truflip

first, please dont say buy Kilo TT, looked into it, no stock and it's a hassle to do the US/CAnada border shipping/shopping process.

Found this on my local classifieds. Seller wants $400
Looks like a flip flop, unmarked and looks very clean.
Research says its same frame as Kilo TT which people seem to really like. Couldnt find much feedback though on other parts like crank, BB, fork and wheelset/hub/tires (assuming these are the originals)
Is it worth the asking price? I'll test ride it later today I think



my other option is a Fuji Feather at $650CAD
It's a 2014 model. Many people seem to not like this bike though. Not sure if 2014 has improved
Took it for a spin at the LBS. It rode really nice. wasnt a fan of the stock cage/pedal set up but everything else felt great
It has sealed cartridge hubs and sealed BB. LBS said the wheels and tires are better this year
What I dig about it is I can get it in orange, has quill stem and crown lugged fork

Found a Bianchi Pista but it was $850. Not very many LBS carry SS/FG around my area so its tough to get test rides. One other shop had State Bikes, also $650 and they were meh. for same price, the Fuji felt like a nicer riding bike, nicer finish, better looking parts and doesnt use unicrown fork

jhess74

I'm on record here as not being very happy with my 2011 Feather. That said, if you rode the 2014 version and liked it, you might already have your answer.

Cyril 

Give the KHS a test ride.
its a fine bike ...at that price,its not a screamin' deal, but it's not overpriced either.
Take it for a spin and who knows? You might like it better than the Fuji.

truflip

Was raining hard. Seller never left the bike out in the rain so I didn't want to take it out for a spin. Plus it's fixed fixed and I'm not 100% I want to try my luck skidding in the rain. Might call her back for test ride when it's a good day.

The bike itself looks and feels solid. Very lightweight but no brakes. Looks to be very well taken care of. Chain will need to go though as it is quite slack and the rear wheels already as far back as it can go which concerns me since there's probably enough slack that if I don't tighten it well, could slide out?

One thing I noticed is there's a small dent on the top tube. Could be from leaning the bike against a hard corner or something or even a U lock. My luck is ****. I had my
money out when I noticed the dent and withdrew my offer as I wanted to ask first about it.

dents probably a good 2mm deep. Maybe half a cm tall. I don't plan to not jump off curbs and being in canada, potholes and cracks on the roads are dime a dozen up till late July!

Really liked the bike just wouldn't want a $400 headache

truflip

just wanted to get some more info on what you dont like about your 2011 fuji? not sure what's different between 2014 and 2011 models but knowing what you dont like woudl help me with my decision. thanks in advance!
sorry, tried to PM you but i need 10 more posts

CharlyAlfaRomeo

I don't know anything about the Feather but I have a Flite 100 and while I liked it on the track the toe overlap is too much for me for street riding. I upgraded to a better track frame and set up my Flite for the road but I'm going to sell it and get a SS CX frame of some sort.

FWIW mine has a pretty big ding in the TT and it hasn't affected anything.

Cyril 

fyi, you can test ride the KHS without brakes.
Get to a big parking lot or some such place,hop on, put your feet in the clips , and away you go!
Pedal as fast as you like, get a good feel for the bike, and when you want to stop...stop pedaling.
Momentum will bring your legs around , but you will slow down for you are adding no more energy to the system.
Put a bit of back pressure on the pedals and you are stopped. No skidding required.

jhess74

Overall, it's just a subjective thing... the bike just feels "off" to me. It feels slower and more sluggish than some cheap conversions I've done, even ones built up on hi-ten frames.

As for more objective complaints, the stock parts are crap. The cranks are cheap and flexy, the wheels are heavy, and the track style drop bars are not ideal for longer rides - and yes, I knew the bars would suck, it's just worth pointing out that they're one more component you'll likely feel compelled to replace right away. The whole thing is just disappointing for a bike that sold for $700.

I used to have a 2008 SE Premium Brew that, while also being an entry level bike, felt so much more nimble, lively and responsive. That makes me think there have to be better options than the Feather in the same price range.

Hope that helps, I know it's a little vague.

truflip

Is there a way to determine if this is a KHS bike? I saw it and absolutely no decal except a generic looking Reynolds 520 sticker. Googled "2011 KHS Flite 100" and they all have a decal. Dont see one that's a 'stripper' frame

Thanks! Been on a few bikes with toe overlap. doesnt really bug me with the way I ride (I dont go slow and turn while pedaling very much) but I get how it can be annoying. Good to know the ding didnt affect the integrity of the frame
thanks for the tips. will do. much nicer day today for bike test riding also
thanks for the response. helps a lot. i dont know what makes a component good. i'll be asking LBS more about the components. I did ask about wheel/tire set and they said Fuji improved it this year by using better stuff than last year's.

jhess74

That's good to hear - a better wheelset would really help that bike. As far as what makes a component good, you'll figure that out the more you ride. Some cheap crap is obviously cheap, other cheap crap reveals itself as you spend more time on your bike and start to notice things flexing, consistently loosening, or just generally pissing you off.

IAmSam

That bike (or at least the frame), my friend...is the ever popular Kilo

GENESTARWIND

It's times like these which makes me wish pake sold completes.

jhess74

Thread hijack, sorry 'bout that OP, but... why such a big Pake fan? Honestly curious, have never ridden one.

Scrodzilla

I concur.

truflip

Hmmm. So if it's a Kilo, what does that mean for me? Do I haggle the price? By the way the bearings on the wheel hubs and headset have never been cleaned and re greased in 3 years... What are the odds I might find pitting?


And no worries about thread jack guys. I'm learning myself

GENESTARWIND

I have a rum runner but the older model with a 1" head tube. It's solid, rides great and looks good at a affordable price built with decent steel and tighter geo without toe over lap and accepts tires up to 28c (per website spec)

don't want to put scrod on blast but he carries the pake rum runner and French 75 frames and I'm sure he wouldn't if it wasn't quality so ask him if you want more info.

ketsana

Ha!
I saw that bike on kijiji Ottawa so we are in the same area.
What shops have you been to?
Cyclepower? Cyclery?

Have you considered alu framed bikes?

Cyril 

[QUOTE=truflip;16924675]Hmmm. So if it's a Kilo, what does that mean for me? Do I haggle the price? By the way the bearings on the wheel hubs and headset have never been cleaned and re greased in 3 years... What are the odds I might find pitting?

To get yourself a new kilo you have to order one from BD in the States. Odds are you will be dinged at the border. And the price will be in US dollars. The Loonie these days is about 10% lower so you will pay more in Canadian dollars... That is IF BD has one in stock.

FWIW, I just had my headset and wheelset overhauled and it ran about $80 cdn.

truflip

Hello neighbour! Been to Fosters, Joe Mamma's, Cyclery, Giant, Kundstand, Cyclery.. pretty much the ones along Bank St., Phat Moose, Tall Tree, Fresh Air, MEC, Euro-Sports, Bushtuka and of course, the bike coop on Bronson I'll check out Cyclepower now that you mention.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll make an offer to the seller based on this information

ketsana

I wouldn't be comfortable buying a bike that someone claims is a khs but really is the famous kilo.
I know they are the same but still, false advertisement is not cool.

Steev

Bikes Direct do not sell to Canada. It's more likely to be a KHS branded frame in Canada as they are sold here.

ketsana

Cyclepower has the cheapest Fuji for around $500 I think.

They also have the Raleigh rush hour for 599.

Scrodzilla

Did you look at the pics? It's a Kilo TT.

The Flite 100 did come in white (in 2009 and 2012) but the decals were beneath the clear coat. I'm also pretty sure they never came with a Reyynolds decal.

prooftheory

When are Kilo TT's going to start having a curved seat tube?

IAmSam

WhiteSplash Kilo Stripper...



How could the extensive Kilo sales force here not acknowledge it from OP's pics?

This is the problem! In one breath you don’t like the subterfuge of calling a Kilo a Flite 100, but in the next you parrot the “They are the same” theme. Hell, the seller might have heard it here & sincerely thinks these bikes actually are identical. They.Are.Not.The.Same.

As soon as the Bikesdirect guy can get the manufacturer that KHS uses to drop their QA & sell him a cheap version; or else steal the new(?) frame design & contract some other bike factory to make it for him