i hate to be the "noob" in any situation...

and i know many ppl. don't want to see a bikesdirect.com related thread 'cause there's been so many of them...atleast i used the search function before even registering

there was actually a similar polled thread that asked which was favored between the hour, mercier kilo tt, dawes sst, and motobecane messenger but i want to know from YOU what you think is the best bang for your buck between the hour, dawes sst, and motobecane messenger

i've been looking into getting a bike all summer but just haven't....i've been thinking about getting a single speed from bikesdirect 'cause they're more "affordable" and i figure worst case scenario i'm getting a $300 or $350 bike and i think the components will be fine for being my first single speed bike (maybe if i like it enough i'll replace the components and build a better bike over time)...i'm not buying into that $795 retail value crap either

here's some info i should include before you answer this for me...i would possibly take the brakes off if i got a model that came w/ brakes

also, i'm 5' 11.5" and from what i've gathered the standard sizes for someone my heighth is 56cm or 58cm...i figured a 56cm would be better 'cause it would be easier to handle

any help is appreciated
thanks for the help

the mercier is better than those 3

they're not re-stocking the mercier any time soon to my knowledge

they expect a re-stock of the other 3 next month

The Windsor has the best wheels. The Mercier has the best frame and fork.

Except... maybe... the Dawes. Haven't seen that one yet. I know their first Dawes fixed/SS bike (the Lighting SST, sold on eBay only) was not on the same quality level as the Mercier or the Windsor.

get the winsor. save a few bucks. all of them are of comparable quality. plus, a buddy recently got a winsor and it came with a threadless headset. i was totally surprised.

but have you seen the welds on those frames? it looks like an underpaid and overworked ****** welded the tubes together.

take a look at the ss scattante frameset at performance. MIN posted a thread about the one he built up and i couldn't belive how good the frame looked and how clean the welds were. if i were to damage my rush hour frame, i'd probably just throw my components on that frame.

What's the geometry of the Scattante SS? I was looking at that before even visiting this forum, after reading and researching it seems this frame is not preferred because it's not a "track" geo frame?

i almost want to shell out the extra $50 for the messenger 'cause the orange color is dope

what kind of money could i get for selling the brake set?

Actually the dawes has Alex/formula wheels. If you know you're going to ride fixed though I would just go with the hour.

How about these?
https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_S...ls&ProdID=1184

The SSR is more aggressive than any of the BD bikes. It does have a bit of a longer chainstay and higher BB than "track" bikes, but it's the same as the Kilo. I have one on order, but I got impatient and went ahead and ordered a Mark V yesterday. I still haven't canceled my order and may build it up to sell it.

Also, I have an '80s Schwinn that in the 23" has the same seat angle and only .5 degree more relaxed head tube angle than the Kilo (which I believe is the most aggressive BD bike) in 57cm, so I don't really consider it very "track".

i literally just got a dawes and for a novice rider, this single speed is perfect. and from what my more experienced friends have told me, the dawes comes with much more quality parts for the money.

at the end of the day...all three bikes are good for their value (heince the reason they're one bikesdirect, and all three has some really ****ty parts), its just certain advantages and disadvantages that comes with purchasing either of the three

but since i got a dawes i'm gonna support the sst!

Oh, and I put the Dawes as the best value because of the wheelset, crankset, and the inclusion of brakes. But, it's a real screwy geo where the top tube difference is only about 3cm between the smallest (49cm) and largest (61cm) frames. Also, the value is worse if you don't like bullhorns.

Yeah, I have a 61 and the top tube is only 57cm. I'll get a longer stem soon. The stock stem is only 80mm.