Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - No BS, What does a BD bike really cost?

When I rode the Kilo, I kind of felt like the frame was just not right as well...I couldn't put my finger on it, but I really didn't enjoy the way it felt. It just didnt' feel as crisp as mine

The problem with the Kilo was not related to it's geometry. The problem was that the frame flexed like crazy.

Out of curiosity could it have been a size issue? My 53 didn't feel at all flexy, but I'm a small guy and it's a fairly small frame. If you're a big dude and the tubes are longer I could see that.

my kilo's the tits. i dunno. maybe it's just that i haven't ridden a great bike yet.

^^^^Again, a possibility that I am willing to allow for. I usually ride a 55 or so, the Kilo was a 57

that's great that your stock bike worked out for you, but that's you. there's a reason i said "most."

a few people get extremely lucky to find a stock bike with their preferred saddle, pedal system, ideal contact points, etc. etc. also, some people just aren't too particular about that stuff, that's ok too.

however, for most people, there is no stock bike that fits their needs perfectly. even the really "nice" ones.

I agree 100%. Twenty years ago I could go buy a brand new bike and it needed nothing switched out or changed. As I have aged I have became more particular. I have learned what seat I prefer, what brand of tires, what type of handlebar tape, etc, etc. There is no way one could go to a bike shop and find a brand new bike with all of ones preferences already on the bike. For example I just bought a brand new Cannondale back in May. My favorite seat is made by Specialized. Not very likely to come stock on any Cannondale model.

The best one can do is state to the shop selling the bike what you want on it and they will convert the bike before you buy it from them. They usually do so at a discount rate because the parts they remove are brand new parts and they can sell then to somebody else.

If it makes any difference, I was riding a 60cm Kilo and my Hour is 61cm

I'm 6'1+ 200lbs and strong. I feel flex in alot of the bikes I ride haha.

I cut my risers shorter b/c when at full length I could feel flex in my Nitto risers.

My gf's Nitto bullhorns are the same way. I feel them flex like crazy when I climb or sprint out of the saddle and nobody else feels it.

I bought the Kilo because I didn't want to go through the conversion hassle and I wanted to be sure I really wanted a fixed gear. I thought the frame geometry looked good. I ended up putting on a Shimano 105 front brake, some Tektro levers, SPD pedals, and Armadillo tires. If you don't count the tires, the new parts were < $100. Will I do any other changes? Probably not, I would sell it and buy higher quality across the board. Was it good to get me adicted? Yes. As they say, the first one is free (or nearly :lol:)

As far as frame flex, is it really fair to compare an aluminum frame (Trek T1) to any steel frame? Steel is naturally more flexible. I have an old '80's Tange 2 steel road bike that squirms like a snake if I shake the bars enough. The 57cm Kilo is solid compared to that.

As far as frame flex, is it really fair to compare an aluminum frame (Trek T1) to any steel frame?

Good point.

I purchased a used Kilo TT frame off Craigslist in December. I transferred most of my SS parts onto it, and rode it back and forth to work for 5 months.
I found the front half of the frame to be EXTREMELY flexy, giving a very bad shaky feeling when coming home from work. My commute home includes a little less than 1/2 mile descent of a little more than 250 feet in altitude. I regulary reach speeds in the 35+ range. Compared to my other SS frames,the front half of the KIlo TT frame was very flexy.
Conversely, the back half of the frame seemed to be overly stiff. It is the worst riding steel bike I have ever ridden.

I swapped all of my parts back onto my previous frame, attempted to sell the Kilo fram, was unsucessful, and ended up throwing it out.

perhaps by "front half" you mean handlebars and stem. All things being equal, I seriously doubt you can tell the difference in flexibility with different steel tubing and welding.

perhaps by "front half" you mean handlebars and stem. All things being equal, I seriously doubt you can tell the difference in flexibility with different steel tubing and welding.

The Kilo top tube and down tube have tapers that are fatter at the seat tube than the head tube. Maybe he did perceive a difference. I don't have a base to compare to in this case.

kilo tt - $350

mks gr-9s - $20 (free to me, i had a gift card)
soma quad clips - $20
soma doubles - $40
mks steel toe clips - $12 (the somas broke)
toshi doubles - $70 (the somas broke)
easton ea30 risers - $30 (free to me, i had a gift card)
nitto rb021s - $35
black velocity aerohead wheelset - $100 (used)

i also got some stuff for free.. 17t iro cog, selle italia slk, ourys..

so, around 625 bucks, without tubes/tires.

Windsor "The Hour" = $300
Surly 18t cog = $30
Mavic CXP22s to formula = $165 (after shipping)
Upgraded touring pedals w/clips = Free
Paint = $15
New Saddle = $35
Tektro Front brake from bikeisland = $35

Total: $575

Not too bad..

$299-Windsor "The Hour"
$027-Soma 456 drops
$010-Soma tape
$099-Alex R-450/Formula
$010-Cobra 16T cog
$040-Michelin Dynamics/tubes
$015-KMC-Z chain
$020-Selle San Marco Ponza saddle
$120-Powdercoating
$085-Sold my stock wheelset
$025-Sold stock bars/cog
$530

[QUOTE=JayNev;7184008]Where?!


I bought a set of shimano 600 pedals off ebay for 50 bucks because it looked like there were toshi doubles on there, took a bit of a risk. Resold the pedals on ebay after I took the straps off for 32 and there we go!

Kilo TT: $349
MKS GR-9 pedals: $20
Clips & Straps: $10
Better lockring: $10
Oury grips: $14
Tektro brake kit: $30
3M Scotchlite tape: $5
Riser bars: given to me
Armadillo tire: from my old bike
Rear fender: from my old bike

total: $438

Kilo TT Pro-$479
Risers-$20
Grips $10
Saddle $35
Chain tensioners $10
Stem $20
pedals/straps/cages $50
EAI Cog $40
Ben's Lockring $10

$675

I don't have a Bikesdirect bike, but this thread made me interested to see how much money I'd dumped in to my complete that I rushed in to buying, an 08 Specialized Langster Boston.

I got the bike on sale for 630, and have put an additional $600 in parts in to it!!!!!

=[

Moral of the story... Make sure you do your research. =P

08 windsor $300
nitto jag stem NJS $120
nitto rb-021 bullhorn $45
mks sylvan lite & mks toe clips & straps $80
deep vs laced to the stock windsor hubs $140
tires & tubes $100

thats $785 altogether

i flipped it on craigslist for $400 and kept the nitto stem and mks pedals

starting a new build with a kilo tt frame from bikeisland
i regret buying the windsor

I've had my Kilo TT for over a year. I initially swapped out the pedals for the PowerGrips high-performance pedal kit which cost me around $70. I also initially put on a Cane Creek front brake system (cross lever & SCR-3 caliper) at about... I dunno... $70 or so. My last initial mod was a Surly 17t cog and lockring for about $40. A month or so later, I swapped out the bars for some Swobo Sanchez risers for around $30 or so.

Recently (like, last week) I replaced the stock wheels with the 2008 Vuelta Track Team wheels at $190.

So, altogether, that's somewhere in the area of $750 spread over more than a year (not including consumables like tires and whatnot) for this:



(The ControlTech stem and Kashimax Aero saddle I already had.)

Not bad at all, I'd say.

Bike looks really clean bro, good job

This is why I'm holding out for a Kilo frame on Bikeisland. I don't see the point in getting a bike I'd just upgrade the **** out of.

I already have a set of used Mavic Ellipses, a Sugino RD crank, eggbeaters, and a B17.

But then again, for an extra $100, I could sell the old parts.

Hmmm.

Like with most mechanical interests, the only thing that really 'sticks' in terms of putting money into one of my bikes would be paint (which, btw, I've never done). I flip all sorts of stuff or sell off stuff I know I won't ever need/use w/ CL or Ebay....a full flip is usually a flip upwards, though. ie, starting out with the dumpster bike, flipping it for $50, buying a bike, flipping that one for $150 & so on (well, OK, those are more like lawnmower flipping prices, but you get the idea). Anyway, I have multiple bikes and always a project or two in mind, so I know that pretty much everything will get used at least in one bike setup, and more likely in several over time...so I'd look at the BD bike I have as pretty much a straight-up purchase. I have an UNO, so I added drop brake levers. Maybe I should count that $24 extra. It counts right now, but who's to say I won't have straight bars off one of my MTBs on it later on. With stuff like this, I may add this or that, but when it's time to sell I return it to it's stock spec & use the other stuff somewhere else. It's the nature of cyclists to tweak...and that involves buying/trying different parts. Sometimes I buy stuff that I don't know that I need particularly, but I find it at a good price & figure that it will either come in handy one day or I can sell it for the same $$ or more down the road. I've been doing that with cars & the parts for them (sorta oddball Italian stuff that interests me) for the last 15 years so I've been able liquidate some of the mass of car parts in favor of a growing collection of bikes & parts at a cost of something that probably nets a zero actual outlay or less (uh, that would be negative, or a "profit").

So, that's all to say that I'd have to know that 1. I was replacing a crucial piece of the bike & 2. that I would not remove the add-on/swap when I sold the bike. In my case, even the bar tape on my UNO will likely get a stay on the cross/road bike I'm building for my son before it ends up in the trash. Maybe that's all to say I'm just a big cheapskate....lol....

Call me crazy, but if your going to put cut down risers on your fixed, you might as well get a cheap frame...good frame+risers=waste of money IMO.

<insult removed.>

no man, risers on a good frame are good. you just have to make sure theyre butted as many times as the main tubes are. i heard nitto makes some quadruple butted risers that make your barspins faster.

Call me an old man, but what are bar spins and what's the point of them?

$350 for Messenger
$20 new handlebars
$10 new brake lever
$Free saddle and CF seat post off one of my other bikes
$30 rear tire
$18 18T cog
$2 ss screws to fill the rack attachment holes
$9 bar tape
$4 brake cable
$30 wheel truing at LBS

Total = $475ish :thumb:

$1.2K
Stem
Handlebars
Seat
Pedals
Wheels
LBS labor

Came with peeling clear coat

Not quite the bargain it looked like from the BD website........

i built my FTP for $1.3k .....

you're pretty much an idiot

Lets see, with cut down risers risers you a) can't climb for **** B) cant sprint for **** c) cant get aero and go fast well at all. So pretty much your stuck to looking hella rad riding around downtown to the bars with one hand position. If you want an upright position why not get a mountain bike in the first place?

lets see, with cut down risers risers you a) can't climb for **** b) cant sprint for **** c) cant get aero and go fast well at all. So pretty much your stuck to looking hella rad riding around downtown to the bars with one hand position. If you want an upright position why not get a mountain bike in the first place?

+1

Lets see, with cut down risers risers you a) can't climb for **** B) cant sprint for **** c) cant get aero and go fast well at all. So pretty much your stuck to looking hella rad riding around downtown to the bars with one hand position. If you want an upright position why not get a mountain bike in the first place?
So? Maybe he does not want/need those options. Looks like MOST FG/SS bikes here and what I see are mainly city bikes. To each his own.

++

At the end of it I was into my Hour for about $600 including the price of the bike. Got $400 for it but usage & the price of my new ride offset that cost tremendously.

so much hate

I don't know where you guys live, but where I am from you can throw all the stock crap onto a dumpstered conversion and sell it for more than the complete kilo....

Just my two cents....these bikes are reasonable "stock" and dont require to be pimped up....but since the stock parts are of modest quality it's also reasonable to upgrade them.

My Dawes SST got only two real upgrades, a longer seatpost ($19) and clipless pedals ($39). I also bought a cog and lockring for the fixed side ($16).

So the total cost was about 400 bucks.

i think no matter what bike i buy, there will be something that i would want to upgrade or replace.

when i bought my messenger i dropped an extra $80 on new bars, break lever and bar tape right away.
i just bought new pedals and clips for it for $40ish, so now my $350 bike is getting closer to a $500 bike.
let's say i bought a pista (or any other bike that is ~$500). i would have done the exact same thing.

the bikesdirect frames are just as practical for me as any bike under the $1k mark.

i think most people who buy from bikesdirect expect to upgrade at some point (or have upgrades ready when the bike arrives).
we know that by opting for a cheaper overall bike we can use the money that would have been towards a more expensive bike on upgrades and preferences and still spend less.

i think no matter what bike i buy, there will be something that i would want to upgrade or replace.



+1

I've learned my lesson a few times over. Now I assume that if I'm buying a new bike I should budget $100-$200 for pedals, a saddle, and possibly new handlebars. I prefer clipless, so I'm stuck with that expense as a minimum.

Any spare parts go into the bin and are tend to be used on beater bikes I've put together for friends.

I don't own a BD bike myself, but I figure a lot of people are buying them to get into cycling or as a first bike after a long time away. A few upgrades should be considered entirely normal since it can take a good number of miles and a bit of experimentation to find the right saddle, or to fine tune the handlebar position with the right stem, etc. Getting a bike set up right, either at home or at a shop, should just be considered part of the cost of ownership.

So? Maybe he does not want/need those options. Looks like MOST FG/SS bikes here and what I see are mainly city bikes. To each his own.
Which comes back to what I said before, if your going to build a bike with risers IMO an expensive frame isnt needed. I really doubt that people with risers are generating enough power to flex their steel frames. I could be wrong though.

+1

I've learned my lesson a few times over. Now I assume that if I'm buying a new bike I should budget $100-$200 for pedals, a saddle, and possibly new handlebars. I prefer clipless, so I'm stuck with that expense as a minimum.

Any spare parts go into the bin and are tend to be used on beater bikes I've put together for friends.

I don't own a BD bike myself, but I figure a lot of people are buying them to get into cycling or as a first bike after a long time away. A few upgrades should be considered entirely normal since it can take a good number of miles and a bit of experimentation to find the right saddle, or to fine tune the handlebar position with the right stem, etc. Getting a bike set up right, either at home or at a shop, should just be considered part of the cost of ownership.

I know the pro's/con's of BD have been debated ad nauseum...but I must reply to this...I do own a BD bike and there are tradeoffis....but I would NOT recommend a newbie to get a BD bike. There are too many issues regarding proper fit, setup and maintenance, etc., that make me feel that only somewhat experienced cyclists should go the mail order route. For a first bike, it's worth spending a few extra dollars to ensure that the bike fits and is setup right.

Off my soapbox and back to work.

really doubt that people with risers are generating enough power to flex their steel frames. I could be wrong though.

+1
i've ridden MTB my entire life so i'm very comfortable with risers and once i decided to get into FG i couldn't (and still don't) understand the risers craze (aside from the need to do barspinz).

there's a reason that risers come stock on mountain bikes and not on road/track bikes.