bryguy27007

Hello, I'm looking to get a fixed gear bicycle.

I am trying to decide between four bikes.
I am sorry for another vs. thread, but as a uni student, I can't really afford to choose a bike that I will have to replace soon.

The four bikes I'm trying to decide between are:

Mercier Kilo TT https://bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/kilott.htm

Dawes SST https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/dawes/sst.htm

IRO WTF Build https://www.irocycle.com/index.asp?Pa...ROD&ProdID=197

IRO Mark V https://www.irocycle.com/index.asp?Pa...ROD&ProdID=144


I will have to admit that the IRO WTF is my favorite, and mostly for aesthetic reasons, but I want a bike that will preform well. If that happens to be a bike worth it's cost, that would be great to hear.

The two IROs are quite pricey for me (I know I don't have a large budget), but if they are worth it I could see if I could stretch.

My second choice would be the TT, only because the Mark V is so expensive.

I am 6'0" and am looking for around 57-58 cm, let me know if I should change that.


Basically, I am just looking for any advice.


I will use the bike for commuting short/medium distances, and riding for fun.

ottothecow

Are you in the twin cities?

whatever you do, go with a front brake...winter is coming and stopping with your rear wheel only (especially if you are new to it) is probably a bad idea on those slippery streets. Drop bars might be nice because you can hunker down in the cold wind a little easier.

Also, check the Kilo WT and the Fantom Cross UNO. They will give you room for more tire options and fenders! Fenders are key to riding the *very* salty streets in MN without trashing your bike. You probably don't actually need to go as far as CX or even studded tires but both of those bikes will have room.

jtgotsjets

The IRO WTF is definitely the most versatile of all of them. Rack mounts, bottle bosses, cable routing for an IGH if you want it later... And a pretty great price to boot. If you don't care about extraneous braze-ons, wheelbase, track geometry or the rest of the bull**** people here blab about, it'd definitely be my first choice. (Not to mention that IRO's customer service is in a completely different galaxy than BikesDirect. You can call IRO up and order your bike from the same guy that's gonna build and ship your bike—good luck talking to a person at all at bikesdirect.)

None of those are bad bikes though—you'll see a lot of people here ride all of those models (well, except maybe the WTF, but only since it's a lim. edition and has only been around for a couple months). I'm partial to IRO because it's what I ride, but you really can't go wrong here.

bryguy27007

Yes, I'm in Minneapolis (a little outside, but I will ride there/Calhoun).
Well, I'm actually in Colorado now, but I'm coming back in January. I probably won't purchase the bike until then.

Yes, I am planning a front brake and helmet into my budget, I want to be as safe as possible. Plus those MPLS streets can be dangerous for a biker, especially with the new lane system on Hennepin (I haven't seen it, just read about it).

A lot of my riding will be done in suburbs and not actually downtown, but I pulled those two bikes up, I will definitely look into them.

Thank you very much for your help.

bryguy27007

jtgotsjets- Thank you very much for the advice.
In that case I am going to try to go for the WTF if I can afford it.
If not, either the TT or I'll look into the ones that ottothecow recommended.

ottothecow

In the suburbs the roads will generally be clearer but that will mean lots and lots of salt so it wouldn't be a bad habit to rinse off the important areas of your frame with whatever is left in your water bottle after a ride (and keep a nasty towel around so you can give it a quick dry if you are bringing it inside). Road salt destroys metal but it is especially cruel to the bottom of your headset and your bottom bracket where water gets kicked up by wheels (unless you have fenders/flaps).

Lot of great biking in the area though

bryguy27007

Thank you very much for the advice, I will remember to do that for sure.

Yes, there is lots of great biking, I love it.

grimace308

the first thing youre going to want to do is run a can of frame saver into your pimp new hotrod. condensation will form inside the tubes when you take the bike from the outside, inside. if youre going aluminium, fuggetaboutit.

if you havent ridden on ice or snow before, watch the front brake as it will wash your front on the spot, if youre too ham fisted. id suggest finding a parking lot or side street and practicing locking your front end up and recovering it, without going down.

mpls does a good job plowing the streets around here (uptown/downtown) and theyre ok in the winter.

bryguy27007

Thank you very much for the tip on the frame saver.
I think I'm going to wait to ride on the ice until I get used to riding a fixed gear on dry ground.

It's nice to hear from somebody from Minneapolis, I appreciate the advice everybody.

bryguy27007

Sorry for the double post, but I've been rethinking my decision recently.
I don't know if I will be able to swing the extra money for the IRO, and I've been looking at the Mercier Kilo TT more and more.

Is there anything that absolutely needs to be done to it?
Can it hold up to a 20 mile round trip commute each day (worst case scenario, not to mention if my legs could hold up to it)?

ottothecow

Well, in minneapolis, you have the benefit of non icy streets through most of the winter...just lots and lots of salt...

As to 20 mile round trip...thats really not so bad

If you give yourself an hour each way it is a leasurely pace and you probably don't even have to build up a sweat after a little practice.

bryguy27007

Well I'm glad to hear that.
I'm not sure what my school situation is going to be like next year (U of M or city college), so my largest commute should be 10.5 miles 1-way. The largest bike ride I have ever gone on was 30 miles at once, and I only did that once, and I was pretty wiped. It's good to hear that 20 mile round trip shouldn't be a problem.

I'm very excited to get my bike and to be a part of this community.

renton20

Nother MPLS friend here. It would be nice to see another IRO around the cities. I was just at the 350.org ride and there were two other IROs there, more than I have been near at one time. Anyways, I think that the WTF build is a great bargain. Full fenders and fat ass tires will make winter riding much more pleasant.

bryguy27007

Well I just bought a Kilo TT.
BD was throwing in two free brakes and free shipping, so I snapped it up.
I'm shipping it to MN but I won't move home until the 18th, and it's supposed to get here the 11th.
I'm so excited.

Hopefully this motivates rather than distracts me from my finals.

adriano 

damn, i cant believe you got free shipping.

BianchiDave

you could of gotten this one; https://madison.craigslist.org/bik/1494423555.html

HandsomeRyan

Of the 4 bikes you listed the SST is my favorite. Bullhorns are nice for [relatively] longer rides and it comes with brakes.

bryguy27007

Well, the Pista isn't in my size, but good looking out.

I got the Kilo TT and I love it.
But I haven't gotten to ride it yet.
I have it all put together and I can't for the life of me figure out what I need to use to fill up the tires.

It's just that weird stick looking thing.
Is there something that I need to buy in order to use my air compressor?

Sorry, the only bicycles I've owned are garage sale 10 speeds and the attachment that I have for the compressor works for all of those.

crazyed27

You have a Presta valve....https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presta_valve You can get a conversion for the pump at the LBS for cheap.

bryguy27007

Thank you very much, I'll pick one of those up tomorrow.

Also, it seems the front wheel is out of true.
When rotating the wheel it will rub up on the left side of the front brake.
What steps should I take to fix this?
I am guessing I don't have the skills required to fix it, should I bring it to the LBS?
If so, how much should it cost?
Should I contact BD about it?

crazyed27

Most LBS charge 10 bucks to true a wheel..at least in my area. Not too bad IMO....if you can learn to do it yourself eventually, then you would save money but that is up to you to tackle.

buelito

make sure you have the wheel properly mounted--it might not be seated correctly in the fork.

bryguy27007

I have a suspicion that this might be correct.
How do I check this though?

I am sorry for all the annoying questions, but I am completely new to bicycles (besides riding shoddy ones).

By the way, congratulations on climbing Flagstaff fixed.
I was just living in Boulder for the past few months but I moved back to Minneapolis yesterday.