Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Surly Steamroller vs. Mercier Kilo TT frame, which is better & why?

Still shopping............and learning. Thanks again for input in advance.

The Kilo TT is the little brother to the Kilo WT, which is a direct rip off of the Steamroller. TT- skinny tires. Roller - big tires.

Thanks for clearing that up....sorry for noop Q, so what you're saying is that there is no clerance on the kilo frame to run a wider tire? like say a cycle cross tire? Otherwise the geometry and steel is the same? Why is the Steamroller more $ then? Brand name or better components on the completes? I could not find the price for a kilo frame alone, I know Surly frames sell for about $250 alone i think. Thanks

The Kilo TT is the little brother to the Kilo WT, which is a direct rip off of the Steamroller. TT- skinny tires. Roller - big tires.

Those are some pretty harsh words. The geometry is the same, but Surly didn't invent those angles and they certainly did not invent wide-tire clearance. The two frames fill a similar niche...if thats a rip-off in your opinion, than basically everything out there is a rip-off of something else. I prefer the WT over the steamroller just for the simple fact that it has fender eyelets, which makes it more versatile.

To the OP... Both bikes are fine. They (Kilo TT and Steamroller) have slightly different geometries and capabilities, but which one is better depends on you and how you plan on riding. You need to provide more information.

ok, mainly quick trips to the store, rides around the lake with the dog and maybe some commuting. nothing over 7mi at a time i'd say. what does each frame excel at? so no fender eyelets on the kilo huh? can still go with universal mtb style ones though...

Thanks for clearing that up....sorry for noop Q, so what you're saying is that there is no clerance on the kilo frame to run a wider tire? like say a cycle cross tire? Otherwise the geometry and steel is the same? Why is the Steamroller more $ then? Brand name or better components on the completes? I could not find the price for a kilo frame alone, I know Surly frames sell for about $250 alone i think. Thanks

I'm looking at Steamroller frames for around $400 right now. Where are you finding these $250 deals?

The Bikes Direct bikes are cheaper because they sell factory-direct near wholesale prices. There is no bikeshop middleman. Surly's also have a cult-like following and a very strong reputation so they are able to over-charge a bit (IMO) for their frames. I am a fan of Surly products, but realistically, there is no real difference in quality between the frames. However, the Kilo TT is more like a track frame with quick handling and no clearance for wide tires and no fender eyelets. The Steamroller has geometry more like a road frame and clearance for wide tires. It lacks fender eyelets, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me for a wide tire frame meant to serve as an all-purpose bike.
The Kilo WT takes wide tires and is very similar to the steamroller, but with fender eyelets..personally, I would choose this one. Check the Bikeisland.com website for Bikes Direct framesets. I'm sure the Kilo TT frameset is on there, but not sure about the Kilo WT.


Good luck!

For entry level, I'll get the kilo tt; it's a great bike (despite its website distributor/ brand owner; yes bikesdirect owns the once "proud" mercier and whatever motobecame and windsor....) and a way better value when compared to the almost double the cost steamroller which is almost exactly the same when you dissect them in every "stock" way....

Is it me or surly branded things are wayyyy too overpriced for what you get? :rolleyes:

And trust me the wheels that come with the kilo tt are better built last time I checked. :thumb:

so no fender eyelets on the kilo huh? can still go with universal mtb style ones though...

You can go with clip-on fenders on the steamroller, but probably not on the TT because of the lack of clearance.

thanks guys, i'm sure its my bad on the surly frame cost....i was going by memory of seeing that somewhere but i'm prolly wrong and/or confused. options of fatter tires is nice though.......not sure if $100 nice as that is the diff in price b/t the two bikes i am considering.

maybe a fender that clips onto the seat post?

Someone is going to tell you that those suck. just wait

haha....well, just got back from looking at the kilo. nice bike.....looking at the steamroller tomorrow....kilo was a bit tall, hitting my ball sack (again! like the Nishiki I looked at last week, both 58cm which is a bit too big for me i guess, steamroller is 55cm so we'll see).

They do come in different sizes ya know.

i think you'd be fine w/ a fender that clips onto your seatpost. tons of ppl use them.

get the kilo, surly is overpriced like all of their bikes. Besides, if you're not running fat tires then it doesn't have any advantages. Stock parts are about equal on botth

Look into sizing and see which one fits you best. I would pick based on fit. I have not owned a Kilo but I have owned a Steamroller and I have to say, it was heavy and didnt fit me at all. It was a solid bike that felt good on the road, I just could not get comfortable on it. I would go with the Kilo myself but I dont normally run wider tires and fenders are not so important to me. Colorado has more sunny days in the yea than any other state. :) I have a beater for the foul weather condition days. Plus the Kilo has more color choices and faster geometry so thats all a plus to me.

The Kilo can fit Race Blades and Speedez fenders just fine with 28c tires in the front and rear. You won't be to get full fenders on their, but Race Blades have done me fine here in the Northwest, which can get a little bit of rain.

Yes, I am aware the come in diff sizes, these are used bikes guys. Well, even though according to you guys the kilo is as nice if not nicer then the surly, this bike is cheaper and almost brand new but I'm just not sure if i can live with it b/c I think it would always bother me if my nuts hit the top tube all the time. Looking at the surly tomorrow.... Thanks for the heads up on the fenders, good to know.

You should have said upfront they were used, because I'm pretty sure the people chiming in for the Kilo were considering that new they cost $350 shipped versus $720+pedals+tax of the Surly. How much are the bikes? For some reason in Seattle at least people on CL always seem to price their Kilo TT's over retail. They swap out a few parts, ride the crap out of it, then price it at like $400-600. Pretty crazy. Are you looking at that $400 Surly? I'm kinda surprised that hasn't sold yet. Doesn't make me feel great about the resale of my new Steamroller (which I love).

Oh and as for WT vs Steamroller:
Seems silly to prefer the WT just because of eyelets when p-clips or raceblades would work fine (but I agree eyelets woulda been nice). WT also does have rack braze-ons. Let's be honest the WT is mainly attractive because of its price vs Steamroller. I considered the WT too but was planning to have to immediately swap out the pedals and probably saddle, plus buy a cog and lockring to make it fixed. I'm not totally keen on the huge tires. But the Steamroller still has the option, and was ready to roll out of the box just needed pedals. I'm sticking with the saddle. Yes the Surly's a bit more but it's got better looks, no cheeziness, and I supported a LBS and they'll support me.

Those are some pretty harsh words. The geometry is the same, but Surly didn't invent those angles and they certainly did not invent wide-tire clearance. The two frames fill a similar niche...if thats a rip-off in your opinion, than basically everything out there is a rip-off of something else. I prefer the WT over the steamroller just for the simple fact that it has fender eyelets, which makes it more versatile.

It's not just similar angles.. all of the dimensions at all of the frame sizes are identical right down to the tenth of a millimeter. Coincidence? Seems kinda like a ripoff to me. They modelled their bike after the successful Steamroller and they sell it for much cheaper. It's fine to admit. It's how they sell decent bikes for cheap; they copy others and have no need for R&D or trial/error (in addition to skipping the LBS).

Yes, I am aware the come in diff sizes, these are used bikes guys. Well, even though according to you guys the kilo is as nice if not nicer then the surly, this bike is cheaper and almost brand new but I'm just not sure if i can live with it b/c I think it would always bother me if my nuts hit the top tube all the time. Looking at the surly tomorrow.... Thanks for the heads up on the fenders, good to know.

here are some frames
http://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=List&SubCategory=Parts:%20Framesets-Road

and about the nut smashing, that is not the only indicator of a good bike fit, and plus why would your nuts be hitting it all the time. i hope you dont actually "ride" on the top tube

the saddle is there for a reason you know.

haha....i know, i know......i don't like being tippy toed and its unnerving and annoying to have my crotch ride the top tube when standing, you know....

yes, the seattle used bike market is strange. i quite often notice old beat up bikes (nothing special, prolly a $50 bike) converted to fixed with asking prices around $250, $350, etc. Supply and demand i guess, thanks scensters. as for bikes not selling? i don't know, its a tough economy, not a lot of disposable income and way more people selling **** to keep a roof over their head then people looking to buy **** they don't really need.

haha....i know, i know......i don't like being tippy toed and its unnerving and annoying to have my crotch ride the top tube when standing, you know....

yes, the seattle used bike market is strange. i quite often notice old beat up bikes (nothing special, prolly a $50 bike) converted to fixed with asking prices around $250, $350, etc. Supply and demand i guess, thanks scensters. as for bikes not selling? i don't know, its a tough economy, not a lot of disposable income and way more people selling **** to keep a roof over their head then people looking to buy **** they don't really need.

lol good to hear, cause you would look straight up returded if you rode your top tube around town. and thats why you learn how to track stand :P

and i know how you feel, both my bikes are 60cm c-c, i have to lean and tip to one side when stopped on the saddle
or i can get out of the clips and stand over the top tube, if i can do that at only 5' 9", does that mean i have long legs lol

and thats not that bad, I built up the fuji, paid $50 for the frame plus alot of other crap, and the total with all the parts i bought came up around $300 plus labor, i can understand it selling for $350, might be hard to sell but its reasonable.

try nyc, im trying to get a bike here, since all my bikes are at school and ppl on CL, are selling fixed vintage for $500, these dudes must be insane.

and its not even nice parts, almost all stock parts plus dp18, and they think they can sell for that much. freaking insane

yup.............thats what i'm talking about, not nice bikes with nice components but basically the stock bike, ie: rims, tires, etc, just converted to single speed with the stock bars flipped and cut. i don't know, maybe they're just hustling for money....i use to do that with motorcycles, get a cheap stock old honda, put some cafe clubman bars on it and tack on a grand before re-selling to some hipster.

Super nice bike (and cool knowledgeable owner so i'm sure its put together right), going to look at /ride the kilo again then hope to make a decision (ugh, don't want to be "that guy", the tire kicker but $ is $ and don't want to be reselling it either).

I have woody's fenders that I mounted to the rear brake drilling. Those works too.

that dog is squished.