Looking for expert opinion on the Mercier Kilo TT vs. the Surly Steamroller.
Is the Steamroller a fixed gear bike designed for the road, while the Kilo an actual track bike?
I may use on road and track, but not for any real racing.

yeah the steamroller is generally considered to have 'road geometry,' while the kilo is 'track geometry.'

if you plan on spending a significant amount of time on the track and/or budget is a big factor, kilo may be a better bet. if you want an extremely versatile road fg with clearance for big tires/fenders, and you want a generally nice bike, get the steamroller. see sig for my obvious preference.

Steamroller!

'roller!

yeah you got it right. the roller has a lower bottom bracket so may not be "legal" on some velodromes, also is more prone to pedal strike (never happened with me though, but I get toeclip strike a lot since I tend to point my toes down while pedalling).

the mercier is also cheaper.

If you're not going to do any real racing I would say go with the steamroller because it sounds like you'll be riding on the road a lot more and the steamroller is definitely the better option.

Plus, "Steamroller" is a way cooler name. And Surly is swell.

You can't lose.

As a former surly steamroller owner I say get a kilo. Unless you like threadless stems or you like wide tires.

The KHS (same frame as the kilo) has a threadless fork, so don't let that be a deal-breaker.

surly comes stock much better than a kilo, and the frame is way better. it just depends if you dont care about a cheaper frame and can build up stuff urself, you can probably spend less on a kilo. i do like the $ green color on the kilo too, but powder coating isn't tough to do on bikes

As a former Kilo (KHS actually) and current steamroller owner, I say get the steamroller.
The steamroller is actually somewhere in between "road" and "track" geometry (i cringe when i make such simplistic generalizations). The HTA is steeper and the wheelbase shorter than some typical road bikes. Plus, in most sizes the 'roller has a steeper HTA and more rake than the Kilo. i.e. "twitchier"

the only negative the steamroller would have towards basic fooling around at the track is that it's BB is about 1cm lower. This is essentially negligible, unless you plan on riding on the absolute steepest of tracks.

Finally, the steamroller complete come with much better components than the KiloTT and the tire clearance alone makes for a much more versatile road bike

note that the KHS frame is no longer the same as the Kilo. Check the geo charts, they're different. i think Mercier kept the geometry of the KHS frames from a couple years back, while KHS tweaked theirs a little bit?
or the geometry chart on the mercier site is just wrong.

one more vote for the steamroller. great street bike that comes with way better components vs. kilo tt complete. rides like a dream - very comfortable.

get a track-only bike in the future when you actually get into track. and in the meantime, ride the steamroller around town.

surly surly surly

Surly Steamroller all the way. I am biased. But the bias is produced by experience with the bike. It is a really fun bike that you can bang around without worry.

thats a hot bump

you get toeclip strike? i didn't even know that was possible.

And, of course, I recommend this sort of activity only while wearing the proper protection.

Hey, have you seen the Jamis Sputnick? That bike has an awesome steel frame and a carbon composite fork.

https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/...08sputnik.html

That, in my opinion, is a good bike, better than the Mercier.

With the Kilo TT now threadless, I think it's even more of a better choice over a Steamroller if money is the primary concern. To me, the ride on Steamrollers and Kilo TTs is very similar, so I'd tend to opt for the less expensive, then replace things as they break.

both are nice bikes but I went with a steamroller. The feeling i get when riding this bike is that its super sturdy I would go so far as to say indestructible. I play polo on my bike and have gotten in and out of some fairly hairy situations but the frame is still true and begging for more. Also If you haven't already ridden a track bike and don't understand how they handle the steamroller may be better for you. depending on your size. Its nice to be able to effortlessly ride with no hands, fit huge tires and hit the trails, or just pound the crap out of the bike on the pavement. Versatility definitely goes to the steamroller.