sinikl

first off: i have "no dog in this fight." I'm just trying to understand how a "real track geo bike" differs from something i bought for cheap. the bike feels responsive, even scary-responsive to me, and i'm just trying to find out how my bike differs from a legit velodrome bike.
Not because i want to change bikes, just because i want to understand. i also would like to know how someone on, say, a Dolan's, ride experience would differ from mine.

the purpose of this thread is for you to educate me, not for me to grind some axe that my Kilo is "really a track bike."

tell me why a Kilo is not a legit, or semi? legit track bike.

going into this:
-wheelbase seems too long, based on what i've found on google
-angles of seat and head tubes seem consistent with what i have read is "track angles" (i'm on a 55cm, and it does matter if you look at the geo chart)...again, based on google.
-bb drop seems too high for "real track" geo (google)
-trail measurement seems "tracky" to me? i don't know what i'm doing here. it's a low number, which i read as "track ish".

have at it!

Training.Wheels

Are you even gonna ride that thing in the track or are you just looking to earn street cred for having a "real" track bike?

prooftheory

The geometry of a Kilo TT is perfectly consistent with a track bike. Many Kilo TTs have brakes which would be illegal but these can be removed and I believe that several forum members have actually ridden their Kilos on a track. That said, a track bike is as a track bike does. I would never say that my FTP is a track bike. It is a fixed gear bike and so are the vast majority of Kilo TTs.

Scrodzilla

Where a bike is ridden doesn't transform what kind of bike it is. A lot of old people in Florida who own golf carts never take them to the golf course. They're still golf carts, just as a mountain bike ridden on the street is still a mountain bike.

At any rate, we definitely needed another thread about Kilo TTs.

Spoonrobot 

hey gurl here's some validation for you

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...k-Racing-Bikes

Scrodzilla

So a Kilo TT Pro is a "track bike" but the standard Kilo TT isn't?

prooftheory

I thought that a mountain bike that is only ridden on the street was called a hybrid and that a golf cart that isn't ridden at the golf course was called a Smart Car.

I guess maybe it is more like the legal definition of porn which is that it is a work that is intended to sexually arouse. Bike's Direct builds Kilo TT's with the intent that people perfect a no handed track stand so maybe it should be known as a "no-handed-track-stand bike".

Bat56

Most golf carts have cup holders. Track bikes usually don't. That's the only difference I can think of.

Scrodzilla

If that's the case, your FTP is a "hybrid" too.

Another example: BMX stands for bicycle motocross. How many BMX bikes are actually raced on a dirt track?

prooftheory

No, I ride my FTP on trails.

Higher Class

ahh yes. a classic study of semantics. to fully comprehend the illustrious multi-faceted nature of the Kilo TT, one must first have an understanding of prescriptive and descriptive approaches to language. from a prescriptive viewpoint, it is a steel track bike. the descriptive view is more complex, since it is subjective. it is a track racing bike, booze cruiser, fixie, road bike, commuter, wall art, et cetera. there are considerations that must be made when analyzing from both approaches. a purely prescriptive definition can fall short in practice because it has no concern for social construct and how the word is used in actuality within different groups and subcultures. a descriptive definition of a word can lose sight of its original intended meaning and can create vapidity of the word and confusion to what it is supposed to mean.

tldr; the world is chaos, and everything is connected but nothing matters. kilo tt

Scrodzilla

Still a hybrid.

prooftheory

Yes but is it a golf cart? Maybe sarcasm fail.

Jaytron

If you can ride it on the velodrome, then it is a track bike.

BB drop is the same as my Dolan.

Angles are similar to my Dolan.

Wheelbase is similar to my Dolan.

Fork rake is similar to my Dolan.

My Dolan probably is stiffer, and is slightly lighter.

Not a huge difference. I own both.

Nagrom_

My kilo goes left.

Dannihilator

Then what is my dmr? It sees an awful lot of pavement at this time of year.

prooftheory

It is a Smart Car.

GMJ

If you ride it on the track, it is a realization of a track bike. If you do not ride it on the track, it is not a realization of a track bike. It is functionally isomorphic for a specific purpose, placing it within a set of other mechanisms that also carry out said purpose (riding in a circle).

If you want a teleological purpose for your bike, it is to get hit by cars.

Scrodzilla

Which is a golf cart, which is pretty much the same as a razor scooter.

This is a good thread. I like this thread.

prooftheory

Which is the same thing as a Weed Wacker, which is the same thing as a hoe, which is the same thing as a prostitute . . .

sinikl

oh ffs. i was asking about geo specifically. but i must say, the replies are entertaining.

sinikl

can i put this in my signature?

GMJ

Do it.

hockeyteeth

Caterine Vauban?! That's nihilism, Tommy!

illdthedj

if a golf cart explodes in the woods when no one is around, what is the sound of hipster track standing on a kilo TT clapping with one hand?