time bandit

super long reacharound rustytrumbone brake.

Jet-man

add one to the list.

Yellow Conti 4Ks 700x25 are enroute, then I'll be done w/ it - maybe. I'm toying w/ the idea of a yellow seat to fully geek it out, but I'm pretty used to the SLK. I got a 175mm crank set w/ it - Kudos to Bikesdirect.com for hooking me up w/ the Suginos. The bike came with 165s - totally unacceptable for someone 6'4" so bikesdirect swapped out the crankset (and BB as it was a truivitiv specific deal). Sucked having to wait for the new cranks, but they had great customer service. I got an extra 17 and 18t cog, but think the 48x16 should be fine for my 10 mile commute.

I may get a rivet deal to put in braze-ons for a bottle cage on the DT. The zip-ties work initially. NFW I'll run a tri-geek set up behind the seat.

Anyone in the DEN/front range area looking for a cheap OEM wheelset, let me know. They'll be going on craigslist and/or ebay shortly. Thanks to wheel&sprocket in WI for the sweet aftermarket wheels - aside from being boat anchors, they're super.

I was going to run 44 drop bars, but w/ some hills on my commute, I ride on the hoods a lot - thought about doing the dummy stoker levers, then decided to get the bullhorns for a cleaner look. I set it up so its about the exact position as my road bike for riding on the tops and on the hoods >> bullhorns. Glad the bike came w/ a long TT. Other fixies I was looking at did had < 60cm TTs and then would have required a 150 stem to get close to my road bike position.

bali shag

^^ we have similar bikes!

jon148

^^ what kind of pedals are those?

Jet-man

Look Keo Sprints. I'm riding Keo Carbon's on my road bike and thus needed to keep the same for shoe compatibility. Ja the red is not my 1st choice in color (they don't make yellow ) but the price was right on those.

jon148

^^ how about those handlebars? Love your bike.

Jet-man

Thanks guys.

The bars are nashbar specials - $20. I was going to cut some 44 road bars for the home-made bullhorns, but will keep them in case I want to switch it around in the future

knucks

Eh I'm not digging the color choice :/

otherwise nice

dddave

i think i need longer cranks.

November

Jet-man,
I'm not in your area, but what are you looking to get for the wheelset including shipping? Does the rear have a flip-flop hub?

yellowjeep

hey november. i have have some also that are brand new. get in touch. nick(dot)ginther(at)sbcglobal(dot)net. you should really allow PMs

bonechilling

Why would you feel stupid for riding a stock bike? What on earth do you need to upgrade, if nothing is broken?

November

yellowjeep, PM sent.

dewthedew

its fun.

TheDLake

Alright... Looks like i'll be purchasing one here very very soon.

I have one question though, why are people HATING on these bikes so much? Like the fixed gear guys with the IRO's, and Surly's, and bianchi's, etc. etc. Why do they hate so much on these frames? I mean I know their frames are "better" but I mean how much better... like seriously. I know it's a metal difference, and quality but seriously though.. how much.

After alot of research i'm just seeing it's components that i'm actually already going to be changing out (wheels, crank, etc.)

I just want to know why there is so much animosity towards these bikes from the "higher end' group of the bunch?

I kinda sat back and thought about my Schwinn Le Tour Conversion that I built/ride. I got the frame for pretty much nothing... and have easily spent over $600-$700 in parts and tools and trial and error parts (buying the wrong parts like TIRES and not being able to take them back cuz they have skid marks on them) and there is always something wrong with it that i'm fixing constantly. It's not that light at all... and it's about 20+ years old.

I really don't see why my old conversion is any better than a low end/entry level track frame (as the Windsor/Mercier/KHS). So wouldn't I technically be "stepping up" from my POS conversion?

And what exactly is the difference between the "Windsor- The Hour" and the "Mercier TT Kilo"? I mean, they look like the same damn bike... does the mercier have better components? I like the color choices of the Windsor (that matte black makes me feel good).

Let me know! Sorry for the long winded question...

jet sanchEz

I don't think there is that much hate for these bikes anymore, at least not compared to when they first started hitting the streets. They are what they are, a budget frame with budget parts and that gets under some people's skins. Maybe they feel that these bikes are taking away some of the pinache of the track bike or that people who buy them are just poseurs, I dunno but I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.

I think the hate around here is more directed towards the type of rides that you will find in the Jackass of the Day thread. A real cyclist won't care what you are riding as long as you are on a bike and enjoying yourself (and being safe while doing so). At least, that is what I've come to learn.

As for the Windsor and the Mercier, they are similar because they are budget bikes but the tubing and geometry are different. The fork on the Mercier is also quite different. If I were buying one, I would pick the Kilo as the geometry is much more track-inspired. You also may have seen the Kilo frame re-badged as a KHS Flite track bike or the Windsor-The Hour re-badged as a Fuji Track.

crosswalkrider

the kilo has its own thread with 79,517 replies to date.

no one is talking about their bikes. where are their hot threads? ha



but if I were to venture two guesses

1. Made in Taiwan
2. with the money we saved, we went on winter vacation in the tropics. well, at least I will.

rduenas

I've gotten nothing but compliments on my bike, and let's be serious, they're not just liking my rims and saddle (as an example.).

They're sort of, under-the-radar. Pistas get hated on more than these frames.

bonechilling

I don't know anyone who "hates on" these bikes, at least not in my experience here or in my city. Everyone, even mechanics and shop employees whose livelihood are threatened by these bikes, agrees that this is a solid, attractive bike for a good price.

Just a few points of clarity. First, the Kilo TT is Reynolds 520, and Reynolds 520 is just Reynolds basic cro-mo (4130), which makes it essentially the same tubing as the Hour. Second, it's really not accurate to describe the TT as "much more track-inspired" than the Hour. The Hour is a legitimate track bike in every regard, and a cursory examination of the geometry would tell you this. Even if it weren't, your implication furthers the notion that "true track geometry" is, for some reason, preferable for the average rider, which it really isn't. Finally, not to split hairs on this, but neither bike is "rebranded." A third-party in Taiwan (probably Maxway) makes a frame which KHS, Fuji and Mercier/Windsor (Bikes Direct) all buy, and all put their respective logos on it.

That said, I definitely agree that the Kilo wins out on looks, with the lugged flat-crown fork.

s0ldats

if you look at the geometry numbers for both bikes you will have to agree that the kiloTT has steeper angles.

jgrant75

i just finished building a 50cm up tonight for my girl with some add ons:



*42 T rocket ring
*16 T shimano freewheel
*pyramid dual caliper brakeset
*generic bmx brake levers
*cane creek cables
*pink one piece top tube pad
*old mtb platform pedals

planned upgrades:

*saddle (pink terry damselfly?)
*brake levers (tekro fx2 or inlines?)
*tires (conti gatorskins)
*new mtb platform pedals

definately a budget bike -- i think its a good value for the money -- but its pretty heavy for such a small frame!
my girl is not a bike snob so it will be a big upgrade (from her 35lb gary fisher clunker) for her daily commute.

enthuesd

Looking at the flat crowns of the fork from the top (riding position) it seems like the crowns are un-even. the left looks like it is further back than the right, which looks further forward. has anyone else noticed this? Riding I don't have any problems except riding with no hands.

TheDLake

Thanks to everyone for the reassurance on this frame.

yeah def. getting the matte gray.... after seeing this picture i can't wait to throw my black cxp22's on there....



sweet... now my girlfriend is going to hate me even more... muahahhahha i love it!

jet sanchEz

Yeah, sorry, this is what I meant, the Kilo is more track-y than the Windsor. And yeah, I just used the term "re-badged" because I didn't want to go into too much of a thread hi-jack. Spicer also has the TT frame branded as their own and I think someone figured out that the Hour frame is also used by another big company, I've forgotten who now. There are probably bike countries all over the world using these frames, why wouldn't they?

VACO

Niiiiice setup