumbs up for exage/biopace!

Thanks, for the input, if I do get it i'm gonna upgrade the handlebars, seat, and stem pretty much immediately. and then slap on a pair of time pedals. So I guess in the long run it's worth it as a backup bike for work.
I have a debernardi thron with deep v rims laced to suzue hubs with a sugino crankset and the rest nitto, with time pedals. But I got hit last week and the lbs are bending back the frame, and relacing the wheel right now. seeing that bike bent really hurt. I spent allot of time building that up..

Word to that. Way back as a kid with a non-existant parts budget I became familiar with the practice of making crappy componenets last as long as possible, or extending their service life after they broke.
Thumbs up for exage/biopace!

Funny, when I was a kid, i would NEVER perform ANY maintenance (except flats...I had one tube that had 6 patches on it!), and NONE of the components failed on that BMX-style bike after 5 years of riding it almost every day. I even never once put a drop of oil on the chain. Believe me, I used to jump off curbs, skid the tires, fall of it, etc. Nothing ever failed...

Funny, when I was a kid, i would NEVER perform ANY maintenance (except flats...I had one tube that had 6 patches on it!), and NONE of the components failed on that BMX-style bike after 5 years of riding it almost every day. I even never once put a drop of oil on the chain. Believe me, I used to jump off curbs, skid the tires, fall of it, etc. Nothing ever failed...
Ah, I grew up on mountainbikes. My first real ride was quite the frankenmonster of bastard parts.

Ah, I grew up on mountainbikes. My first real ride was quite the frankenmonster of bastard parts.

Those were the days? Weren't they? You didnt care about your bike, as long as it ran. You actually enjoyed what you had, instead of falling into the pit of upgraditis and maintenance. Ignorance is bliss.

i can say that i saw tink hold his bike up playing chicken with cars... so they gotta be a little beefy

People rave about the KHS Flite 100?

Well it used to be cheaper and come with Sugino 75s. Used to be a great machine for the money, now its been upstaged and KHS have done a poor job keeping it well placed in the market.

Have a few friends riding Flite 100 frames and they say they're great for city/messengering on.

Thanks, for the input, if I do get it i'm gonna upgrade the handlebars, seat, and stem pretty much immediately. and then slap on a pair of time pedals. So I guess in the long run it's worth it as a backup bike for work.

In the same price range, YoJimbos has a Fuji Track for 345.00 < www.yojimbosgarage.com >
I was going to get an IRO but after thinking about it, this is my first track
bike and I felt sort of like a yupster by going out and getting a nice off the shelfer
that someone else built.
I still want an IRO but feel I need to earn my wings on the cheepo and learning about
gear ratios, threaded track hubs etc.....I think the the TT will serve this purpose.
I wont feel as bad dropping it while attempting imbecilic stunts either...........:eek:

In the same price range, YoJimbos has a Fuji Track for 345.00 < www.yojimbosgarage.com >
I was going to get an IRO but after thinking about it, this is my first track
bike and I felt sort of like a yupster by going out and getting a nice off the shelfer
that someone else built.
I still want an IRO but feel I need to earn my wings on the cheepo and learning about
gear ratios, threaded track hubs etc.....I think the the TT will serve this purpose.
I wont feel as bad dropping it while attempting imbecilic stunts either...........:eek:

Yeah, my first track bike was a schwinn paramount that I converted about 5 years ago. it was a beast of a bike, but I had good wheels and hubs, so it rolled pretty quick, I traded it to upgrade and the funny thing is, since then I must have saw at least two or three people riding my exact frame downtown. I guess it went through the bicycle grapevine. But man I put that bike through hell, wrecked on it two or three times, I never cared cause I got the frame for like 25 bucks.

The best thing about building up your own is that you won't get upgrade fever, But riding a cheapo will definitely make you appreciate a much better bike. and you will be much faster once you switch to a higher quality frame.

So.... I just bought a Mercier Kilo from Ebay and it seems to be a pretty good deal. The first thing I changed (while I was building it up) was the wheelset over to an Alex 450 with Suzue hubs/DA cog and lockring. The sizes are a little weird, as I'm 5'11 but according to the auction I went with a 53cm frame because the standover was about right.

The bike is definitely the right size for me however, and after my first ride yesterday I realized the gearing is a little too tall. The bars are some China Brand Cheapies for sure, but they're wrapped in awesome super soft tape. Another thing I noted was that the headset was shipped very tight and needed adjustment.

The stock wheels (Which now reside on my rain bike from which I stole the ALEX 450's) were definitely no-name but were pretty light even though they were 36h, the hubs seem ok, but also needed lube and cone adjustment. The rims were true and the spoke tension seemed good, so that's how they will stay. BTW-the rims are double-wall but non eyeletted and seem to be painted silver, or the aluminum has a very dull finish.

The frame is absolutely great (for the money) with good welds and fairly decent finish, and the cranks are definitely OK-I found the same crankset going on Ebay for around $75, so they're middle of the price range. The pedals are cheapies, but most people replace those anyways. Oh and the stem is definitely not race-quality, but not total junk either (the hole drilled for the top bolt was slightly off-center LOL).

I did my research on here before buying the bike, and I have to say that I agree with everyone else on here- The "Ebay Mercier" is seriously a decent bike for the money-at least a good starting point for someone that wants to learn fixed gear, or someone (like me) that wants to ditch his 35 lb 1972 Schwinn conversion.

A complete fixie BRAND NEW for ~$350 with a decent frameset and crankset is a good place to start...

Funny, when I was a kid, i would NEVER perform ANY maintenance (except flats...I had one tube that had 6 patches on it!)

Come on... is 6 patches a lot to you? that's so American. My personal record is in the vicinity of 15 on the same tube. 6 to 8 from a previous owner (don't remember how a used tube ended up in my wheels). I clearly remember going past 12. Then one or more started leaking slowly (or I got a tiny-tiny hole) and I didn't feel like pumping tyres every 3 days, nor looking for the culprit so I retired it.

Hey Im back and I have ridden the Mercier over 600 miles now and it is still going strong. Nothing is wrong with it at all... I'll report back after I hit 1500 miles. Broke my collarbone 3 weeks ago and will be riding in a week or two.

Chad

Come on... is 6 patches a lot to you? that's so American.

:D Ahaha that says it all.. LOL

I remember when I was a kid I built a bike from spare parts but couldn't find any bearings for the headset.... So I didn't run any bearings in the headset for like 6 months LOL

got one of the ebay merciers and have enjoyed it. done like 400 miles on it with all the stock components and have had limited frustrations. I'm replacing the bars, stem, and hopefully the wheels(any recommendations?) this month. It was pretty much what I expected for the price. I almost got a Pista. Lately it seems like everyone else and their mother did. I can't go a day without seeing a shiny silver one.

i don't really understand people who buy this bike for $300 and immediately replace the wheelset, cranks, stem and bars.

that's most of the bike - why not just buy a nicer frame for $300 and go from there?

use cheaper, used road components until you get the track stuff you like.

i don't really understand people who buy this bike for $300 and immediately replace the wheelset, cranks, stem and bars.

that's most of the bike - why not just buy a nicer frame for $300 and go from there?

use cheaper, used road components until you get the track stuff you like.

well if you sell the wheels and cranks to some poor unsuspecting sap for $250 (like I did) then you've made out with a $100 frame.

but yeah, ride the stock components until they die. then replace.

well if you sell the wheels and cranks to some poor unsuspecting sap for $250 (like I did) then you've made out with a $100 frame.

but yeah, ride the stock components until they die. then replace.

true. if you sell them in new condition and recoup some money, then it seems like a fine business move.

thats a good point. I'll admit....my old bike (uber-dumpy late 80's schwinn predator, can I get a hell yeah) got stolen and I wanted some instant gratification. It was tax time, you get the idea. But seriously, I dont NEED to replace the parts I just want to cuz it's fun and I recently quit the booze so I got lots 'o extra dough. I still stand by my purchase, wether it was rash or not. There's obviously better bikes but if you just want to have a fun summer without tracking parts down.....