Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Just ordered a Kilo TT, what NEEDS to be upgraded?

Hey guys, I'm sure some of you may have seen my first post but I just ordered a kilo TT stripper 60cm (hope I didnt go too big) and I couldn't be more excited about it. However during my research that lead me to the Kilo I came across some posts that suggested things that needed to be replaced almost immediately. Now I'm not talking "oh I want some sweet colors Bro," more like I heard that I should get a new lock ring for the hub so I don't strip it out.

Main questions:

Where do you guys like to buy your parts. Whats the danscomp of FG?

Whats the right or best lock ring for me to get?

And what else do YOU feel should be upgraded, more for reliability, longevity, saftey, etc, not for cool points.

Thanks to all,

Vhee

Replace as it wears out/breaks.

You might wanna just ride it and enjoy it first, and figure out what you personally want from any upgrades. You haven't even gotten it yet. If you need to buy something now, get some nice bar tape. If you're excited now, just be excited for trying it out when it arrives.

I dunno, if it still has the stamped aluminium lockring and cog that it used to have you might want to swap those out for steel ones.

Most likely you will 1st want to concentrate where you touch the bike. Saddle, pedals, tape. Then from there you will most likely want to try out new bars and perhaps a different stem to help dial in the bike.

On the other hand you may be completely happy with how it feels out of the box. Just ride it and see.

^ what this guy said. I don't have a Kilo, i have a WIndsor The Hour and I changed the pedals the moment I got the bike.

Thanks guys, yeah I wasnt really looking to replace a bunch of already brand new parts I more just wanted the parts I have coming to last. Which is why I asked about the lock ring thing. I read that it was cheap and will result it me stripping my rear hub, which I really dont want to have to replace right away. Honestly I would love if I can put it together and not have to replace anything for a few 1000 miles haha.

I haven't even touched my lockring since I got the Kilo back in October.

I haven't even touched my lockring since I got the Kilo back in October.

It's probably seized by now.

Mine was seized out of the box. I had to use a heatgun, penetrating oil, and a 4 foot breaker bar on the end of my park SR-18 to get it off, because rotofixing didn't work either.

Good luck to you when you want to change it.

how about the first question. where do you guys like to buy your parts? any Good for everything websites? stumbled on to citygrounds.com? opinions?

how about the first question. where do you guys like to buy your parts? any Good for everything websites? stumbled on to citygrounds.com? opinions?
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/706011-Reliable-online-dealers

I personally stick to www.retro-gression.com, www.citygrounds.com, and www.treefortbikes.com most of the time, but have been happy with other dealers as well.

Jensonusa and Niagara Cycle for any regular consumables.

Bens Cycles and Universal Cycles to add to the list.

It's probably seized by now.

Mine was seized out of the box. I had to use a heatgun, penetrating oil, and a 4 foot breaker bar on the end of my park SR-18 to get it off, because rotofixing didn't work either.

Good luck to you when you want to change it.

Mine was seized as well out of the box.

As for changing anything on the kilo out of the box, 2 things I had to change about 1000 miles riding was the damn seat and tires. The tires kept getting flats around nyc and the seat just hurt after long bike rides.

rotofixing didn't work either.

how to rotofix lockring?

change the pedals, they suck.

Pedals, seat, mentality. Going into this with wallet in hand is a great way to end up broke. It's a budget bike, it's a GREAT budget bike, so ride it and fix it, but save up for something seriously good instead of periodic upgrades.

how to rotofix lockring?

I was thinking that same thing. Dahell Nagrom?

And how the hell would I use a chain whip take a lockring off?


the cog was siezed, my bad. haha.

good luck to you when you want to change it.
48/16 fo lyfe, then.

Jk, thanks for the wishes.

Make sure to check and grease/re-grease everything. Pretty much everything comes assembled without any grease whatsoever. (except for oddly enough crank bolts)

how about the first question. where do you guys like to buy your parts? any Good for everything websites? stumbled on to citygrounds.com? opinions?

I've purchased a frame and a saddle off them, no complaints.

Thanks for all the input gents(and maybe ladies), know that it wont go to waste. Yeah I'm really not looking to make my budget bike a 1000$ bike, or I would have bought a 1000$ bike. I was mainly concerned about the extra bad parts(lock ring) wrecking my somewhat bad parts(stock hub) within the first couple hundred miles. I wont be upgrading wheelsets till the stocks turn to dust, but I would like them to last as long as possible and was just confirming the lockring issue.

Do I need to get a new Cog too? If so, what is the best cog and lockring set up I could get for the kilo? And if not the just what lockring?

thanks you helped me a bunch already. If anyone needs BMX advise let me know haha!

Vhee

Make sure to check and grease/re-grease everything. Pretty much everything comes assembled without any grease whatsoever. (except for oddly enough crank bolts)

Thanks for the heads up. I've never ordered a complete bike, have always built from the ground up(but BMX), but my natural instinct is to take it all apart as soon as I get it anyways to make sure everything goes together as perfectly as it can.

How do you guys feel about Home truing wheels? As I said I used to be heavy into BMX and built a truing stand and would do my own and they would turn out pretty darn nice. However these big babies coming are a whole different animal haha.

sorry for the mass of questions and being long winded. I tend to get very passionate about things rather quickly haha.

Bike will be here monday! Planning on a nice 20 Mile break in ride! :thumb:

Dura Ace cogs and lock-rings are pretty solid, but I think their cogs only go up to 16t. If you want something bigger, I've had good (and inexpensive) experiences with Soma and All-City cogs (running an All-City 17t right now actually).

Disclaimer- I've never ridden or inspected a Kilo, so I have no idea whether that stuff actually needs to be replaced.

Dura Ace cogs and lock-rings are pretty solid, but I think their cogs only go up to 16t. If you want something bigger, I've had good (and inexpensive) experiences with Soma and All-City cogs (running an All-City 17t right now actually).

Disclaimer- I've never ridden or inspected a Kilo, so I have no idea whether that stuff actually needs to be replaced.

Thanks for the input, I'll probably go the dura ace route then just as insurance so I don't have to worry about the cog and lock ring(just everything else haha). I think the kilo comes stock with 16t so I'd opt for that since I'm new to FG and then change as I see fit.

The lockring on a Kilo is made out melted down aluminum foil and lead fishing weights. Get the $10 steel one from RG, and pick a CroMo cog from RG too, for $16. The stock aluminum cog is trash.

The lockring on a Kilo is made out melted down aluminum foil and lead fishing weights. Get the $10 steel one from RG, and pick a CroMo cog from RG too, for $16. The stock aluminum cog is trash.

Thank you, that's basically exactly what I wanted someone to tell me.

Thank you, that's basically exactly what I wanted someone to tell me.

No need to drop the cash on the Dura Ace. Anything better than Taiwanese tin foil will last a lifetime.

Hey guys, I'm sure some of you may have seen my first post but I just ordered a kilo TT stripper 60cm (hope I didnt go too big) and I couldn't be more excited about it. However during my research that lead me to the Kilo I came across some posts that suggested things that needed to be replaced almost immediately. Now I'm not talking "oh I want some sweet colors Bro," more like I heard that I should get a new lock ring for the hub so I don't strip it out.

Main questions:

Where do you guys like to buy your parts. Whats the danscomp of FG?

Whats the right or best lock ring for me to get?

And what else do YOU feel should be upgraded, more for reliability, longevity, saftey, etc, not for cool points.

Thanks to all,

Vhee

where did you order the bike from????

where did you order the bike from????

bigshot bikes. google it. buy one. trust me.

where did you order the bike from????

Bikes Direct:

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/kilott_stripper.htm

The lockring on a Kilo is made out melted down aluminum foil and lead fishing weights. Get the $10 steel one from RG, and pick a CroMo cog from RG too, for $16. The stock aluminum cog is trash.
How long did your cog and lockring last?

Nagrom doesn't ride bikes he hangs out on the interwebs all day, if I were you I'd true tension the wheels tighten the crank bolts grease your seatpost headset and hubs, and the cog and locking when you replace them. I have Had a decent experience with my surly cog and lock ring, though they may be a little expensive for what they are. Keep in mind your stock chainring and chain are 3/32 so if you replace the cog or add a freewheel and the replacement is 1/8th inch you will have to buy an 1/8" chain, you can keep the chainring you have and I won't really make a difference.

The lockring on a Kilo is made out melted down aluminum foil and lead fishing weights. Get the $10 steel one from RG, and pick a CroMo cog from RG too, for $16. The stock aluminum cog is trash.

I believe the stock Kilo cog is the exact same thing as a 3/32" 16t Scrodcog, at least in my experience. Stock lockring is also steel. I don't think either needs to be replaced immediately. They should be removed and reinstalled with grease, as was already suggested.

Thanks for all the input guys I will def be greasing everything when the bike comes and ill inspect regularly. If I suspect issue then I will definitely be replacing the cog and lock ring. I guess ill make a decision when I see it rather the worrying and buying one before the bike even gets here.

Well there's an easy way to tell if the cog and lockring are steel or aluminium. See if a magnet sticks. If it doesn't, get a scrodcog and lockring. Dun dun dun.