Originally Posted by
jayem
The upgrading process is part of what draws me into this hobby. Like I read elsewhere in these forums, the hobby within the hobby. I don't have all the equipment or knowledge to perform various upgrades but I'm eager to learn :-)
Honestly, I'm not 100% sure at this point, which makes me lean towards the middle of the road with the Kilo TT. It gives me an option to get started sooner and get my feet wet, so to speak. Then, after having some time with the bike I can see what I might want to upgrade. I'd guess in the long run, spending more up front would save me money. But then again, performing upgrades gives me a lot of opportunities to learn a lot.
I really appreciate everyone's feedback!
Climb the mountain from the bottom, not from halfway up, and you'll be a better mountaineer. Convert a decent road frame from a CL donor bike. I did the conversion for well under $200, starting with an old Raleigh road bike I already had on hand. I wouldn't expect much from any new bike that sold for $200.
It was surprisingly easy. The flip-flop wheel set I bought on sale gave me a safer setup than converting the standard FW hub and hoping the lock-ring stays put! The converted bike weighs 3 lbs. less than the original bike, and I enjoy it more having built it myself.