IRO MARK V PRO vs MERCIER KILO TT PRO
 

I'm looking to buy one of these, but thought I'd ask you guys for some helpful input. The tt pro has 520 chromoly and the iro pro has 631 steel tubing, but check them out for yourselves

http://www.irocycle.com/index.asp?Pa...ROD&ProdID=196

http://bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/kilott_pro.htm

i looking towards getting the partial build of the mark v pro. Anybody have any useful information/opinions? Pros and cons and what not. thanks!

reynolds 631 is lighter and more expensive than reynolds 520; but the kilo tt is a better deal as you're getting an entire bike not just a frame.

And if you're just gonna upgrade the kilo tt pro you might as well get a normal kilo tt as it's just the components of the kilo tt "pro" that makes it "pro"; as they both share the exact same frame aside from the paint.

I for one love the exclusive pro colors, and I am not a fan of the original's chrome accents, but thats just me.

i could be totally wrong, but i was under the assumption IRO made better bikes than mercier....plus everyone has kilos....if it were me i would spend the extra money on the IRO partial build. but thats just me, and im a newb to the fixed gear world. perhaps you shouldn't listen to me and i shouldn't be posting lol

Depends what you mean by 'better.' Iro full builds do come with much better wheelsets than the kilo, but apart from this the parts are fairly comparable. And this does not justify and $300 price gap between a basic kilo and iro.

As for the frames themselves, they each have their pros and cons. IROs are made from slightly better quality chro mo but the kilo has a prettier crowned fork. And personally I think that the kilo has a much tighter, agile, and fun geo as compared to my friends Mark V, which feels a little bit more like a road bike. So the frames are definitely competitive with one another, its mostly based on preference.

When decided to go fixed I had to decide between an IRO and kilo, but after a few months of evesdropping on this forum, I couldnt really justify the extra cash on the iro apart from the fact that a lot of people have kilo tts. But hey, they are popular for a reason, I love my kilo.

IRO's are also popular lol.... but not as much as the kilo tt.... and worst of all IRO's colorways are very limited when compared to the kilo's and then its variations which do have their own colorways as well.

Talk about embarrassing when you come to a light with a guy riding the exact same bike as you! Sure it's okay and funny with say a higher end pista concept but a cheap common bike makes it all awkward and stuff in my opinion....

I think the Kilo is more popular on this forum than in real life. I've only ever seen 1 in Seattle. Never seen an IRO. I've seen A LOT of Surlys, Masi, Raleigh, Bianchi, Trek, Specialized, etc. But the kids going to internet bike forums enjoy getting bikes over the internet too i guess.

is there a reason why you've ruled out a LBS? There are a lot of benefits to buying local..

I see the Kilo everywhere. decent and inexpensive *shrug*

more like cheap 'n' cheesy but hey to each their own. and they're not as cheap as people think, after you gear it down, get some decent pedals and saddle, pay for a few truings, etc

i've honestly never seen either one. everybody here rides crummy mountain bikes (in the WRONG EFFING GEAR!!!!) on the road. i like the iro more just because of the tubeset. 631 rules.

I have a Kilo, so I am offended by your comment. No one like to be thought of as a person who's taste favors the cheap and / or cheesy.

The $350 I paid for the bike was just the beginning really... I had better wheels, and tires, and had to buy a new stem, bars, brakes, cog... it adds up fast! It is now a happiness machine and worth every penny. Great bike.
-J

Out of the box my kilo did not feel cheesy at all, have you owned one preston811? Some of the parts were cheap and clearly needed to be replaced fast, but this is the case with most new bikes. Most of the parts are perfectly rideable if you have decent mechanical skills.

And Ill bet money that in a blind test between 520 and 631 tubing 90% of people on this forum wouldnt be able to tell the two apart. Especially to someone new to fixed gears/bikes.

keep it coming guys!
this is helping me alot haha believe it or not.

it's kind of like that for most bikes and you can do the truing yourself, but still not a whole lot from a shop

i do like the tt pro's colors, i wanted to get the cream color, and the mark v pro just come in white :/

You can always make a project out of repainting the frame you buy to the exact color you want.... or if you have money have it professionally done....

Hey who doesn't like saving some money. I'm just all about pitching the flipside of the coin, and recommending LBS bikes for noobs. By cheesy I mainly meant the fake vintage name they bought up and slapped on there. If they had their own brand I would actually respect them a lot more. (also would help if they didn't blatantly rip off other bikes at every frame dimension: case in point Steamroller->KiloWT). Don't get me wrong I have seen plenty of dope Kilos on this forum. But how much went into them? $300? $500? More? I have no doubt your ride is great but if you're gonna spend that much to get it where you want it I think it's just better to buy a complete that has decent stuff to begin with. How has the paint held up? I haven't heard great things.



I'm sure that's actually true. It's not a bad deal if someone knows all about bikes, has all the bike tools needed, and has a litany of spare parts lying around. However I see BD recommended across the board for noobs on this forum, and that's kinda what I have a problem with. They may not know what they're in for, or how some costs can add up. Not to mention they get almost no service prior to, during, or after the sale.



Kinda not really. Not every bike comes with throwaway pedals and saddle, and NO shop is gonna make you pay for truings on a bike you buy from them. I haven't replaced a thing yet on my Steamroller after 1k miles, and the Masi Speciale Fixed LTD I almost got for $700 didn't need a thing either.



Another thing about buying locally is that most shops will help fit you to the bike not only prior to but after the sale, this includes taking your measurements, swapping stems at no cost, etc.

And you get a [theoretically] pro assembly. Not some throw together job in Asia where you're left on your own to make sure everything's right n' tight.

And you can actually test ride first! Not every bike is perfect for every rider believe it or not, some you just like more than others. Would you buy a car without test riding it?

And service after sale. If anything goes wrong with your BD bike, good luck playing email tag with them and have fun shipping it back and waiting for a replacement. With a LBS bike you just walk in and they fix you up immediately for nothing. They also usually tune you up for a year after the sale.

Whoever said the thing about differing geometry made a good point. Geometry translates to the ride pretty directly. At this level, the differences between 520 and 631 are negligible.

And as for everyone else who mentioned the "colorways" and how the bikes look...well, it's SSFG so I guess it's a pretty good point too. I want my bike to look hella pretty when I'm walking it up the 9% grade that I can't climb.

I've had a Mark V for several years now and am thrilled with it.... that being said, my girl is pretty stoked on her Kilo TT.

ahhh no way i got my girl a kilo too and she loved it

I guess that's a niche that BD bikes are good for too: GF's, coffeeshop biking and hipster posing. I guess I just assumed that people want to ride a bike like I do, hard. How many miles have those girlfriends put on their bikes, honestly.

Seriously? I commute and joy ride around 10-20 miles daily with my kilo, rain, snow, whatever in pothole-ridden nyc. I have never had any issues with the stock parts although I have gradually switched them out to fit my comfort tastes, I absolutely love the frame. I have tried iros, pakes, pistas, steamrollers etc, and the only frame I enjoyed ride-wise as much as my kilo was the surly. Dont bash if you have never owned one.

From my and my guys experience, all bikesdirect bikes are as good as any typical LBS retail bike. All bikesdirect bikes are made at the exact same factories as many expensive LBS brands. Take for example kinesis who makes some of bikesdirect's road bikes also happens to make bikes for that famed british bike company called raleigh. bikesdirect bikes are cheap because you're not paying for the brand while you're getting the same exact quality.

How is it bashing to say they fit that niche? i didn't mean to imply that's the only niche they fit. What have I said that's inaccurate? I'm just trying to reveal some truths so the OP can make an informed decision.

Ok you got me. the Kilo TT is the perfect bike for everyone. I'm the one giving bad advice, I mean heaven forbid someone actually visit a bike shop and test ride some bikes.

No. Just because a frame is made in the same factory doesn't mean it's the same bike. Bikesdirect bikes are cheap because they use cheap components, cheap paint, have no R&D (they simply rip off other bikes), very minimal service, no phone #, and they get all the schmoes on this forum to do their marketing for them. Listen I'm really not trying to insult bikesdirect owners. If you're happy with it I'm happy for you. Just trying to point out that test riding bikes before you buy is a good thing, as is service after a sale, and there are some costs to BD bikes which people might not be expecting. (again: gearing it down, LBS inspection if you don't have tools/knowhow, new pedals (+saddle probably), wheel truing if needed, new stem if needed to fit you, etc). You get what you pay for. If you have the right expectations, go for it!