I know this has been touched on before, but I was wondering if anybody has a better idea for my situation. I decided that I'm going to have 2 bikes, 1 cheap bike for commuting. I want a cheap bike that I can upgrade a little and make it pretty good - decent that I don't have to worry too much about being stolen (not parking a Bianchi on campus haha).

I was thinking about a Mercier Kilo TT, 50cm or 53cm... But I've been hearing some issues about toe overlap, especially in the smaller frames.
I'm about 5'6" tall, with 29"-29.5" inseam.
The stand over height on even a 53cm seems a bit too big for me, so I might even have to get a 50cm? I'm really concerned about the toe overlap. Any advice?

Kilo's run a little bigger, so go with the smaller one. Overlap is unavoidable... track bikes are designed for the wheel to turn so much on the velodrome and the clearances are tight.

Sigh. Get fit by a professional.

ive never heard of the kilo tt or overlap.

Screw "toe overlap" (whatever that is!)...whenever I let go of my handlebars and jump off the back of my bike while riding pretty fast, my bike rolls for a while and then falls over to one side. Is there any way of preventing that???

I'm having a problem where my white tires get dirty after I ride. HALP!

^ No wonder why your Pista is cracked!!!

Haha last night I had a revelation: to not care about toe overlap (it was never an issue when I traded with my friend for a day).
I think I'm going to go with the 47cm and get small cages if the stock ones are a wee bit big.

i think that might be too small.

Any bike can get stolen, especially one that's nice even if it's actually cheap like the Kilo TT. Just saying. Most thieves are stupid and don't even know what a specific bike is worth.

You realize that standover height is not equal to inseam, correct? Your inseam is several inches less, so your pants don't hit the floor. Measure your inseam height correctly (put a broomstick between your legs, parallel with the floor, pull up as far as you can, then measure the height from the top of the stick to the floor with a tape measure, subtract an inch or two, and you've got your standover height.

A Kilo TT is not a bike to buy if you don't want to worry about it being stolen. It's a brand new chromoly framed fixed gear, making it inherently desirable.

(FWIW, I lost a 25yr old MTB, bought off craigslist, that I'd loaned to a friend, when it got stolen after being locked up with a u-lock. On the plus side, that MTB cost me $25, plus a set of brake pads and a tune up. This is the kind of bike to commute to campus on. They're solid, the ride is comfy, and if they get stolen, you're out $25-60, and not $350+.)

Are your jeans turning your seat blue too?

i have a 29'' inseam as well and i went w/ the 47cm kilo tt, fits like a dream. the 47cm has a c-t of about 50cm so its perfect.

hahahahaha

No, I realize that there should be space above the top tube. I used to ride a conversion that stood 32" from the top tube to the ground (old track we had around) that I rode for a couple of years. I just learned to adapt to it and I could ride it really well. If I can just above the top tube, even if it barely touches, it'll be god-send.
I take it from iBaloney that he is also in the same situation only resolved

I think I'm going to paint the frame right before I start my semester to disguise the brand. I'm well aware that people know what bike this is if they saw it haha.

Buy a Kilo Stripper...same bike sans decals.

Does that make it lighter?

..

lol

Training wheels?

Yes!

Sure. Don't do that.

N.B. toe overlap is only an issue with sharp turns at very low speeds. Unless doing tricks is your thing it's unlikely to be a problem.

lighter AND adds 20 horsepower.

What size will give me the MOST overlap??? I like falling over while attempting to turn at intersections only to gain sympathy from hordes of caring people. Everyone loves fixed gear bikers in the city, right?

Are you running brakeless? If so, there's a good chance you'll eventually have an opportunity to hit something and bend your fork back a bit.