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

Well, after you switched out wheels, bars, cogs, saddle, added a brake or some mks pedals, how much did your BD bike really end up costing?

When I was riding mine, I upgraded the wheels, tires, stem, bars, saddle and cog plus I added a brake and lever. I easily put another $250-$300 worth of parts on there (though lots came from my parts bin). Looking back, I really should have just added a brake and comfy saddle and been done with it. Oh well. Live and learn.

Time to fess up. How much did your $300 bike really cost?

Ive only changed the handlebars (free risers, $20 bullhorns, $40 track drops) and changed the cog/lockring ($45). Im having fun riding like that... and I find the stock saddle pretty comfortable (until i try something REALLY comfortable that is).

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:

http://www.labyfire.org/tim/iamtim_mktt.jpg

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

Not bad at all, I'd say.

I prob should figure out how much I have invested. :twitchy:

$325 - Windsor Hour (Taxes because I'm in Texas)
$23 - New Stem (80 and 90mm - ebay)
$41 - New Saddle (used)
$10 - Ourys
$25 - Surly 18t Cog
$10 - KMC SL Chain
$35 - Brake Kit

Random
$10 - Rear Light
$30 - Bulldog U-Lock
$10 - Labor Costs at LBS
$15 - SKS Fender

Total for bike - $534

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.

good looking bike

good looking bike

Thank you very much! I was dubious about the blue components when I first started adding them, but ultimately I think it's worked out well.

I've changed the craps pedals on my Dawes SST for MKS GR-9's with MKS steel clips and Christophe straps for $65 shipped. The rest of the parts I can live with for now. Plus, I paid sales tax on the bike because I live in Texas. So, total price with tax and shipping was about $422.

Kilo tt

350 (150) for the bike,

sold the stem/wheels/pedals/a free frame as a conversion for 175
sold the crankset and BB for 25

bought:
shimano 600 crankset/shimano bb/shimano ring 50/25/30 105
shimano dura ace stem 25
syntace stratos bullhorns 25
vintage KKT top run pedals 10
toshi doubles 18
wheels off my conversion (the other vueltas!) 150
shimano cog/ring 23
shimano 600 seat post 30
Flite 46
gold finger brake lever 25

about 650 including bar tape and tires but not including the risers/shimano 600 stem (40) or the specialized stem to pista bars (40) or the money I lost trying different pedal/strap and bar/stem combos until I found the ones I like!

I must admit I really enjoy the end result:

http://scoot.net/gallery/bbs/phpvA6LxXPM.jpg

I upgraded the wheels, tires, stem, bars, saddle and cog plus I added a brake and lever...

If you're swapping out all that stuff right from the start, why buy a complete bike instead of building up around a frame?

i spent $22 on new bars and grips and its very rideable for now

****, i don't want to count


I'll start w/ my current setup...then the amounts I spent on the parts broken in my accident.

-origin 8 stem $30
-oury grips $12
-Nitto risers $50
-Sugino Messenger Crankset $140
-MKS Sylvan Lite Pedals $22
-Tioga Clips $15
-MKS chain $10
-17T cog $20
-Formula/Deep V's $305 w/ Maxxis tires
-Dia-Compe SS tire $48

OK, now stuff that was replaced

Easton Flat Bars $30
McNeil Grips $12
Front Deep V $105 to rebuild w/ front hub
MKS Sylvan Pedals $20


I don't want to total that

SO most of you guys would have been better off to buy a higher quality level bike with a good frame to start with? IS that the point? I like the MB messenger, but $800-1000 will buy a much nicer bik ethan a Kilo.

Many people can't afford the larger upfront cost of a "nicer" bike so they amortize the cost over time with incremental upgrades.

SO most of you guys would have been better off to buy a higher quality level bike with a good frame to start with? IS that the point? I like the MB messenger, but $800-1000 will buy a much nicer bik ethan a Kilo.

Not me. I would have been better off just riding the bike I bought instead of giving in to upgradeitis. As I indicated above, with a brake and a saddle it would have been perfectly functional.

Even after all the changes, I still ended up not loving it. Good thing there's Craig's List and ebay.

I don't have an exact total of what I've spent, but I've purchased a new: stem, bars, seat, cranks/bb (after the stock cranks stripped where the pedals thread into the crank), pedals x 2, and cog. My estimate is that it's around $750. Plus, I was installing a new cog a few days ago, and somehow the threads for the lockring managed to get stripped, which I'm guessing was slowly happening as the cog/lockring had slipped before while riding. Anyway, now I'm in the market for a new set of wheels, or at least a rear hub that I will have to get rebuilt on the stock Kilo wheels. I'm not too impressed with it at this point...

SO most of you guys would have been better off to buy a higher quality level bike with a good frame to start with?

Nope.

I already have a "higher quality level bike" that, aside of swapping out the 'cross cranks for compact cranks, I've left well enough alone. The Kilo is my "mess around" bike, my "tinker" bike, my "fun" bike.

The Kilo was perfect for me.

Did you replace the components listed above with solid gold versions to get to $1.2k?

SO most of you guys would have been better off to buy a higher quality level bike with a good frame to start with? IS that the point? I like the MB messenger, but $800-1000 will buy a much nicer bik ethan a Kilo.

800-1000 bikes don't come with the highest quality components either. I have a feeling most of these guys would have succumbed to upgrade-itis regardless. :p

^^^^^But for 800-1000 at least you get a decent frame

There's nothing wrong with the Kilo frame. It's a solid, steel frameset that has a nice look about it.

most people replace parts on really nice stock bikes as well. at least things like pedals, saddle, stem and bars.

I don'tknow about that^^^^^ I don't have a nice SSFG because of how I use them, but I have a nice road bike, and I bought it exactly how I wanted. All I have done is add a seat bag, speedo, and a pump.
Alot of you guys might be better off buying a nice bike to start with.

toshi doubles 18
Where?!


But yeah, I can see why replacing stuff doesn't make sense, and it's alot of money. But at the same time, it wasn't bought on day 2 of owning the bike. You rode the bike the way it was, and upgraded as you went along.

But again, that's why i bought frame/fork/bottom bracket/headset/stem off craigslist for $150 or so and then just got to putting quality wheels from the get go, and so on.

Alot of you guys might be better off buying a nice bike to start with.

According to what? Your opinion?

Why not jsut buy a really nice bike with a nice quality frame to start with?
Is it a money thing?

According to what? Your opinion?

Well, I look at your bike, and it has alot of nice parts, on a a $5 frame.

Sure, OK. It was a money thing. Or maybe I wanted to buy an entry level bike to try out SS/FG riding, upgrading if I enjoyed it. Perhaps I'm a bike tinkerer, and I wanted a bike that I could mess with. Hey, maybe I looked at the Kilo TT and thought, "damn that's a sharp looking bike, I want one of those."

There are thousands of reasons why someone might get a Kilo TT over another, more expensive bike.

Why does it matter to you that I bought a Kilo TT -- with it's nice quality frame and all -- as opposed to a different bike?

It seems like a lot of the stuff that I've upgraded are things I would've upgraded on any low to mid level off the shelf fixed gear. Normally when people say that the Kilo on any BD special is a good deal, they're comparing it to things like a Pista or KHS Flite, not some top frameset you bought and picked out all the components. For examples, I have changed out the handlebars and tape, pedals and clip, saddle, cog and lockring after over 6 months of use. Just comparing this to the pista, I would've changed the pedals and clips/ straps because most pistas I've seen in shops come stock without clips and straps. I would've changed at least the cog to gear down for my hilly terrain since most track oriented fixed gears come with a high gearing of 48-16. Handlebars and saddles are also highly personal items; any bike I buy complete from a shop is going to have the saddle changed out for a womens saddle, and chances are I'm going to also want narrower bars. So the things I've changed out were partially because they were crap components but also because they're fairly personal components; the ones that come stock on a bike thats 2-300 dollars more expensive would have been changed too. The only thing out of the ordinary that I'm having to replace are the wheels and they've given me 9 months of great use as it is. So yea I've spent 5-600 on my BD bike, but that's still about the price that I would've spent BEFORE NEEDED UPGRADES on most of the other bikes in the same category. Great deal in my opinion.

Well, I look at your bike, and it has alot of nice parts, on a a $5 frame.

$5 frame? you really do not know much about the frame manufacturers or frames in general, do you?

Sure, OK. It was a money thing. ?

Well that I can understand. It is almost like you bought a nice bike on payments, instead of just buying it.

Well that I can understand. It is almost like you bought a nice bike on payments, instead of just buying it.

Well, for me, it actually *wasn't* a money thing. I was just listing that as any one of a number of possible reasons, for which you seem to have missed my entire point.

Just out of curiosity, do you own a Kilo TT or the Kilo TT frame? Have you looked at one in detail? Have you ridden one more than just around the block giving it a fair shake? Or are you completely going off of an unfounded opinion about the bike?

I'm going with "unfounded opinion" and "ignorant about frames in general."

I'm going with "unfounded opinion" and "ignorant about frames in general."

+1

I don'tknow about that^^^^^ I don't have a nice SSFG because of how I use them, but I have a nice road bike, and I bought it exactly how I wanted. All I have done is add a seat bag, speedo, and a pump.
Alot of you guys might be better off buying a nice bike to start with.

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.

Why not jsut buy a really nice bike with a nice quality frame to start with?
Is it a money thing?

I did. It's a butted cromoly frame made by the same factory that makes frames for Trek, Kona, GT, Raleigh, Felt, etc. It's not rocket science to build a decent frame.

You're just worried that you paid too much.

Only suckers pay retail. :lol:

Only suckers pay retail. :50:

Fixed

Well, for me, it actually *wasn't* a money thing. I was just listing that as any one of a number of possible reasons, for which you seem to have missed my entire point.

Just out of curiosity, do you own a Kilo TT or the Kilo TT frame? Have you looked at one in detail? Have you ridden one more than just around the block giving it a fair shake? Or are you completely going off of an unfounded opinion about the bike?

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.

Interesting. I don't have *any* of those problems, and I regularly bomb down hills larger and longer than that. I wonder if this is the problem:

I purchased a used Kilo TT frame

I'll lay down odds that your frame was bad. Maybe the seller was selling it for a reason. *shrug*

I did. It's a butted cromoly frame made by the same factory that makes frames for Trek, Kona, GT, Raleigh, Felt, etc. It's not rocket science to build a decent frame.

You're just worried that you paid too much.
:


I have ridden a Trek T1, a MB messenger, and a Kilo TT (although not exactly as factory delivered).

There is absolutely no comparison.

Maybe the Kilo comes from the same factory. But that does not mean it is built to the same specs. Maybe you have never ridden a quality frame?

By the way, the companies you have listed, do not make many(possibly a few Treks) bikes that meet my personal standards. SO maybe this is a case of different expectations. I expect the best, most of you are ok with something that barely functions?

That is what is interesting about this thread. For the money some of you have spent, you could have had a truly decent quality bike. The Trek T1 for instance, it may not fit you personal style, that I understand, but as far a quality of construction, there is no comparision. As far as feel when riding, there is no comparision.

Fixed

Oh thanks! I'm not hip enough to find my own custom smilies. :thumb:

That is what is interesting about this thread. For the money some of you have spent, you could have had a truly decent quality bike.

No, here is what is interesting: we're telling you that we have truly decent quality bikes. For some reason, you don't want to hear it so you're ignoring it.

Your experience might be different, but don't discount ours just because it isn't what you want to hear.

Interesting. I don't have *any* of those problems, and I regularly bomb down hills larger and longer than that. I wonder if this is the problem:



I'll lay down odds that your frame was bad. Maybe the seller was selling it for a reason. *shrug*

I admit that is a remote possibility, but the frame did appear perfect, and the MB messenger (although I did not ride it as long, it was borrowed) was essentially the same. ( I was not in the mood to push a borrowed friends bike)
Another possibility is that I have a personal history of being rough on frames. But the other bikes I have used as my commuter have held up ok.

No, here is what is interesting: we're telling you that we have truly decent quality bikes. For some reason, you don't want to hear it so you're ignoring it.

Your experience might be different, but don't discount ours just because it isn't what you want to hear.

I hear. But I see better. I see your bike, with some nice parts, and a cheap frame. A cheap frame that I have some experience with, from a company I have some experience with, and that I have found lacking on both occasions.


That being said, I am considering a MB messenger for my daughter. At her power level I do not believe she would have any trouble, and I do not believe she has enough experience to have devoloped a taste for quality frames.

I have ridden a Trek T1, a MB messenger, and a Kilo TT (although not exactly as factory delivered).

There is absolutely no comparison.

Maybe the Kilo comes from the same factory. But that does not mean it is built to the same specs. Maybe you have never ridden a quality frame?

By the way, the companies you have listed, do not make many(possibly a few Treks) bikes that meet my personal standards. SO maybe this is a case of different expectations. I expect the best, most of you are ok with something that barely functions?

That is what is interesting about this thread. For the money some of you have spent, you could have had a truly decent quality bike. The Trek T1 for instance, it may not fit you personal style, that I understand, but as far a quality of construction, there is no comparision. As far as feel when riding, there is no comparision.

Oh I get it, you're a troll! That explains the sig. Bravo!

Another possibility is that I have a personal history of being rough on frames. But the other bikes I have used as my commuter have held up ok.

Another possibility is that you didn't realize that a track geometry has a completely different feel than a road geometry.

I bought the Windsor Hour because I honestly believed I would keep it stock.


Almost $800 later, I've gotten bit hard by the bug and have a bike that rides REALLY nicely. I've ridden a stock Bianchi Pista before and my bike feels tons better.

Rode a Kilo TT and it felt like **** compared to my hour before i upgraded bb/crankset and stem.

Oh I get it, you're a troll! That explains the sig. Bravo!

I'm not sure what this means.

there is no limit to the amount of money you can spend on something.

Another possibility is that you didn't realize that a track geometry has a completely different feel than a road geometry.

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

At her power level I do not believe she would have any trouble, and I do not believe she has enough experience to have devoloped a taste for quality frames.

Ah... now I see. Because the Kilo TT is just fine for us, evidently we just don't have the power or taste to differentiate a quality frame. Ill-bred, unsophisticated cretins we are.

Yeah. You're trolling.