timmylee

Hello!

I recently started as a student at NYU, and the girl I'm with is an avid biker. I want to be able to explore the city and to ride with her, so I've decided to buy a bike! I am looking specifically for a single speed, freewheel bike with straightbar handles. I am 5'9 and 175 pounds. I have yet to do all my official measurements and plug it into a bike fit calculator, but from what I've seen in charts I'm looking for something between 54 to 57 cm.

My budget is $350 or less.

Want: a good frame. I plan to be cycling for a while, so other components I can always upgrade down the road.

Considering:
56cm Panasonic lugged raw steel
Mercier Kilo tt Track bike / Single speed / Pista 57cm
Fuji Track Bike - 2015
https://www.retrospecbicycles.com/co...ant=1156366572
https://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/5380785215.html

motrheadsroadie

shes gonna break up with you.

TenSpeedV2

Avoid the Retrospec that is a piece of garbage. #KiloTT looks good but might be a tad big for you. The rest you posted, ehhh.

timmylee

@motrheadsroadie hahaha even if that does happen, I think I'll still keep cycling
@TenSpeedV2 Thank you for the advice. what do you like about the KiloTT?

TenSpeedV2

That frame has a good record here on the forum. Has an upgraded headset, the front brake is really nice. If it was me on that budget I would more than likely be on that already.

cDiff Notorious

Ask her to help you pick

jerseyJim

Whatever you decide make sure you have a couple of inches of standover clearance. I am the same height as you and I ride a 52cm frame. We are all proportioned differently but I would be very uncomfortable riding a 57cm frame.

rreahard

That Kilo isn't a bad deal, but I seriously doubt it will fit you.

timmylee

Thank you everyone for all your responses! From what it seems like, I don't think the Kilo will fit me either. I think the Mercier Kilo is a good bike for what I'm looking for. My next question for everyone is do you think it would be a good idea to make my first bike? I'm sure I could find a Kilo frame somewhere, and I know I'm going to want to end up upgrading all the components anyway. I also wanted to convert the kilo into a freewheel single speed, so that would save me an extra step. Or would that be more effort than its worth and would simply buying a complete bike be better?

rreahard

Building up a bike is fun and rewarding but you're likely to spend more building one up than buying a complete Kilo, especially if you want to use "upgraded" components and and have to purchase tools, etc. Stock components on the Kilos aren't that bad. Freewheels are cheap and very easy to install.

SpeshulEd 

Before you spend that much on a used kilo or windsor, go to the bikes direct website and buy a new one that fits you properly for almost the same price.

and go to the link below and measure yourself to get a proper fit - actually take the time to do this correctly, you put in junk, you get junk out.
Bike Fit Calculator | Find Your Bike Size | Competitive Cyclist

ph0rk

I know which forum this is, but I don't think a SS as a first bike is a great idea.

cDiff Notorious

What? A single speed is so simple, no gears to deal with and also cheap compared to road bikes and mtb.

SpeshulEd 

This doesn't even make sense to me.

It sounds like an ideal first bike for a student at NYU to me. It's not like there are tons of hills around campus. It's cheap and easy to fix. Fairly replaceable if it gets stolen. What sounds bad about that?

ph0rk

Keeping up with the girlfriend, for one, but she'll be able to drop him if she wants to, regardless.

I ride a single speed around my campus, but my commute is short. Perhaps his is, too. I got the impression from his post he'd be riding more than just commuting - "explor[ing] the city" as he put it.

steve-in-kville 

If you really look at it, most of us here started on a SS.... might have had coaster brakes, but still a SS!

Bair

I would roll with the Fuji Track off Performance Bikes. looks like it has pretty good components. I would go with a 54, maybe a 52 if you ride aggressively. It comes with a fixed cog, but before you switch to SS freewheel I suggest you give fixed a shot for a week.

timmylee

Awesome! Thank you so much everybody for your responses. My girlfriend actually has a single speed as well. and ph0rk, although I will be traveling far distances, I value the simplicity and involved with a single speed. My dad has a road bike that I will use sometimes, and I actually never even change gears. Besides, this will make my legs strong won't it
@SpeshulEd The reason why I was going to go with a used bike was to shave a hundred or so off the price and if I'm lucky, be able to snag some upgraded components. I know the kilo I suggested is too big for me, so I am going to patiently comb the internet for one that fits. My question to you is do you think the components on a stock kilo are good enough to make buying used not worth it?
@Bair, thanks for the suggestion! anyone else care to weigh in on the Fuji Track? I've only read good things about it, but is it really worth the extra cash?

Thank you all so much for your help!

ph0rk

At the very least, budget for a change in rear cog if the stock gearing of whatever you get isn't to your tastes. How much this costs will vary slightly depending on what you end up with, but figure $12-30. If the change is small you won't need to mess with your chain.

seau grateau

It's a decent bike, and you'd be getting it new so you wouldn't have to worry about condition, wear, or unforeseen defects. You may find a better value on the used market, if you know what to look for.

timmylee

When you say decent, is it due to simply better components than on the kilo? to be honest, I would rather go through the process of upgrading each component myself as it adds to the personalized feel of the bike. However, if the frame is good enough to be worth it, that is a different story.

Bair

Reynolds 520 (kilo) and the cro moly on the fuji arent all that different. I would say the components on the kilo are superior, and so its priced higher. If you want to upgraded components as you go I dont see why not go with the fuji.

seau grateau

Six of one, half a dozen of the other when it comes to the Fuji Track or Kilo TT. Quality control and customer service from the companies selling them is the real difference.

TenSpeedV2

Completely disagree.

motrheadsroadie

yeah listen to the guy who has probably a dozen versions of the same singlespeed bike built up.