Hi,
I recently sold my entry-level aluminium road bike (Schwinn Fastback Comp) and am looking to get a SS/FG. I've been reading threads here for the past few days, but still couldn't decide. (I read the threads for maybe 10 hours last night.)
I am 175 cm tall (5'9", I think) with around 81cm (31-32") inseam. I'm pretty light (145 lbs). I would be using this bike to commute very short distances, maybe 5-6 miles a day. I live in the bay area, so it rains some time. I'm a student so I don't really have a regular roofed space for my bike. I plan to keep this bike for a long time after I graduate.
My choices are now down to either Mercier Kilo TT Pro (50cm C-C?) and Dawes SST AL (54cm C-T).
Below are some of my concerns/questions. It would be great if any experienced users could help me.
- The geometry of the two bikes look very different. Is 50cm C-C on the Kilo TT the right size for me? Or should I go with 53cm C-C? I read that the Kilo's geometry is more "aggressive." Looking at my old bike's specs, the top tube is around 550mm and I was ok with that. Would I have trouble adjusting to the "aggressive" geometry (shorter top tube?) of the Kilo?
- Component-wise, which has better stock components? Another way to put this might be, how much more do I have to spend on each bike to make necessary upgrades? (I'll be getting 17T cog and a new lockring for either bike anyways... since SST AL doesn't come with it, and I need to replace a crappy cog on the Kilo TT.)
- I'm vain... but I kinda like the look of the steel frame a bit better. Is the SST AL much lighter? Should I worry about rust, etc. on the steel frame?
- Is there other things I should consider or worry about?
Hopefully I'd be able to pull the trigger by today, as my friend suggested that I've been spending way too much time looking at bikes >.<
Thanks so much you guys!