I'm looking into a entry level bike and I've read numerous of threads about each. I went to my local performance bike and rode a 58, talked with the guy for a bit and the guy said 58 looks right, MAYBE a 61. He didn't have one for me to try out so I figure I'd order a 58. BD right now only has The Hour in a 61, or a Kilo TT in 60. Should I get one of them now before they're gone or wait for a nother shipment? I'm about 6'3 weighing 215 lbs. Thanks for the input

I think for $50 more, the Kilo is a better value. Plus it looks great in green.

depends on how much you want to spend on it. less than two hundred over the cost of the bike? get the hour. more? get the kilo.

If you're getting the Kilo (recommended), go for the 60cm. I'm 6'4" and the 57cm was too small for me.

Thanks for the input. I don't think I'll be doing MUCH upgrading, maybe just the basics. Trying to keep it a cheap hobby and a commuter bike. So I'm leaning toward the 60 Kilo, but the 61 Windsor would fit me well also?

I have a 33 inseam & the 61cm Windsor fits me well. I too tried a 58cm at the LBS (Fuji Track '08) & thought it was a good fit but am really happy I went with the 61. FWIW, you'll get better components on the Windsor & no toe overlap.

just cause they're black? better components? how so?

the stock crankset on the windsor is pretty damn decent IMO.

Everything else on both bikes to me isn't super great.



I like my hour alot more than the kilo I rode

the hour has way better wheels than the Kilo as well as cranks.

but the Kilo has a nicer frame

I would go with the Hour if I were to choose between the two. IIRC it is basically a re branded Fuji Track.

After looking some more, I've added The Dawess SST to my list. Can anybody help out a noob here? What's the difference with these bikes? I'm sure all the components are pretty compatible, and I've read good reviews for all of them. Just a guess, but since The Hour and TT do not come with breaks, I'm guess they're fixed? And the Messenger and SST are both SS? With this being said, is the Hour and TT "track" geometry, and the other two road"? Thanks for any help.

get the sst. the threadless and saddle are probably nicer. and yes, the sst and messenger are slacker road geo... 'race' road geo and lax track geo are pretty similar so this is really just semantics. i'd get the windsor if i were wanting track and the sst if i were wanting commuter, unless i was going to drop a few bens on top in which case the kilo is bomb diggity.

Cool. Well I live in Berkeley, and it's going to be mainly commuting and climbing for a good workout. I'm not going to drop much more on the bike after purchasing it, so SST FTW? ALL are SS with a flop hub that can be fixie on the other side?

Kilo TT... We're a cult.
JB

What do you base that off of? I'm curious to know. I felt that the Kilo frame is not as solid as the Hour. The Kilo however LOOKS better.

+1

i have a kilo tt and an SST, and i like the SST's ride and geo much better.

If you're commuting, the SST is the better choice as it already has brakes and has a more comfortable geo. The SST also has nicer wheels (alex r500 w/formula hubs) and bullhorns. If you're getting one of the smaller sizes, you'll be happy to know the SST does not have toe overlap in sizes 52cm and up. This isn't a big deal to most people, but it was a selling point for me.

i've never ridden an hour, but I wanted to know a little bit more about your experiences with the two frames. I love that the Kilo's frame feels so light. It feels much lighter than my SST's.

The Kilo feels weight wise the same as my Hour.

The bikes were both set up with risers, deep-v's on formulas but the Kilo had a much shorter gear ratio, and the Hour felt more compact even though it is a quoted 1cm larger in frame size.

The Hour felt stiffer and a bit more responsive...I felt more in control of it than on the Kilo. The Kilo felt softer when lots of force is put on it, as if it was flexing a bit compare to the rock solid feeling of the Hour.


That's about as precise as I can get with my observations. It was difficult to describe the differences observed on the bikes as I don't know a whole TON about bike geometry and such to really know where the differences come from.