Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Buying a fixed-gear bike tomorrow (Toronto)

Hi guys, I can tell you guys favor the Kilo TT for entry level bikes, but I haven't been able to find a Mercier retailer in Toronto (neither did this poster (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/787167-Masi-Fixed-Uno-Fuji-Classic-Track-Flite100-NO-KILO-TT-IN-TORONTO!))

KHS Flite 100 uses the same frame and retails as a complete for 700 CAD (687 USD) at the store I'm looking at (Urbane Cycle for you Toronto posters)

the specs are here:
http://02c0ceb.netsolhost.com/2009-bicycles/flite100.jpg

I really would like to avoid an online retailer, although I suppose I could get fitted for a bike and buy one of that fit online.


I've seen some amazing bikes in the post your bikes type of threads but I don't have any clue of the value of the component parts. What's a good brand of bike in the 700-1000 USD range?

Surly's start at 1075 up here, I don't like most Iro's, Masi, or Opus I've seen, and as far as Cannondale, Fuji etc I don't know what they're worth in order to spot the deals on craigslist or kijiji.


I don't mind spending a bit more to get a lot more

A few thoughts from my experience (I live in Toronto):

- fixed-gear bikes on craigslist in Toronto are over priced
- most local bike shops in Toronto are also over priced especially for fixed-gear related stuff (e.g. Urbane)
- don't be afraid to order from online retailers in the U.S.; the deals you can there find far outweigh the shipping, taxes and possible duty
- take your time; Toronto is about to be finally hit with some winter weather so you won't be riding tomorrow anyways

Based on your budget and desire for a complete bike, I'd suggest a wabi lightning.

Based on your budget and desire for a complete bike, I'd suggest a wabi lightning.

+1000

+1000

+8001

A few thoughts from my experience (I live in Toronto):

- fixed-gear bikes on craigslist in Toronto are over priced
- most local bike shops in Toronto are also over priced especially for fixed-gear related stuff (e.g. Urbane)
- don't be afraid to order from online retailers in the U.S.; the deals you can there find far outweigh the shipping, taxes and possible duty
- take your time; Toronto is about to be finally hit with some winter weather so you won't be riding tomorrow anyways

Based on your budget and desire for a complete bike, I'd suggest a wabi lightning.

what makes a wabi lightning a good upgrade from the flite? (also any idea who sells them in Toronto? google didn't seem to help)

trying to understand the value of my purchase so I don't regret it later (like buying used withotu fitting and sinking money into parts and labor)

If it's your first you should probably build it. It might take longer, but like dddavid said about the weather youll have plenty of times to learn the ins and outs. Plus there is a greater sense of accomplishment and pride when its built.

(also any idea who sells them in Toronto?

Wabi Bicycles only ships (http://www.wabicycles.com/shipping_info.html) out of their warehouse (the company's owned by a man named Richard Snook) based in Los Angeles, California directly to the customer, no retailers.

Richard's a very knowledgeable individual, and can definitely help you with sizing over the phone. Don't hesitate (http://www.wabicycles.com/Contact.html) to give him a call.

If cost/benefit is a concern, I suggest buying complete. It'll be more expensive to buy all quality components separate, but if you plan on buying complete and upgrading every part anyways, it might be worth looking into.

The biggest difference between the Flite100 and the Lightening is the frame. The Wabi fully built will be lighter because of the scandium aluminum tubing, as opposed to the Reynolds 520 found on the KHS. Other than that, you'll have to look closer at the geometry to get a general understanding how the thing rides. I can't speak from experience about either bike, but my roommate has a Flite100 and he seems to like it good enough.

http://www.wabicycles.com/lightning_frame_detail.html
http://www.khsbicycles.com/Images/Geometry/11-geo-flite-100.jpg

Good point. But in that price range an entry level bike is easily accomplished.

what makes a wabi lightning a good upgrade from the flite?

The Wabis are customizable without added cost, and are extremely well built, so you won't need to true the wheels, tighten the cranks / cog / lockring or make any adjustments. You get to choose gearing and fitment items such as crank length, stem length, bar type and width, saddle type etc. All you have to do when you get the bike is attach the front wheel, install saddle / seatpost and bolt the bar to the stem. All you will need for tools are a 4mm hex wrench and a 15mm box or crescent. All the components are sufficiently good quality, except perhaps the tires, that you won't need to upgrade. The Wabis do not include pedals, so you can either add them to your order or buy them locally.

building it would be a great accomplishment for me and something that is an eventual goal

I should point out that my company has a fitness expenditure account as part of our benefit plan and I am likely limited to pre-built bikes rather than bicycle parts, and a large part of my budget is the $500 coming from that

if it turns out parts vs. assembled are equally covered, what's a good place to start if I were to build from the ground up? I know very little about bike parts, so I wouldn't know what quantifies a quality part, in terms of materials and craftsmanship. The more I think about it though, I'd love to build my bike, especially given the (to me) sizable investment


I do know a guy that can order pretty much anything, including parts, and he could probably hold my hand a bit (ok a lot lol) while I work on building it, either that or there's a couple bike co-ops in town (yay Bike Sauce)

if anyone's bored and is feeling generous with their time to talk about building a bike and what to look for in selecting parts, feel free to add me to MSN smavid_@hotmail.com

My first SS was purchased off craigslist as a 21 speed. I went to the LBS and got a basic wheel set and they pointed me in the right direction for all my parts. Then you just kinda start tinkering with things as they come up and learn though trial and error. Which for me is the only way I learn.

you should pay attention to the wabi recomendations and give consideration to their steel models...the classic is a really nice bike

what about doing a fixie conversion from a geared bike? I found a couple bikes on sale:
a devinci SL3 for 900 (down from 1500) (http://www.devinci.com/archive/2009/route/SILVERSTONESL3COLOR1.jpg)
a ridley icarus for 1000 (down from 1500) (http://www.dryburghcycles.co.uk/product_images/g/icarus_sls__78452.jpg)
and an entry level cervelo p1 for 1250 (down from 1800) (http://www.cervelo.com/i/bikes/2011/p1/p1-690-380.jpg)

but I don't know if it's silly (or sacreligious) to convert a racing bike to a fixed gear

any advice or comments?

I hesitate at the wabi only because of the shipping, but I am strongly considering it

how does the quality compare to bikes like these in the 1500-1850 range?

you should pay attention to the wabi recomendations and give consideration to their steel models...the classic is a really nice bike

+100 again. For the same price as you'll pay for the KHS Flite 100, you get a much better and lighter steel frameset, and equal or better quality components. Some components like the wheels and headset are much better. I think Wabi is pretty good on shipping charges (only $30 within the USA), so you won't get raped.

It's silly to convert a 1,000 road frame to fix (unless you have one lying around).

There isn't many full bikes (fixed at least) over $1,500. The Wabi is your best bet. Go buy it.

It's silly to convert a 1,000 road frame to fix (unless you have one lying around).


+1

what about doing a fixie conversion from a geared bike? but I don't know if it's silly (or sacreligious) to convert a racing bike to a fixed gear

Converting a modern geared bike is not a good idea for many reasons. Vertical dropouts don't allow for chain adjustment and road frames have low bottom brackets which limit cornering clearance (remember that you can't coast through turns on a fixed gear bike). It will also cost a lot more in the end and you'll end up with something that doesn't work as well as a track frame base fixed gear bike.

1250 for a Cervelo conversion? Why not a 1250 Cervelo track bike?
http://www.cervelo.com/en_us/bikes/2012/T1/

1250 for a Cervelo conversion? Why not a 1250 Cervelo track bike?
http://www.cervelo.com/en_us/bikes/2012/T1/

That would be an amazing price if it were a complete bike, but sadly that's just for the frameset.

1250 for a Cervelo conversion? Why not a 1250 Cervelo track bike?
http://www.cervelo.com/en_us/bikes/2012/T1/

well that one is for frame only, and 1000 is my general limit but I figured 1250 for a cervelo, I can make an exception


in any case, Wabi seems to be a really great buy, do LBS just let you walk in and get sized without intent to buy? seems like they would be annoyed by that

That would be an amazing price if it were a complete bike, but sadly that's just for the frameset.

well i mean if he was going to convert it anyway, that would entail a new wheelset and crankset.... so you might as well build one from scratch, know what i mean?

EDIT: get the wabi

It'd be like 20 bucks.

well that one is for frame only, and 1000 is my general limit but I figured 1250 for a cervelo, I can make an exception


in any case, Wabi seems to be a really great buy, do LBS just let you walk in and get sized without intent to buy? seems like they would be annoyed by that

act like your going to buy a bike and get fitted.... or use this:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO

in any case, Wabi seems to be a really great buy, do LBS just let you walk in and get sized without intent to buy? seems like they would be annoyed by that

I think if you spoke with Richard Snook at Wabi and gave him your measurements, he could do a pretty good job of sizing you, including stem length and bar width. If your shop can do a pro-fit, that would be good too. Also, I wouldn't stiff the shop on this, and would be up front about what you are planning to do, and pay them for the fit if they can do it. If they tell to eff-off, then you don't want to deal with them anyway.

any idea if wabi's are sized from the center or from front to back? apologies if I am saying this wrong, I saw someone in another thread point out some bikes are measured from the center making them more like a 53cm than a 56cm [?]

just wary of ordering a bike I've never ridden. I don't mind using one of the many utilities online for finding a correct fit but there is room for user error. Plus the fact that my current bike was bought used and I don't have one that I know fits me properly to compare measurements to, so I don't exactly know what I ride

I had issues with finger numbness due to the poor fit and I'd like to avoid something like that in the future

I think if you spoke with Richard Snook at Wabi and gave him your measurements, he could do a pretty good job of sizing you, including stem length and bar width. If your shop can do a pro-fit, that would be good too. Also, I wouldn't stiff the shop on this, and would be up front about what you are planning to do, and pay them for the fit if they can do it. If they tell to eff-off, then you don't want to deal with them anyway.

I was thinking something along the lines of the this, pay them for their time, like a set $15 rate or whatever their shoprate is for other labor, idk

any idea if wabi's are sized from the center or from front to back? apologies if I am saying this wrong, I saw someone in another thread point out some bikes are measured from the center making them more like a 53cm than a 56cm [?]

That someone was me and it's center to center (c-c) or center to top (c-t) on the seat tube (CT) from the center of the bottom bracket (BB) to either the top of the seat tube where the seatpost is clamped or to the centerline of the top tube (TT). Wabi's are sized C-C, which is roughly equivalent to 3cm more C-T. So, if you ride a 55cm C-T sized frame, then you would want a 52cm C-C sized frame. Wabis are intended for road riding, not track racing, and are more comfortable than a true track bike, more like a road bike in their feel. I have a Wabi Lightning, and it rides more like a steel frame than your typical aluminum frame. See here for Wabi frame geometry >>> http://www.wabicycles.com/classic_frame_detail.html

thank you so much

Well for starters, how tall are you? And if you happen to have a measuring tape and a book nearby, hold the spine of the book up to your crotch and then measure from the spine down to the floor and this will give you (and us) your inseam.

For example, I'm 5'11" and my inseam is 32". I currently ride a 53cm Kilo TT without any sizing problems.

I'm 5'10, I think my inseam is 31 judging from my pants, I'm currently at work and don't have access to a measuring tape

I'm 5'10, I think my inseam is 31 judging from my pants, I'm currently at work and don't have access to a measuring tape

I'd roughly size you at a 52cm in the Wabi, which would be like 55cm in a c-t sized frame. Also, fwiw, the Kilo TT mentioned above is also sized c-c, just like a KHS Flite 100.

So is it fair to say test-riding a flite 100 would give me a good idea of my fit for a wabi lightning?

So is it fair to say test-riding a flite 100 would give me a good idea of my fit for a wabi lightning?

I think it would be close enough to the point that you could tweak it with stem length. I think a 53cm Flite would translate to a 52cm Wabi. The Wabis are a bit more relaxed geometry as compared to the KHS Flite 100, and they have room for bigger tires. The Flite is more track-like in its ride and handling, and there's more toe overlap with the front tire.