Thinking of getting a SS, torn on choices
 

I'm planning to get a SS in the next month or so just to ride around town. I don't feel I need to take my roadie if I'm just riding into downtown. Also I'm a bit paranoid with leaving the Scott locked up for too long. Trying to keep it sub $400 and I've narrowed it down to a few choices:

Dawes SST-AL
Seems like a pretty good choice. Aluminum frame and a carbon fork for real cheap. I've seen around here that many people don't like aluminum for their SS/FG. What's the reasoning behind this?

Mercier Kilo TT
Obviously a must-have on the list. I've noticed the sizing is super weird though. Looking at the sizing charts between Mercier and Scott, I'm a 50cm in Mercier (due to them not having a 51 or 52), whereas I'm a 54 on my Scott.

Windsor The Hour
Significantly cheaper than the first two. Leaves extra money for other stuff, but is it a good starting platform?

Motobecane Track
Same as the previous.

What do you guys recommend? What would you buy? Thanks for the feedback guys.

None of the above. This >>> http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...rack_bikes.htm

1) Cheap 2) Both SS and FG 3) Front + Rear brakes

The whole love of vintage aside, steel makes for a more comfortable ride at not a huge tradeoff for performance. The majority of folks searching for an ssfg in your price range want the bike simply to tool around town in. For this purpose, some view cf/al as kind of overkill.

I suspect the size discrepancy is due to the Kilo being sized center to center, but i can't be sure w/o seeing Scott's chart.

Which site are you ordering from?

Do you have one of those? Do you like it? I think I'm going to order one on Monday, once I get all of cash from my KY Derby gigs in the bank.

No, I don't, however several other SSFG members do and all have reported positively.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...gravity+attack

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...gravity+attack

Thanks! I've seen those threads, just hoping for something more in-depth. I'm going to go ahead and order one. I'll start a thread or add to the others when I get it.

Hmm, I'll have to check that out, I didn't see it earlier. Looks pretty nice!

Please do, I may be interested in picking this bike up.

Thanks for the tip on steel. I'm probably going to order from bikes direct or something. Here's Scott's chart: http://www.scott-sports.com/us_en/pr...2/55736/218120

i started out looking at those bikes and even narrowed my search down to the kilo wt and i was ready to buy... but i kept reading and got as much information as i could and it turns out i am glad i waited. you can do so much better for not a lot more money. ive got some really cool ideas on where im going and im glad i did not just fold due to the cheap pricing. honestly it was a close one... but i managed to overcome the temptation... my advice... keep looking

I see what you mean. However, since I have my road bike, I'd rather not spend too much money on a SS. It'll primarily be used for short runs into downtown or just cruising around, nothing too serious. What did you end up getting?

Mostly aesthetics I think, at least for me; modern steel bikes just look "slimmer" and more elegant than alu bikes.

why dont you just buy a cheap roadie[circa ~1990ish, horizontal dropouts, cassette hub] on CL and just singlespeed it? if you get the bike for $150 more than likely you are looking at a total of $200-$250 after you refresh it[tires/tubes/cables]. if you really want relaxed, swap out the drops for some risers and mtb levers. just an idea.

That's also an idea. I'm not even sure where to start if I do that. It seems a lot of the roadies I see don't have horizontal dropouts

Sumthin like dis..

1985 Bridgestone 300 frame ~ sweet riding lugged 4130 frame
700c A-Class Solo wheels / DT spokes laced to Bianchi sealed bearing hi flange hubs (take offs from 2010 Bianchi Pista track frame) My lbs hooked me up ~ $90
Kenda 25c tires
Stock BB repacked / crank / stock 42t ring / Headset repacked
Stock 80mm neg rise 1" quill stem and chop n flop bar
KMC Z410 chain
Bontrager SSR saddle
VP road pedals

Total cost $250! I built it. This way, you can create a sort of 1 off custom ride.
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/f...outdoor015.jpg

any plans of:
-pannies, racks?
-fenders?
-wide tires?

that would be a big step in us helping you find your ideal ss city bike.

hey jay, ya i havent completely decided but im leaning toward more of a single speed mtb bike converted for the street.
im toying with the idea of getting a redline monocog 29er and putting 60mm big apples, with a 42t chain ring. heres a link to what im sort of planning.
http://suburbanassault.org/2011/04/2...-monocog-29er/
im still looking at the kilo wt as well...

I love it, super clean. Maybe I should look into fixed/SS conversions...

No pannies/racks
Fenders are a maybe
Wide tires, no preference on these. I'm fine running normal sized skinny road tires.

Cool man, let me know what you end up going with.

A scott s40 is not something i'd worry about if you know how to lock and you're not locking up for hours in bad areas while being completely out of sight.

that said, why not get an SE draft if you're just looking for a cheap as hell bike... or a dawes ebaytrack bike from sprtymama(bikesdirect's wife) with the bmx cranks... or this: http://cgi.ebay.com/SUPER-SALE-Track...ht_3502wt_1143

a track-ish bike is great for fast city riding and you may find you ride it more than your roadie especially on quick rides to the store...

Thanks for the input. The ebay link that you gave me, is it a pretty reliable bike? It says it's an unbranded one which I guess could be good or bad. Cheap is great, but I also don't want a bike that'll fall apart on me :)

A track-ish bike is exactly what I'm looking for, for quick runs around town.

The link that cc700 gave you is for a Vilano, which is a cheap but basically ok cromo steel bike. I bought a frame and built a bike with it, and it's sturdily made. I'd say it's better than some Wallymart crap but a bit below the cheapest bd bikes.

Hm, I guess in that case, I may as well just get a BD bike. Looking at the Windsor The Hour, or if I wait a bit, I can probably pick up a Kilo TT