Do you like the KHS Flite100?
 

We are thinking about getting in some of these. We have the Langsters but a lot of people prefer a more traditional look like the KHS(And we are longer a Bianchi dealer :( ). It is a little pricey, but I think we will get one, just to check it out. What do you guys think?

I like it a lot better than the Langster, actually. I just refuse to like the Langster's sloped top tube. Though I have seen a bunch of Langsters around Philly, possibly more of them than Pistas.

i like it a lot.. its more impressive in person.. .guess im biased because i already own a KHS

i wish they'd make the curved ST aerotrack, again, though... that was a sexy frame

The Flite 100, or IRO's.

here's what happens to this bike frame in a head-on collision with a curb at abour 7mph. you can see minimal bending in the fork and no tire or wheel damage, but look at the huge buckle in the downtube and distortion in the top tube! i believe this frame is constructed of butted 4130 chro-mo, and it appears to bend right where the butting stops.

http://sprintclub.twothreesix.com/img/adamskhs.jpg
http://sprintclub.twothreesix.com/img/khsdowntube.jpg

good luck

I think it's a nice looking bike, wish the sloping tube was a little more apparent - hope it works well for you.

man those photos are something...ouch

Its a good frame with a wicked crankset (Sugino 75s). The rest of the bike is so-so. Bars and seat are pretty bad. Wheelset is ok.

If they were a little cheaper, ie priced the same as the Pistas, it would be the hands down champ for budget off the shelf fixies (well ones you can buy from your LBS).

Seen a fair few of them being used as begineers bikes on the track and friends with them love them for city riding.

Not a big fan of the return of the bright yellow paint job though.

I don't know...to me it looks like it bends right where the apex of the wheel's dia hits the down tube. :rolleyes:

ive been riding a 100 now for about a year and a half...and i like it. i thought that the wheelset was pretty shoddy, but its not the bikes fault that im 6'6" 215 #, and ive been aggressively riding fg for about 5 yrs...

i was impressed that they didnt skimp on the bottom bracket/crankset...they are still ok w/ the above stated rider dynamics.

from a shop perspective i would think that it might be a smarter move to press on with fuji or bianchi. they both offer good enrty level packages, as well as some amped up models to offer the accomplished rider. just my opinion...

a head on collision with a curb doesn't sound like it would do any bike much good.

The Flite 100 doesn't come with a Sugino 75 crankset anymore. If you could find a distributor for the Mercier Kilo TT that is perpetually for sale on eBay, you might be able to offer the same bike at a much lower price.

m.

yeah, what WithNail said...

plus, how do you know you were going 7 mph?

anyhow, I ride this bike as my daily commuter and I think it's a great city bike. Its very quick and agile but it still feels pretty sturdy. The wheels seem pretty tough to me (granted I'm a featherweight).


Yes the color isn't the greatest and the seat is more or less crap (I am still riding it after 5 months and it squeaks) but I'm glad I scored this rather than a Pista. Not that there is anything wrong with Pistas - they're nice. But there are SO many of them here in SF.

I don't know from a shop perspective, though... what do these retail at? 700? I scored mine (new) on ebay for 400.

I like mine a lot. After 5,000 miles or so (onto my third set of tires), the hubs (cone) are still very smooth, surprisingly. I overhauled the front one recently, but the rear is perfect. The saddle has held up very well. The bars are blah.

[ it appears to bend right where the butting stops.

http://sprintclub.twothreesix.com/img/adamskhs.jpg

or where your tire made contact with the frame.

7mph??? hmmm....

well, i have an flite too and i can say i really enjoy it. but that is coming from someone who hasn't ridden any other fixed gear aside from parking lot spins. i did get a small dent in my frame when it fell over onto a bike rack at school though. you can barely tell though.

i have been pleased with all the parts less the wheelset. i stripped my rear hub by skidding and probably not paying proper attention to making sure everything was tightened down correctly. but the bike with a set of phil's laced to cxp-33s rocks. the other thing some people might not like are the brake mounts and rack mounts (i think) that my 2003 model has. i am pretty sure mine has mounts for a rear rack and if you want clean lines, that has to go. the price is a bit steep too as well, but i won't complain since i didn't anything close to retail.

Thanks. I am going to try and stock a couple, probably 54 and 56. We are the fixed/single store in the area. The only problem is about half of the fixed/single crowd already work at the shop :)

i just ordered the '05 flite 100 from my lbs. i picked the khs over the pista because of the cranks, fork and geometry. later i found out after i paid for it, that the flite 100 no longer comes with the sugino's... now they come with truvativ's. needless to say i'm upgrading a lot of the bike before i even get on it. i hate the brake mounts in the back... thinking about sanding them off and repainting it.

looking back, it probably would have been cheaper to build a bike up from an old track frame using better components... oh well. this is my first track bike... certainly not my last.

they come in 53cm or 57cm. another downside to the khs... you can choose to ride a frame too big or a frame too small.

kcollins. I thought you must be mistaken, so I checked. I wonder what kind of marketing ploy leads them to omit the most common size range.

Interesting, I had not checked the sizes. It may be due to the track geometry. The top tube length is key, not so much seat tube.

Two things, kcollins, don't sweat the parts, wait until you wear something out to replace it. Second, if the rear bridge looks like I think it does, got to your LBS and get a rubber stopper. They are used to cover the holes in the old quill stems and bolts and all kinds of stuff. There is one in the size to cover the hole in the bridge. paint it yellow and it will become invisible. I did this on my converted Trek. It is clean and really hides the hole.

Rev. I can well believe you about the top tube length being key. My bro has an inseam 2" longer than mine but he cannot fit a frame as 'large' as I can because his arms are shorter than mine. Interesting that sizing for road and track frames are quoted for hight only. Mtb frames are quoted as s/m/l which is even worse for comparing 'effective top tube lenght' etc.

The whole seattube/SML thing is pretty annoying. I started out being taught that standover was king, and it is handy for quick fit. I find that toptube/reach is the only number that is really important. You can get around some of the other fit issues but that is one that is hard to beat. That and super goofy seattube angle makes it hard to fit for femur length.

No kidding. A couple of years ago I felt the need to upgrade from 'ssshhh' a cromo framed 10 spd to an alu 'vonder' for distances. One shop I went to the owner was about 60 and tried to convince me that standover hight on a sloped frame was still the only consideration. I left pdq. We all have to grow with the times.

No kidding. A couple of years ago I felt the need to upgrade from 'ssshhh' a cromo framed 10 spd to an alu 'vonder' for distances. One shop I went to the owner was about 60 and tried to convince me that standover hight on a sloped frame was still the only consideration. I left pdq. We all have to grow with the times.

Did your computer freeze at 7mph on impact?

The forks are bent, Would you prefer your forks to snap?