Originally Posted by jped1981 (Post 18127283)

I have been a long time lurker on this forum myself, and I believe everyone will tell you "save and get what you want". However though it may cost more in the long run, sometimes its nice to be able to spend the 200, on a cheaper bike and see how you like riding fixed. I recently started this year with a $200 hi ten steel fixie, and really enjoyed it. Shortly after I decided to buy a pake frame and fork, and moved all the parts from the old bike to the new pake frame. Slowly you can try things out with the different contact point parts and see what you like. It may be kind of difficult at first trying to figure out what would be a first mod, but this forum is a wealth of knowledge and reviews about that kind of thing.

Originally Posted by max5480 (Post 18126396)

Get a Surly Steamroller and you'll never have to think about it again.

Originally Posted by Andersper (Post 18125685)

The way I see it, the only real upside to starting out with something dirt cheap and upgrading it is the opportunity to learn some mechanical skills. If you plan to have someone else replace your components, I can't see the why you would want to ride something you weren't happy with in the first place.


It's also hard to tell what you will like and dislike in advance. I'm replacing the handlebars on my Wabi Classic after riding the hell out of it for a month, not because they're broken, but because they're not comfortable for my particular hands on longer rides.

Originally Posted by bleedingapple (Post 18127927)

OP, I'd like to know what upgrades you are thinking about. That would settle a lot of things. Steamroller is a pretty nice choice. I've owned 2 surlys and loved the crap out of each of them. I still kinda want a TT just cause they are fun. I finally got myself a Bareknuckle and howtdamn this bad boy is fun.

Originally Posted by jlafitte (Post 18127198)

For the record,

- my KiloTT has 28c tires
- I ride it daily on the streets of New Orleans, which are sometimes compared to India
- no fillings have fallen out of my teeth

Have also done about 3000 miles of randonneuring on a Big Block (similar geo).

Loving all of it. :)

Originally Posted by jayem (Post 18130655)

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!