flyingbuttons

Hello!

I am very new to this forum, but I have lurked quite a bit.

I am a 5’2’’ woman looking to ride a fixed gear bike. To summarize and skip the long boring stuff, I am interested in a Kilo TT (I can get one with scuffs in the dropouts for around $300), but I’m not sure which size frame to get (44cm or 47cm) since it’s more built for a man’s frame size. My price range is $300-$400, but I can be a little bit flexible. Yes I know there's millions of forums on this but there're no girl bikers into this bike in particular from what I've seen so far.

Some background, I live in a relatively/slightly hilly area in Southern California, and although it sounds impractical, I have been looking into fixed gear bikes for a month or two now. I don’t know if it’s just the sheer simplicity of it, but they look super fun to ride, and I love that you minimally have to maintain it. I am not in the best shape of my life, which is a minimal concern, but I can’t help looking at these bikes. Shout out to Zach Gallardo (find him on YouTube) for the inspiration.

I currently have a bottom of the bucket road bike Mercier Galaxy SC-1 from Bikesdirect that I got while I was in college, about 3-4ish years ago. I beat the crap out of it, and stopped using it after I graduated (there wasn’t a real use at the time). Recently though, after moving out on my own (finally), I have been paying more attention to biking, especially since my job is <10 miles from my house. I really want to try commuting to work (this is going to take a while for me to build up to it but I want to at least try). I was thinking of upgrading this bike but I really really don’t want to because I’d probably spend more money than I should. I will definitely buy bigger tires for it soon, though.

I have primarily seen road bikes out here where I live, and I don’t have $1k+ to shell out on a road bike (I know BD has affordable ones but I just want something that won’t break my bank).

I have been eyeing a Kilo TT for quite some time now since it’s in my limited $300-400 budget, and I have lurked countless forums, but again, I haven’t seen any reviews by females about these types of bikes. I have been looking at a Windsor the Hour and Fuji Track (has 650c wheels for their 43cm frame) as well as the Kilo TT. I have looked at the Kilo WT as well, but it’s just a hair pricier than I wanted to spend (the larger clearance is tempting). I just am not sure of what my frame size would be, 44cm or 47cm (for the Kilo).

Funnily, I went to a LBS to get measured (get my inseam measurements and whatnot), but the owner’s wife (the owner was there but paid no attention to me whatsoever) didn’t want to measure me (again it was a mom and pop shop, but only the woman bothered talking to me lol I think they assumed I didn’t know what I was talking about or what I was there for). I have also been to a chain bike shop that was hesitant to help me with sizing. Naturally she just wanted to get an estimate of my height and convince me to buy a bike.

After giving her my pathetic budget, she spent like 15-ish minutes on her computer looking for a road bike (I just wanted to know about SIZING). After shooting me down about MENTIONING a fixed gear bike (as she stated, “You don’t want a fixed gear. Only tall and skinny MEN ride those, you need a geared bike for riding around here”). She ended up showing me a road bike that was around $599, with a frame size of 52cm, and I’m not gonna lie, it was nice to just sit on even though it was sized a little big, but being a woman’s bike, it fit smaller and pretty comfortable.

I’ve only ever used/ridden Big 5/Walmart bikes here and there and the one I got online. Now that I am working full-time, I have the ca$h moneys to buy a slightly better/good-er bike and I have the means to be more serious about it. I’m still pretty new to this thing but I’ve done enough research for where I am in terms of my experience in riding.

I didn’t want sitting on the bike and her convincing words to be a selling point for me in terms of buying that road bike, because I’m not trying to spend an arm and a leg, and I wasn’t intending on getting a road bike in the first place (but maybe it’s better for me?) since I already have one (sort of). I also don’t want the possibility of buyer’s remorse since I’ve been looking at fixed gear/SS bikes for a while.

What’s my purpose for getting a fixed gear (but extremely likely to get a freewheel anyway because I’m terrified of hills) anyway? It sounds stupid but they just look so fun to ride, and I like the idea of having one gear, which basically limits you to your physical ability. I want it because of fun and enjoyment and simplicity. No I haven’t tried riding one before because tbh most, if not all, of the LBS around here only carry geared bikes, and I don’t have the time to find a shop that sells them to try it out (bc by the time I’m off work everything’s closed anyway). Riding fixed seems pretty straightforward anyway. I would say I’m experienced enough in terms of riding a bike.

So, I’m posting this to know whether I should even buy a fixed gear bike or not, or to save up for a geared bike. I feel like I’m just convincing myself to buy the fixed gear when when it may not be practical for me. Or I feel like I’m convincing myself not to buy it because I’m scared of hills.

So sorry this is so long. I'm probably overthinking it and should just stfu and buy the dang bike.

I ask this forum because you’re all seasoned fixed riders and I know the point is not to bring up geared bikes, but I need help here. PLZ HELP ME

bonsai171

Welcome to the world of SS/fixed! It is definitely a lot of fun. As far as sizing, have you tried calling Bikesdirect? That is probably your best bet-since they sell the product, they can help you figure out which size. The key is getting the right frame so you have enough clearance when you stand over the frame (standover height), seat height, and then reach to the handlebars.

As far as terrain, you can adjust the gearing to figure out what works best for you. I had a 52t chainring in the front, and 17t cog in the back, which was really really high gearing. Here in Atlanta, a 45t chainring, and 17t cog works about 90% of the time (over very hilly terrain). There might be times you will have to walk, or stand up and put your weight on the pedals to climb. I looked at some bikesdirect bikes a while ago, and seem to remember them using something around 48t for the front chaining and 16t for the rear. That might be a good starting point-you will have to figure out what gearing you like. There is something called gear inches, that will tell you basically how hard it will be to pedal (given a certain chainring and rear cog). Looks like the 48t, 16t combo is about 79 gear inches-so if you decided you need a combo that's easier to pedal, you would look for something less than 79 gear inches (might be easier to swap out the chainring). There's a calculator for that:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html

By the way, there's nothing wrong with having more than one bike.. the correct number of bikes is n+1 My fixed is Singlespeed on one side, and fixed on the other. It's nice having the option of coasting sometimes. You might want to try that out. The maintenance for these bikes is really easy too, I pretty much just put air in the tires and lube the chain once in a while, so if you are still learning how to do things, a fixed/ss bike would be a good place to learn. SS/fixed is addictive, I ride that more than my other 2 bikes lol. Hope this helps!

Dave

SquidPuppet

What size is the road bike that you already own? Is it comfortable?

Do whatever it takes to ride a fixed gear bike before buying one. It's not for everyone.

Where do you live in So Cal that is hilly? Lots of hills? Big hills? I can think of a few areas where a FG/SS would kinda suck.

There is a fixed gear bike shop in San Diego.

JeremyLC

Get a friend, a tailor's measuring tape, a carpenter's level, and a chair. Then go to this site select "road" as your bike type and enter the relevant numbers. It will give you a good idea of what size frames will fit you. The important number is the length of the top tube.

flyingbuttons

Thank you Dave! I am stoked to get into this type of riding. I have always enjoyed riding my bike, but I want something a little more fun.

I haven't.. I thought about emailing them but I wasn't sure if I needed to. I actually tried to measure myself to figure out my standover height but I think it's very inaccurate LOL.

I read something about gearing making a difference! I just didn't know what type of parts I'd need, I didn't know how to do the research. Thank you so much for that explanation though, it makes a lot more sense since you broke it down by the teeth amount on the gears, and knowing about gear inches. That calculator will be helpful for trying to figure out if I need to upgrade to something lower. I'll have to do some testing to know what works best for me.

I would think so, nothing wrong with more than one bike!! I figured I could use my beater road bike for longer distances as I get used to riding fixed/SS. I will definitely get a freewheel if I get a bike new, I want SS to be an option because of all the dang hills here. I could probably clean up my other bike if I had the patience to figure it out (with the derailleur and shifters and whatnot, no way I'm going to touch that stuff myself ). I have a feeling I will get hooked. I have been riding a bike for a long time, and I am confident in my abilities (I've fallen or crashed on a bike about 2-3 times in my lifetime, due to a faulty part on a bike), so I'm sure riding this kind of bike will be a blast for me.

I appreciate your kind words and patience to explain these sorts of things for newbies, I will be taking everything you guys say into great consideration! (I had to remove your link to Sheldon's site because I haven't posted 10 times yet LOL)

flyingbuttons

Hi Squid,

The size of my bike is 46cm. I think it is a hair too big for me, especially since I had to slide my saddle pretty forward to reach the hoods. I don't have a whole lot of clearance either, I would think the 42cm would have worked a lot better for my height. Since 44cm is the smallest for a Kilo, I think it might be safe to go with it.

I bought my road bike while I was attending my university, and didn't know squat about bikes, so I just went with what my friend suggested (I think hers was that size too, so I went with the same size, even though I got a completely different bike lmao).

I get what you mean, funny enough after making this post, I found what I think is the shop you're talking about here in SD, and one more! So that being said, I live in SD! It's not the hilliest city, but I must say it can get moderately hilly. If I know I'm going to be biking in a flatter area, I'd pick fixed, but if I know I'm going up some hills, I'd take my road bike. I'm still getting used to the neighborhood and the terrain itself, but I know that there's fixed riders around here .

flyingbuttons

I DID THIS LOL!

I had my guy friend make the up close and personal measurements, but I think we were off. I don't think my inseam is 31in...

I will have to try this again, I think the problem was that we weren't using a long enough level (not to mention it was awkward to have to imitate sitting on a saddle with that thing between my legs lolol.

(Sorry I removed the link in this post, I haven't made my 10 posts yet )

bonsai171

Have you tried riding at Mission Bay? I went there years ago, and it seemed pretty flat. I saw a bunch of bikers there too, so I'm guessing riding is allowed. That's probably a good place to ride around and get comfortable with the new bike when you're ready.

Dave

JeremyLC

I'd suggest measuring in mm if you can. Just be sure you're entering the same units you're measuring.

As for whether you'll like riding fixed, how far are you from a velodrome? The first time I rode fixed gear was at the Frisco Superdrome in a beginner's class on one of their bikes. I was hooked instantly. Maybe you can try the same at your "local" velodrome?

flyingbuttons

Hi Dave,

I have! Bikers frequent that area a lot, not just in the park, but on the streets too. I think the road goes pretty far down the coast, but I haven't tried it yet. I tackled Fiesta Island because I got cocky since it was so flat there (I want to ride there every weekend now) and I basically died

Once I figure out which bike to buy, I will definitely be riding there to increase my stamina and practice! I was thinking of exactly Mission Bay too. You read my mind!

I made a new post about which bike to buy because I did a little digging and found a sweet deal. Maybe I could get your opinion.

I found a Kilo TT Pro (shark grey) in my frame size (44cm) for sale on OfferUp in my area. The seller has had it for a year, and is asking $280 for it. It looks like he has a freewheel on it since he's listing it as a single speed as well, but he also included in his post that it's missing a rear brake (but the photos show the rear break?), and he's including a cable lock and a pump.

However, I've been looking at a "Kilo TT Deluxe" on BikeIsland (same vendor as Bikesdirect) complete, new with scuffs in the dropouts, in my size for $299.

I glossed over the parts, and the only difference is the frame (Special Edition Chromed Rear Seatstays vs solid color w/ some chrome) and the hubs (pro: TrackSpec High Flange Aluminum, sealed precision bearings, vs BI: TrackSpec High Flange Aluminum, sealed cartridge bearings).

My question is, should I get the newer bike from Bikeisland, or just try to haggle the guy for his Kilo TT Pro? I was planning to get it from BI originally, but I just came across the used Pro model.

flyingbuttons

Hey Jeremy,

So I think we did our measurements right, this is what I got firs time around:

Fit Style: The Competitive Fit

Top Tube Length 51.8 - 52.2 Cm
Seat Tube Range CC 51 - 51.5 Cm
Seat Tube Range CT 52.6 - 53.1 Cm
Stem Length 10.5 - 11.1 Cm
BB Saddle Position 65.2 - 67.2 Cm
Saddle Handlebar 50 - 50.6 Cm
Saddle Setback 5.2 - 5.6 Cm
Seatpost Type Setback

For Kilo's Geo, I saw that 44cm level top tube length is 503mm (50.3cm) and 47cm level top tube length is 513mm (51.3cm)

I've read on Bikeradar.com that, "If you're looking for a more comfortable riding position then you may wish to go for a shorter effective top tube length." So that being said, should I really go with the 44cm? I feel like it makes the most sense.

We do have a Velodrome here in SD, but I have zero confidence riding in one LOL, I should have to visit it one of these days though!

JeremyLC

How flexible are you? From the geo chart I found, it looks like the 47cm or 50cm sizes are the closest. You could probably ride any of the 44cm-50cm sizes, but the smaller sizes will have more saddle to bar drop, and you will be more hunched over, with more weight on your hands, as a consequence.

TMonk

Deleted a few posts I would categorize as counter productive/not helpful.

Welcome to bikeforums @flyingbuttons! Fellow San Diegan and SS/FG rider here. You came to a good place to get some advice, even if you have to weed through some negativity and other nonsense .

Enjoy your ride!

flyingbuttons

I am moderately flexible, I'm guessing you mean in terms of my reach?

I was thinking 47cm might be better too, I don't think I want a more aggressive stance when riding... I hate being in between sizes! :/

flyingbuttons

Hi and thank you TMonk!

Woohoo! SD for the win! I appreciate it, I had always lurked this forum but so far everyone has been very helpful!

JeremyLC

Kinda. I mean how bendable are you? Because you'll have to bend more to ride a shorter frame. Anyway, do go see the Scrodzillas, they'll get you sorted out.

79pmooney

flyingbuttons, at 5'2" you are at the very small end of the bike spectrum, esp as concerning production bikes. To get a good bike for you, it will be more important and more difficult for you than most of us to find a bike or frame that will work for your body. I would put my efforts into looking for a suitable frame fit-wise first. I would actually ride that bike. It sounds like you have only ridden bies that are too big. The right bike might well be a revelation for you. I hope you do not quit this search before you get there.

Fix gears are a blast. You hardly have to be tall and skinny to ride them (though I am). I love the full body workout they give going uphill. But, untl you are fully comfortable with them and can ride really smoothly, down hills will not be fun. Put good brakes on the bike and use them. (Road brakes on dropped handlebars also give you wonderful handles for going uphill. I've been using roadbikes with dropped handlebars and brakes fix gear for 40 years and I am still in love!)

Try searching for used Terry bicycles. Georgena Terry is the modern day founder of women's road bicycles. She had other companies and framebuilders make bikes to her specs throughout the 1980s. Clothes and accessories got added to the line. Eventually Georgena decided to step back and simplify, sold her share of the accessories end and now just make custom bikes for women, her true love. But there are a lot of old Terry's out there. Look for one with the 24" front wheel and horizontal rear dropouts. The 24" wheel makes fitting someone your size with a bike that rides really well quite do-able. You need the horizontal dropout to serve like a track end to easily and properly adjust the chain tension; something you need to ride either single speed or fix gear. Track ends - like you see on the Kilo - are all the rage, but removing wheels (for flats - they still happen!) is a lot more fun with horizontal road dropouts.

Don't give up! And don't settle for less!

Edit: re top tube length - if you get a bike that is too short, there is a simple remedy. Get a longer stem. I doubt any of the bikes you are looking at will have longer than probably a 100mm stem. Quite possible an 80 or 90. We long men use 130s all the time, 1 to 2 inches longer! But if you get a top tube that is too long, shorter stem options are quite limited and not always ideal from a bike handling perspective.

Ben

flyingbuttons

I would say I can bend a decent amount. But you're right, I'm gonna visit the Scrod this weekend before I make a mistake lmao

flyingbuttons

Hi Ben!

Yeah, I am very aware of that now, after trying to shop for a bike online LOL It's so hard. I will be visiting a LBS this weekend to get fit properly before I go and buy anything. I haven't ridden a fixed gear before but I know how straight-forward it will be, so I know what I'm expecting. But yes, I would say I have never ridden bike that has been properly fit for my body.

They sure look like a blast to ride! Which is why I am serious about getting into this type of riding. I've seen women on these bikes but it sucked to hear someone say that to me! I plan to get a freewheel pretty soon after buying the bike, I feel like due to my lack of experiencing riding in general, I want to be able to coast because it will be dangerous for me. There will most definitely be brakes on this bike.

I think I've heard about Terry bikes. That's so awesome!! I respect her dedication to the sport, and really going all out in terms of getting the right frame size for us women. I sat on a women's road bike last week and it was a hell of a lot different than sitting on a small "unisex" frame. What is the difference between horizontal and track dropouts? Is it because you can move the wheel TO adjust the tension? This is all very new to me, but I am starting to understand better. Did you mean fun in a sarcastic way?

I most definitely won't give up, 90% of everyone who's responded to my posts in this forum have been extremely helpful, and I really appreciate your and everyone's advise so far!

I also had a feeling for the top tube length. They say it's better to get a smaller frame than a larger one because the remedy is the stem or adjusting seat post.

Thank you for your help Ben!!

79pmooney

Horizontal dropout vs track end. Both have slots you can slide the wheel axle in. Both slots are roughly horizontal. The difference is: the track drop was designed for track bikes, ie the bikes that are raced in the banked velodromes. They want a means of moving the wheel to adjust the chain tension (really I mean slack; a non-derailleur bike should never have tension on the chain save from your pedaling efforts). Track drops are truly horizontal so moving the wheel has no effect on bottom bracket height or pedal clearance. The slot is long so a racer can ride any cog he needs for an afternoon of racing without massing with his chain length. The slot opens to the back. Easy to make. A bit of a hassle pulling the wheel off. First you hafe to get the chaim off teh cog before you can continue. At the velodrome, where they do not allow dirt, chains stay clean and this isn't an issue. Nor is the time factor. Track races don't allow wheel changes for flats while the race is going.

Horizontal dropouts open to the front and have a slight angle so as you slide the wheel the distance to the rear brake pad doesn't change. Road dropouts evolved for road racing. Flats happen and are a part of the sport. There is a need to get wheels out quickly. Opening to the front speeds this up a lot. This is just as true for single speed and fix gear wheels as derailleur wheels.

Many horizontal dropouts (and most of the good ones) have adjusting screws. You can get your chain tension right once, then tighten those screws until they just hit the axle. Now when you flat while out for a ride, you don't even have to think about setting the chain slack. Just pull the wheel back until the left side hits that screw. Tighten the hub nut. "Rock" the wheel until the right side hits. Tighten the right nut. (You may have to do one more rock to the left.) Done. Jump on and ride.

Take a look at the fix gears and single speeds you see. Newer ones will be almost all track ends. Many of the older ones will be resurrected 1980s bikes with horizontal droputs. Track ends are "the thing". Shop employees will probably tell you you have to have them. Those of us who have been riding fixed for 3 and 4 decades have little use for them.

Hope thisx helps. And I hope the right bike falls into your hands!

Ben

IAmSam

Before you buy into all the Kilo hype around here - do yourself a favor and check out the Fuji and SE Bikes SS/FG bikes that come in 43 cm with 650c wheels. You might find one in stock at a local bike shop or they are widely available online...

SE Lager Single-Speed City Bike

https://www.performancebike.com/weba...FU64wAodUCwIMA

https://www.citygrounds.com/products...FQSraQodA9cI8w

Good luck...

SquidPuppet

Scrodzilla

That bike sucks compared to a Kilo TT.

TejanoTrackie 

Yeah, I bought a 43cm SE Draft because of the 650c wheels, and it is total crap for sure.