mercier kilo tt frameset build

bikesdirect has an affiliate site bikeisland that they sell framesets through. when i got it you could only get it in black and it was 170 shipped.

the brown tape is salsa thick and zesty brown bar wrap. the darker of the two that i saw.

haha not a bad idea, especially here in seattle.

pretty sure they have a shim to make it fit

nice bike!

yeah there's a shim. also, it's not an x2 it's just an elite.

thanks!

thanks, post up yours when it's done. i love orange kilos.

i have a regular machined front that i use when i run a brake. i don't use brakes on these wheels.

my wheels are pretty damn heavy. and i'm not sure i had a good scale.

yeah it's a thomson stem that's -10 degrees from the steerer tube.

haha thanks.

hey thanks...

it's a great bike for the money. any cheaper and you're gonna sacrifice a LOT of performance, and you're not going to gain much of anything unless you spend 800 or more on something different.

pedals clips and straps are in my opinion essential if you want the most out of the bike. a front brake is a good idea too, but other than that everything else on the bike is ready for hundreds of miles and will serve you well. i'd suggest changing bars and saddle if you plan on doing long rides but that goes for any bike, you need something that fits you.

the kilo is basically a street-friendly track bike, with a great frame and components that should be more than enough for getting from a to b, unless you're 300 lbs or something.

it's drilled for front and rear brake, and i'd actually suggest you get both for downtown traffic or hills. when i commute or go places i use my road bike because it has brakes. but when i had brakes on my kilo, i used it to get to school classes and work 1-3 times a day and it was wonderful.

if you do get another bike...
don't get an expensive aluminum frame, don't get a heavy hi-ten steel frame... also don't get a bike that's just a stripped down road bike like the bowery or motobecane messenger. you'll be better served by an actual road bike if you're going to spend over 700. or a singlespeed cyclocross bike if you want to go on dirt or gravel.

if you want a track bike for the simplicity and style though, i think the kilo tt is the absolute best buy around.

for what it's worth, i bought mine as a frameset so i can't completely vouch for the stock kilo complete bike- just what seen and gathered when i've ridden friend's stock kilos. regardless, the frame is AWESOME for commuting, track, polo, anything you can do on any other bike on pavement really.

your description of your bike made me stoked on getting this frame again. there are so many options around this price range it's hard to chose but this is what i've been leaning towards.

i'm 5/7 and the 53 fits great... of course your inseam and torso length should also be factored in, but i think with the right saddle, post, and stem adjustments the 53 should work for you if you're normally proportioned.

sorry if this is too late of a response! I totally dig your praise, i'm really proud of my bike.

did you raise your seatpost for the pic or do you actually ride it like that? cause i'm three inches taller than you with average to long legs and i have less seatpost showing. im confused. anyway, nice bike.

thanks, i recently painted them on so they're zigzagged too. i'll upload a new pic.

mine didn't come with decals, it was a frameset only. if you have them you can either strip and repaint or cover with vinyl.

the soma's are 42cm... little too wide for me...

the 3ttt are 41cm and much much better.

plenty of flat section at the top, most i've ever seen on 'track' drops. they've great feel but they're super heavy. i'd probably do nitto or deda if i did it again.

yeah i've seen more and more... especially when people start swapping out the forks... but at the time i built this i hadn't seen any on here or online anywhere.

Get over whether or not yours was "the first" - the reason most people don't have a threadless Kilo TT is because they've already upgraded the actual bike.

I can get a threadless adapter and throw a threadless stem on there, since "replacing the fork" doesn't seem to count for you. Or, just use an older shim that actually covers the fork.

If you bone threadless so much, why did you switch to it? What are the advantages you've gained besides points with your white belt?

i did it because the fork that came with mine was too long and it had to be cut and rethreaded to use a threaded headset anyway, so i decided to try this out rather than have it rethreaded. it doesn't matter if i was first or not, i just want someone to show me that they've done it too or maybe that they've done it before i did.

where is it?

Yeah, I've spent a whole hell of a lot- but mostly because I had the wheel custom built and I've bought many kinds of the same component.

I have two seatposts, three saddles, two headsets, five handlebars(!!!), three stems, and like two sets of blinkie lights, front and rear.

Threadless was easy: It had a fork that was too long for the headtube, so instead of cutting and rethreading it, I cut it down to size for a threadless headset. The cane creek s-2 is actually the second headset I've had on it; I had an aheadset sts first, but I wanted sealed cartridge bearings.

I love this bike, it's strong, quick, and enjoyable. Thanks for your comment!

was it easy to strip the decals?