$350 BikesDirect vs $600+ completes?
 

Ive been lurking for a few months and I think Im finally going to buy my first fixed/single speed late January. I wanted to get peoples opinions on the merits of buying a $600+ complete (e.g. Pista, IRO, Capo) when compared to the $300-350 Bikes Direct offerings. From what I can see, theres alot of love for the Kilo TT and its one of my top choices. But would the extra $300 be that much better frame/component -wise for a first bike? 99.99% of the time I will be riding on the road, and I forsee some crashing on my part while Im learning the ins/outs of riding fixed. I also live in Seattle, and well, its very moist most of the time. Should I be concerned about a steel frame rusting? I would be storing my bike essentially 'outside' in a shoddy garage that isnt completely protective from the elements.


Also, how do people feel about the Moto. Messenger or the Windsor Hour when compared to the Kilo TT? Is the TT the hands down favorite? Im tempted by the Messenger because it comes with brakes and a freewheel, but are those specific components junk? Would I be better off buying a quality front brake and a freewheel from my LBS?


I guess to sum it up, Im just looking for affirmation that I should buy a cheaper bike while learning. Then when I figure out if riding fixed is really for me I can decide to build my ideal bike later down the road.

I bought a Surly Steamroller as my first fixed gear, and I wish I had gotten a Kilo TT.

Use the search, wealth of info on Bikesdirect.

TT is probably the favorite around here. I don't like the stem and levers on the Messenger, but those are easily replaced.

More expensive bikes are simply shwag. I'm not saying you shouldn't get one; it's a lot of fun to own a pretty green Bianchi or whatever else suits your tastes. Functionally though, a cheaper bike (like in this case) will be perfectly fine.

Why do you wish you'd gotten a TT instead of the Steam roller?

The $$$ and the geometry on the Kilo is closer to what I want. But alas, when I bought it I didn't know a fixed gear bicycle from a hole in the ground. I bought a Kilo for my girlfriend and covet it very much.

edit* the Steamroller is a really awesome bike though.

Buy the cheapest bike you can afford, then ride the hell out of it.

People will tell you to build your own, piece it together from eBay, etc. But really, it's about what is enjoyable to you.

I'm personally waiting for the $175 TT frames to come out on Feb 1st. Slap some mavic 22's and a shimano 105 crankset, and I'll have a pretty decent bike right there.

It's definitely not the easiest thing to do - I've been tempted just to get the stock Kilo - but I feel that the satisfaction of building up your own bike is worth the wait.

Just throwing that out there.

Ya! If you can afford the Kilo TT, buy the Winsor.
Sage advice.

Mavimao, what size bb are you running with those 105s?

The LBS told me to get 110. They're an older, used pair I picked up: square taper. Fingers crossed it'll work!

I'm not sure why every one here is all up on ivory towers and dislike conversions so much, but for your first fixed wheel bike, why spend min. $350+ on a cheap model track bike when you can convert an old road frame for hella cheap. Then you can learn and feel it out and move on from there.

I'm a big fan of getting the best bike you can possibly afford... after you ride a conversion for a couple of months and fall in love with the riding. $0.02

i am more than extremely satisfied with my kilo, money well spent

Well, I dont have an old road frame I can convert (and Im not going to cannibalize my road bike). Whatever mystery bike I find on craigslist will just be marginally cheaper than buying a Kilo from Bikes Direct.

agreed. deals can be found all over the place on craigslist. its all about being patient. i picked up my 70s mystery nishiki road bike for 20 bucks. swapping all my stock pista parts onto the nishiki. all im trying to get perfect now is the chain line.

The only problem with a conversion is that they can easily start to push the $200 mark before you know it. Frame, $50 if you're lucky. Rear wheel, $75-100. And then maybe a new BB if not a new crank. hopefully you can save the rest.

Just be aware that, though it has been done, not all conversions are super cheap.
I've worked in a shop helping people convert for as cheap as possible (mostly helping them find parts). it worked about 1/3 of the time. The other 2/3 were better off getting a cheap track bike.

If you've got $350, let someone else figure it all out for you.

Agreed. You'll also be riding sooner than later.
If you have the tools, time and energy - go for it, build one up. I doubt you are going to build a better bike for less than $350.

I'm curious why you use the English phrasing of "fixed wheel," when you're from California, and why you bothered to put it in italics. I think that's really odd.

Also, no one here dislikes conversions, and that's apparent from even a cursory glance at the content of this thread. Everyone seems to agree on the simple point that buying an off-the-peg fixed gear bike for $300 is roughly as cheap as all but the most janky, broke-ass conversions will run you, and you will have the bike immediately.

*Because that's what it is. Tard. There are fixed wheels and free wheels.

I think that's really odd.

*I think you are really odd...looking.

Also, no one here dislikes conversions, and that's apparent from even a cursory glance at the content of this thread.

*Whatever. I look at the forum everyday and I know what I read. most of you seem to have been riding fixed for like a year? maybe a little longer? And 90% of you seem to be on IRO's or some other internet bought bike. I just think it builds more character to build up your own bike than to buy one online that either you know nothing about or 1500 other ******s have the same exact set up.

edit: you also have no clue where I was born or am from. Only where I currently live.

I did my homework and it was hardly worth it to convert when I could get something new for just a little bit more. Converting was not cheap at all and the end result was of poorer quality than buying something new.

But I ended up going with a $600 Kona Paddy Wagon instead of the Mercier. In reality, I think I would have been better off with the Mercier since I really enjoy shopping around for parts. When I'm done with my Kona, the frame and a few other bits will probably end up the only stock components.

In the meantime, that extra $250 does get you acceptable hubs, bars, stem, brakes, etc. when compared to the disposable garbage that comes on the Mercier (or so I've read). If you wanted to, you could probably ride a carefully chosen $600 bike (Paddy Wagon, Steamroller, IRO, Langster, etc.) for a lot longer than a Mercier without having to change anything.

agreed. the bikesdirect frames are 20 times better for the 300 dollars you'd spend to convert your dads varsity.

Oh, and to the OP. the difference in quality between the pista and kilo tt is negligible. Definitely not 300 dollars worth. You're just buying the name and a little nicer frame.

plus, the kilo tt pro will be out soon and then everyone will have their nice budget frame upgrade.

The typical advice is to go with a 107mm shimano UN-54 bottom bracket. The 110mm, however, only differs in the non-drive side length, making it functionally equivalent to the 107 in terms of chain line. There are just 3mm of extra spindle sticking out on the non-drive side. This can annoy some people who are particular about q-factor and such. Note that you'll need to mount the chain ring on the inside of the spider in order to achieve a workable chain line for track hubs.

It's fine if you want to call it a "fixed wheel," it's your right to be an obnoxious ******bag, but the implication of your post was that "fixed gear" is somehow incorrect, when it's observably not. I mean, anyone with the most basic understanding of American (or British) English would know this.

This is basically just rambling nonsense, and it in no way addresses my point. It's fine if you want to build a conversion, and it's fine if you want to buy one off the rack. I think at most people here agree with that.

I wasn't implying that "fixed gear" is incorrect. You misinterpret what I wrote.

I am not an obnoxious ******bag, I am 100% a ss h ole.

And I know more than you so save it.

Ahhh....save it.