Inpd

I see people often reply with a single line #Kilo SS when people ask what bike to get. Can you please elaborate why?

Geometry?
Wheels?
Weight?
Something else?


Thanks!

Kindaslow

I think a kilo is 2.2 pounds.

Inpd

Not bad. But a play on the words metric or imperial would have been cleverer.

Huffandstuff

It is the Honda civic of fixed gears.

hairnet

#kiloTT every time the Kilo TT gets mentioned, to keep tarck.

TejanoTrackie 

The Kilo TT is so over. We all love the Aventon Mataro now.

Nagrom_

One of the nicknames my kilo acquired was "the nicest civic on the block".

bike manhattan

I love mine! Just got it a month ago after my '05 Langster, which I rode for 8.5 years, was stolen.

I guess geometry, response and ride quality is a big part of why I dig it. Seems light for a steel frame as well. Wheel set is pretty solid too, at least to the point where I don't feel a need to get a new wheel set anytime soon. Affordability is also a big factor as to why it's so popular. I greatly prefer it over my old (and now stolen) Langster, which was more expensive.

That being said I've already replaced a ton of components on it. Basically everything except the crank, bottom bracket, headset and brake. Even stock it's a good bike, but yeah, I have replaced a lot. Some for personal fit/feel, others because they were tried and true components I used on my old bike that I really liked and a few smaller things for primarily aesthetic purposes.

Overall it's a great bike, looks good and is cheap. Add those three things together and I'm sure you can understand its popularity.

veganbikes

I think they are all paid employees of Bikes Direct who really actually work for Hans Butleman who works for the German intelligence agency who is funneling money to the Japanese to pay the Yakuza over a botched comb shipment. It is either that or people like cheap bikes that don't come from a LBS because "F" those guys, how dare they try and sell pre-built bikes and make a living ; )

oneepicmoose

IAmSam

Validity by repetition

jlafitte 

For four bills you get a frame with good quality tubes and welds that handles well on the street, has brazeons for bottle, rack and fenders, and is built up with components that are durable, reasonably light, and attractive. As a commuter/grocery getter my Kilo doesn't give the same ride quality as my Big Block or Mondial, but it's a pleasure to ride nonetheless, and serves its purpose perfectly well.

seau grateau

It's pretty much the answer if you want a cheap steel track bike.

veganbikes

Thank you, thank you, you all have been a great audience I always love playing (insert town name here) best audience on the planet.

ufbeans

There are so many things NOT to like about the kilo TT until you consider some of the ass fixies on the market now a days and you say to yourself, well at least they didn't buy that 6ku or that Purefix. Speaking of Purefix they sell a premium model now with butted chromoly tubes a 1" threaded lugged fork that looks pretty good. Same wrong components as a kilo TT. Too bad Purefix doesn't really give out theeir geos. My guess is those frames are compact with weird angles.

Leukybear 

The SS/FG bird goes cheep cheep cheep #kilott before being shot out of the air and crashing down in flames.

tFUnK

Better frame than others in its price range.

Inpd

Okay. I got to ask, what's a guy who lives in Menlo Park doing owning a Kilo! You could sell one square inch of your back yard or rent your front porch and have enough to buy the best track bike around!

Seriously, what's so nice about the frame? I bought a 2013 Motobecane Track and I find its very light (< 19 pounds) and quite stiff so wondering what the Kilo offers above and beyond it?

The problem with BD of course is that they don't ship what they sell. My bike was supposed to come with boat ancho Wienmann 1800 wheel set but instead came with much ighter wheels. I'm not complaining just wondering if the Kilo also has a similar undocumented upgrade which is why people like it.

nightfly

All around the world today, the Kilo is the measure
Once you got the funds you got the panties, man!
A Kilo is a thousand grams, its easy to remember

seau grateau

Comparing the weight and stiffness of two cheap steel bikes is pretty pointless. The Kilo has a nicer lugged fork and the frame geometry of a track bike. Components in the build are maybe a bit higher quality as well, but I haven't bothered to catalog them.

TejanoTrackie 

The Taiwanese welds on the Kilo are much better quality than those on any of the cheaper Chinamade bd bikes. Also, frame alignment is better. The ride and handling are better on my Kilo WT than on my Motobecane Messenger or Windsor Clockwork. If quality doesn't matter to you, then by all means get the cheapest bike that won't disintegrate the first time you ride it.

Inpd

Ah. That I didn't know. So the Kilos are made in the Kinesis or Giant factories? And the Motobecane Tracks are not. That is a good reason to by the Kilos.

TejanoTrackie 

Don't know which factory, just that they are made in Taiwan and the welds are just as nice as those on any top quality tig welded frame such as my Soma Rushes. Also, they use Reynolds 520 name brand chromo steel tubing.

jlafitte 

Word.

tFUnK

If I had a backyard to rent out, sure. I rent in the EPA side of MP.

I haven't owned a kilo in years but I found the quality of its tubes noticeably nicer than the other 4130 frames that BD offered. The tubes just felt nicer and the down tube on the kilo has a teardrop profile; as far as I know, other BD steel frames had round tube profiles, and I highly question whether the tubing was butted even though the website said they were (they felt very dead according to my highly scientific flicking test). The kilo was also noticeably lighter.

As far as BD shipping components that deviate from what's listed online, that's common, but not very relevant to the kilo (at least back when I had one, not sure about current offerings).