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More relaxe/upright riding on track bikes like Kilo TT?

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More relaxe/upright riding on track bikes like Kilo TT?

Old 04-27-13, 06:23 PM
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More relaxe/upright riding on track bikes like Kilo TT?

Hey Y'all,

I'm a n00b here (and to biking). Going to get a bike for myself and my lady to cruise around the city on warm sundays. Maybe use it for the odd commute too. Thinking about a Kilo TT due to it being available for 350ish and also it looks beautiful.

I know these bikes are typically made for a somewhat agressive posture but is it possible to set them up for a more relaxed & upright ride? I see a lot of hipster types riding around pretty upright on gorgeous FG/SS bikes... is it as simple as getting a frame that's a bit bigger/smaller than the 'ideal' fit and then rising the bars a touch?

Thanks all!
--Leo
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Old 04-27-13, 06:39 PM
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Get a bike that has the top tube you need(cant link fit calc on my phone) then either turn the stem up and keep a healthy amount of spacers and you should be fine.
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Old 04-27-13, 06:43 PM
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Get some mustache bars.

For ultra-upright, rotate stem 180*.
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Old 04-28-13, 03:27 PM
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Stingray handlebars anyone?
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Old 04-28-13, 03:34 PM
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You can but why not get something actually made for more upright posture? It's no fun sitting upright and riding on hard 23mm tires. At least something like the Kilo WT lets you use big tires.
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Old 04-28-13, 05:56 PM
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A conversion sounds perfect here, relaxed geometry and usually quite a bit of clearance
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Old 04-28-13, 07:22 PM
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Originally Posted by hairnet
You can but why not get something actually made for more upright posture? It's no fun sitting upright and riding on hard 23mm tires. At least something like the Kilo WT lets you use big tires.

I ride 25c on my townie and find the ride pretty comfortable , but to each their own.
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Old 04-28-13, 07:41 PM
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Just to run to the store and back I had 28s then went to the 25s that I am running now. As soon as they start showing wear it's back to 28s.

I swear that the backside "sees" a bigger difference than the little bit that the eyes do.

I'm thinking about going ahead with a 28 on the rear. That's where most of the weight is. The rear does most of the work and that is where I seem to feel the biggest difference in the tires. The front tire doesn't do much more than keep the fork legs from digging into the pavement, until you turn.

Last edited by gregjones; 04-28-13 at 07:46 PM. Reason: sumthn else
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Old 04-28-13, 09:19 PM
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I ride a Surly Steamroller, I just flipped the stem and put on 1 1/2" riser bars. Super comfortable but if you don't want risers you can get townie mustache bars or something similar.
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Old 04-28-13, 09:45 PM
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Originally Posted by SSbalt
I ride 25c on my townie and find the ride pretty comfortable , but to each their own.
Agreed. But there's no denying that a bigger tire usually feels much better.
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Old 05-01-13, 12:34 PM
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Thanks for all the responses so far!

I don't particularly like moustache bars aesthetically and heard they're a bit cruddy on the wrists, so would like to avoid if possible.

I'm gonna try and get to my LBS this weekend to try out a couple of track/FG/SS style bikes to see what frame size feels right. I used the Competitive Cyclist Fit Calculator which was recommending me a 61cm (C-T) frame for the 'French fit'. Seems a little high to me (I'm 6ft / 183cm tall with an 34.6"/88cm inseam)... I'm guessing maybe a 58 would be a good balance... we shall see!

Thanks again!
--Leo
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Old 05-01-13, 12:56 PM
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make sure you did the fit correctly.
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Old 05-04-13, 05:44 PM
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Visited my LBS today. I know my size is definitely in the 58cm region now...

Tried about 5 bikes out. Three things I remember the most:

- Most comfortable ride was Linus Roadster Classic although the moustache handlebars + lack of hand brakes kinda suck. Also, probably not the best quality I could get for $450 though, right? I *think* I tried a Gaston too although felt a little unstable in terms of steering (weight on hands + moustache bars)...

- A 2nd hand road bike (with gears + dropped bars etc). I remember this because I liked how lightweight it was but all my weight was on my hands which was v. uncomfortable and not cool for a chilled out ride in the sun!

- Biria SS bike which looked super sexy. It was whisper quiet and felt the right balance of solid + agile: https://www.biria.com/bicycle/single-speed/fixed-gear (looks 10x better in person). Unfortunately, they only had this in a 55 frame which definitely felt too small. The stock grips were like pine cones and also I felt like too much weight was on my hands.

So where my thought process is netting out is....a little confusion! I've tried googling (and looking on these forums) but I'm not sure on the process and expense of trying to make something like the Kilo TT a more upright ride (which apparently has an aggressive geo). Spacers/Risers? Flipping the bars? Getting a shorter stem? + a different type of handlebars?

On the one hand, I understand that I'm trying to kinda fit the square peg into the round hole... but I'm drawn to the fact that getting a TT for $400 from BD means getting a higher quality bike than spending $400 or $700 on something like a Linus at my LBS.

Advice, my good Lords and Ladies?
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Old 05-05-13, 12:11 PM
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I think your looking for more of a road geo. The Dawes SST Steel has a relaxed road geo from what i can see. (Also Chromoly Steel)
The Biria is high tensile steel, which is meh. Not comparable to the Kilo TT.

The Linus just says steel, not really looking into it much but not sure if its Chromoly or not. I have seen a few Linus bikes at a LBS and noticed rust. And they are sitting inside....
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Old 05-05-13, 06:51 PM
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Originally Posted by LeosLeader
I think your looking for more of a road geo. The Dawes SST Steel has a relaxed road geo from what i can see. (Also Chromoly Steel)
The Biria is high tensile steel, which is meh. Not comparable to the Kilo TT.

The Linus just says steel, not really looking into it much but not sure if its Chromoly or not. I have seen a few Linus bikes at a LBS and noticed rust. And they are sitting inside....
Hey man, thanks for the advice. The SST gets slammed in this thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...awes-SST-Steel

- the Windsor bikes are recommended instead. Do you think that's accurate or that as a n00b, it's not going to matter a lot to me and that I should think of it as $250 being a good price for a CroMo frame and the savings can go towards upgrades?

Linus Roadster Classic definitely was the most comfortable position to ride in (the bars were pretty high)... but yeah, I don't wanna get a $500-$700 Linus that's going to need handlebars swapping out anyway (to non moustache) and isn't a CroMo frame....

So, with any of these track kind of bikes, I'm likely going to want to get a shorter stem (and or angled upwards?) plus swap out the handlebars (what kind?) and brakes (what kind?) and maybe raise them somehow too - although the guy at my LBS said it'd be threadless and thus tricky to raise... any advice here would be very much appreciated too!
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Old 05-15-13, 12:23 PM
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Ok, I think I've found the solution..... a bike that I can't find anything about online, anywhere :/

Dawes Streetfighter (available via BD)

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...eetfighter.htm

Is this an SST Steel but with riser bars? If so, this is the right bike to get.....right? I'm a n00b, I don't want to spend a ton, I want a SS that has the sleek aesthetic of a Track bike but is a nice relaxed ride for lazy Sundays with the girlfriend.... I'm guessing most of the $$ go towards the frame and eventually all the crappy components, tires etc will wear out and I can replace bit by bit with better stuff...

Good idea or bad idea?
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