Just to update, I threw some 700x28c Continental Ultra Gatorskins on the wheels and they roll great and seem to stay in the rims just fine. I'll be purchasing 700x35c tires for the winter/snow.

I also measured the dropout width, and they are in fact wide. I haven't had a problem adjusting my rear wheel though, although I am noticing the difference it's making when checking alignment. I'm the kind of person that does minimal work to keep their bike rolling, so we'll see if it falls apart. I'm having the LBS check the cranks, headset (it feels a little grimy) and install a 17t cog on Friday, while I watch and learn.

I also tightened the cog (didn't need much) and lockring when I first got it, but noticed threads coming out of the hub almost immediately. I switched the the freewheel, so hopefully the fixed side won't be jacked when they put the new, more reasonably geared cog on. I am loving this bike! I am definitely a little more stretched out than I'm used to, but I've only ever ridden the Kilo TT that was too small and a trek 4300 mountain bike that is much more relaxed, so I don't even know if it's bad.

I've been bugging my buddies to go on rides with me whenever I get the chance. I definitely understand the singlespeed/fixed gear trend. I get a much better workout and find myself going much faster than when I ride a geared bike. I also really enjoy taking it out early in the morning and riding it silently through the city.

@rock2doc - glad to hear you're enjoying your Kilo WT. I'm having a lot of fun with mine.

So I've now changed out my handlebars with Deda Elementi Piega Ergo road bars and Cane Creek compact brake levers for my small hands. The matte black finish on the bars matches the stem perfectly, and the combo is 1000% more comfortable than the stock setup. I topped it off with some Easton cushion foam bar tape.

I also rocked a Felt BeerNuts 15mm wrench/bottle opener for the unused seatube bottle cage bosses. This way I can stuff a small drawstring sack with a spare tube, CO2 inflator and tire irons under my Brooks saddle, which I've secured with one of the otherwise useless toe straps that came with the even more worthless stock pedals. I don't really expect to be changing many flats on this bike with the fat 700x35c Pasela TG tires, but may want occasional access to the wrench.

Anyways, I think I'm done changing things for the time being, and now just need to get more miles on the Brooks Pro saddle.

looks great

Hey thanks, and also thanks for all the good feedback you gave me on yours to help me make the decision to get it over the Steamroller. The more I ride it, the more I appreciate its qualities and versatility. I really like being able to put the water bottle on the downtube instead of the seatube; much easier to use it when riding fixed. Also, I expect I'll be putting fenders on it for fall/winter riding, and it's nice to have the fender mounts on the frame and fork. Well, tomorrow, I'm heading out early to get in about 35 miles on it.

I've now got about 300 additional miles on my Kilo WT, since changing the bars, stem, brake levers, and it has been very comfortable and uneventful. The Brooks saddle has remained hard as ever, but comfortable, so I'm happy with it. The chain required one slight retensioning and the right crank arm has needed one more retightening to achieve its torque setting. I rotated my bars up a couple of degrees, but have not lowered them any further. I find myself riding about 90% of the time on the brake hoods and most of remaining time on the drops, maybe 1% on the tops. Basically, my riding position is very similar to what it would be on bullhorns. Most of my rides are about 2 hours non-stop, except for occasional pauses at traffic lights or stop signs. The rear Pasela tire is just beginning to show the slightest hint of wear, and the front still looks completely new.

I've added two accessories:
1) Surly tugnut ($24.99 from Ben's Cycle), which also serves to cover the nasty gouges I put in the dropout paint when I initially installed a full link in the chain before moving the axle back to the middle of the track end with a half link.
2) Sigma wireless computer ($27.97 from Ben's Cycle), which has a nice big visible display with adjustable contrast and a nice big button at the front to toggle modes. It also came with very good instructions in booklet form.

I've added up all my expenditures to date for upgrades/changes/accessories, and have now spent more on these items than the initial cost of the bike. And, I didn't even change the wheels and cranks, which are the most expensive items except for the frameset, itself. Also, only one item, the saddle, cost more than $100 ($114.95), but it all adds up quickly. Still, I feel the expense has been justified to get a first rate bike for under $1000.

Finally, I invite other Kilo WT owners to contribute to this thread with your own recent experiences.

Just crossed 1550 miles on mine. The original tires were getting less and less round on the rims so they were replaced by 32c Michelin City tires that Performace.com had on sale for $7 a pop. After about 200 miles on these tires I'm really not very happy with them. They don't seem to roll very well and are kinda heavy. I knew about the heavy part ordering them but for $7 each I figure they were worth a try. So tonight I went ahead and ordered the tires I really wanted, 32c Continental Top Contacts which I found on sale pretty cheap which makes me smile.

The other part that is reaching the end of its life is the headset. It is now seriously indexed and a Cane Creek S3 is also on its way to replace the original. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get more miles out of it but the premature demise probably has something to with my 190 lbs. bouncing down many miles of gravel.

I still very much like this bike. It's definitely the one going with me for the STP unless my brother who I'm riding with decides he want to do it in one day.

Roland

Just made a few changes to my bike. The original headset was replaced with a Cane Creek S3 and the tires were replaced with Conti 32c Top Contacts. Also picked up some Deda green handlebar tape that looks pretty good. The 32c Top Contacts are significantly narrower that the 32c Michelin City tires I had on before but are just about perfect for my needs

While I had the wheels off to swap the tires I noticed the bearings in both the front and rear wheels had started to get very rough. I'm a little surprised by this as I had the wheels off about 200 miles ago and didn't notice any change since new. I have had a couple wet rides since then, and have spent about 75 miles on gravel roads, but nothing too extreme. Anyway, a set of 4 Phil Wood replacement bearings are on their way to solve this problem and hopefully eliminate any future issues.

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