# Mercier Kilo Wt5 Review Bikes Direct S-RF5(W) Part 1 of...



## iamagoodmachine

Hey Here's my review so far of the Bikes Direct Mercier Kilo WT5:

I had high hopes, this is the first new complete bike that I've purchased after years of riding. I was intrigued by the praise that Sturmey Archer has gotten, and some friends recommended Bikes Direct as a reputable seller.

I received my Kilo wt-5 on Tuesday May 14th. There was some damage/defective parts on the bike- possibly in transit. The box looked like it UPS used it for a punching bag. After initial assembly, the tip of the Presta blew off… popped off with about 80 PSI. The bike appeared to be packed well (see photos). 

The bigger deal, the plastic Sturmey Acher Guide Pulley Set (#9 on the SA instructions) was defective or possibly damaged in transit. The Indication Protection Cover (part 22a) was not in the box either - I triple checked. On my first ride, the SA Guide Pulley Set crumbled to pieces (please see attached photo), leaving me stuck in 5th gear. Skate Escape’s Bike shop was on the way home, and luckily they service Sturmey Archer hubs. They replaced the crumbled plastic pulley part with an aluminum Sturmey Archer Hex nut (optional part #16 in the SA guide), and readjusted the cable/gearing. Props to the Skate escape bike mechanic because he stopped what he was doing to help me & fixed/adjusted while I was standing there. 

I went on another ride later in the evening, and I encountered 6 major gear slippage incidents, starting out in 1st, it slipped hard at least 3 times literally knocking both my feet of the pedals each time. In 2nd gear while climbing some moderate inclines, these same thing happened, falling out of gear with loud clanks from the hub. I tightened the cable a bit (fine tuning) and it helped, but the slipping still continued, but not as often. 

Bike Direct promptly reimbursed the cost of the tube and the Sturmey Archer Hex Nut! So far so good, really good honest service.

Observations so far of the other components other than the SA hub:

The frame (53) feels nice and solid. The Sugino Crankset is solid and looks/feels sturdy. The pedals... I HATED them, gave them to my GF and she likes them (she liked my frame enough to grab a Mercier Kilo Stripper from Bikes Direct). The seat... I like very much, it's very comfortable and firm, much unlike the seat she got with her Kilo, which was flimsy. The Alex Rims were a little on the heavy side and had to be trued just a little bit, but ride smoothly and feel like they can take a street beating. The drop bars that came with it were not to my taste, and the stock Tektro brake levers were uncomfortable and too big for me to get a good grip on. I swapped out the drops for some bullhorns and some cyclocross levers, which work great with the Tektro long-reach break calipers- great braking. Lugged fork is nice looking, and with the long-reach calipers I could put some beefy fenders on for the winter. Decent headset. The tires were decent, but I prefer 700x23 with some higher tire pressure (swapped them out, too). Paint is attractive, the Mercier logo's are a little on the bright side. I covered them with vinyl tape, the bike isn't a billboard for Mercier decals now. 

Now for the drivetrain issues:

From the get-go there have been issues with the Sturmey Hub, particularly in 1st gear, and sometimes in 2nd. I adjusted the indicator rod before every ride, and I continued to encounter slipping issues with 1st gear. I re-cabled the shifter and removed/reinstalled the indicator to make sure it was snug. 2-5th gear seem to work with little issue, but 1st gear still, after (multiple) adjustments before and during each ride, continued to slip. 

I went out and sat in a (hilly) parking for about an hour doing minor adjustments in either way from the center of the indicator. I fell 3 times due to 1st gear slipping- even when anticipating the hub to slip. I clipped my gonads pretty good the day before, too. It's not a good feeling waiting for drivetrain to fail when I'm about to have to mash up some of these monster hills in town. 

I feel that since day one, there has been an issue with this Sturmey Archer s-rf5 hub. :mad2: I was hoping that after a little usage it would break in or work itself out, but does not seem to be doing so. I brought it by my LBS, and the guy there that works on SA hubs took it for a ride and said "Time for a new hub". I contacted Bikes Direct and they said to send the wheel in for repair or replacement. Cool?

I sent the wheel to BD on 6/15 to be replaced/repaired. It's 6/30 and I haven't heard anything back from them yet, and they haven't responded to my status request 3 days ago. I'm surprised I haven't heard anything back from them, they were surprisingly helpful to begin with. 

I'm bummed my new ride that I've had such high expectations for has let me down like this. I'm wondering if I should have stuck w/ my old bike. My GF gave me a fixed/ss wheel that I'm temporarily using, but it's kind of defeating... $479 mistake? I'm starting to get a bad taste in my mouth about this whole transaction, let's hope it gets worked out when I get a new wheel/hub? I'll post the rest of the review as it comes together.


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## bikesdirect

Clearly
I have no idea what is going on with this
HOWEVER - I intend to find out and have e-mailed the shop guys to figure it out

I am surprised at the SA hub issues - we have had generally good luck with SA hubs
so I will certainly be interested to find out what is up with this one

I am sorry these issues have come up
and I intend to get to the bottom of it


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## jbabic

My WT5 is doing fine. ~130 miles since arrival. Still finding the sweet spot on the shifter adjustment as mine *occasionally* slips when shifting from 4th to 3rd (but not 2nd to 3rd or 3rd to 4th - go figure.) I think it's geared too high.

Other than that, I think it's fine. Let me know when you want to sell it.


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## iamagoodmachine

Hi Mike,

Thanks so much, Chris from BD got in touch with me the following day, and a new wheel and SA hub were shipped out and should get to me next Tuesday. I'm really looking forward to getting moving with that hub!

I spoke with a good buddy bike messenger of mine who said his coworker uses a Wt5 and hasn't had any issues at all with his, and he's done some long hauls up some pretty steep foothills and mountainous roads. 

I CAN'T WAIT!:thumbsup:


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## Bikedummy

Anyone offer input on sizing this bike. I'm 5'11" with a 32/33 inseam. I usually ride a 58 or 59cm road bike, but think I'm between a 56 or 59 with the WT5. Any anecdotal advice would be appreciated.


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## asad137

Bikedummy said:


> Anyone offer input on sizing this bike. I'm 5'11" with a 32/33 inseam. I usually ride a 58 or 59cm road bike, but think I'm between a 56 or 59 with the WT5. Any anecdotal advice would be appreciated.


My guess is you're going to want the 56. I'm only 5'8" but also have a 32" inseam and I'm riding the 53. The bike comes with a long stem as well, so the reach is fairly long.

Asad


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## iamagoodmachine

*Mercier Kilo Wt5 Review Bikes Direct S-RF5(W) Part 2*

Ok, Whew! I received my new SA hub/Alexrims Sub wheel in the mail yesterday. UPS MURDERED the box, it looks like they got their fattest delivery person to butt-flop onto the box, it was SMASHED. Luckily, the dudes @ Bikes Direct know how to pack stuff... the wheel and hardware were completely unscathed. :thumbsup: 
I mounted my new wheel with the original Kenda 700/32 Qwickroller tires that came stock with the bike. I went for my first ride, and got a flat before I got to the end of the block. Yes, it looks like I clumsily clipped the freakin' tube with the tire lever. I drove to the bike store and picked up a few more tubes 28-32 tubes, and my alternator died on my car and it wouldn't start in the bike store parking lot, but I digress...
I made it home (barely) and mounted the wheel (came with SA 18 tooth cog), and went for my initial ride. I encountered NO gear slipping on my first ride around the block. I stopped on a 40-45 degree angled driveway in 1st gear and mashed up it a handful of times, no slipping! I went around the block a few times, purposely mashing up the bigger hills a few times in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear with no issue. I went on a few mile ride after that, and this thing is like night-and-day compared to the last nightmare of a hub. Also, I'm growing fonder of these big Kenda Qwickroller tires, I'm really happy with them actually. They're surprisingly fast and forgiving on rough terrain, and they make this bike look MEAN, grrr. 
As far as I can see, the first SA hub was lemon-flavored. Thanks to Bikes Direct for working to fix this issue for me, their staff has been cordial and helpful. I'll post back soon with an update.


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## asad137

Awesome!

Asad


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## Bikedummy

Alright. I ordered the 56. I'm stoked.


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## chocostove

Also said:


> I like the Kenda Kwickrollers too, but I find if I dive into a turn too hard I can feel the sidewalls starting to roll and it' a little unnerving. Also the sidewalls don't inspire me with confidence as far as puncture resistance goes, but the tread has held up well in the heat and I've yet to flat from a tread puncture. They do take up the road quite well though, I find my self checking to see if i've flatted often because I am so used to riding on 25's that even running at 90 p.s.i the ride is so much more forgiving.


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## iamagoodmachine

Bikedummy said:


> Do you know which cyclocross levers you put on your wt5? They look good.


Hey Bikedummy,
They're Performance Bikes' Forte cross levers. They come wide too fit 31.8 bars, with fitted metal shims to fit 25.4 sections of the bar too. $16. They have satin black clamps with satin silver levers. Not too bad. I have some bar-end tektro levers, but I can't seem to find a cheap alternative to mount the SA shifter. I was looking @ Paul's Thumbies (to mount the levers on the bar ends and have the shifter mounted around the tip of the bar) but $60 for some BS clamp is just too much. I found some old braze-on downtube shifter clamps that fit around the bar end, but they're just too bulky, and the cabling would end up being really messy.


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## skeered1

so hows the bike? I'm contemplating one for myself but a bit wary of the gear slippage discussed here.


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## Bikedummy

Yeah. I like it. No slippage to speak of. I sort of regret not getting a Masi (they went on sale for $550 about two weeks after I bought the WT5, but I think the 5-speed is going to be way more versatile. 

Bike arrived quickly and it good shape. Welds look good to me. I'm not crazy about the cable routing, but it seems like a lot of bike for $479.

I've read most of the posts about the bike. I'm fine with the pedals and saddle. I thought I;d replace the dropbars with bullhorns, but I'm not sure about that either. I plan to get fenders soon...can't decide between black and stainless.

Glad I got the 56 (I'm 5'11"). Best of luck.


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## chocostove

skeered1 said:


> so hows the bike? I'm contemplating one for myself but a bit wary of the gear slippage discussed here.


If you follow the instructions for adjusting the hub from the Sturmey Archer site, tuning is pretty easy. I had to adjust mine a bunch as the cables broke in. But after that it's been fine. Pretty easy to adjust unless your not mechanically inclined. Should take a shop a couple of minutes at most.

Once mine was dialed in perfect no slippage.


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## JonnySwords

So I'm from NYC and I currently do alot of commuting cycling wise as well as some alleycats for fun, not a serious racer of any kind. I've been riding the Motobecane Team Track(fixed) off of bikesdirect for quite some time and dont have many complaints but lately I want something more commuter friendly and that can handle bigger tires. As you can imagine the streets can be pretty bad here in NYC.

I'm looking for a bike I can throw big tires on, have some gears, and can BEAT THE **** out of it. I mean riding down steps, bunny hops, large curbs, nyc potholes, the works. 

I've really been checking out this WT5 for quite some time now, does anyone have any furthur reviews/updates on the bike? I know alot of people had gear shifting issues so how has that panned out for you guys? Any pics of ones setup with racks/fenders? Can the SA hub handle a good beating?


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## asad137

JonnySwords said:


> I've really been checking out this WT5 for quite some time now, does anyone have any furthur reviews/updates on the bike? I know alot of people had gear shifting issues so how has that panned out for you guys? Any pics of ones setup with racks/fenders? Can the SA hub handle a good beating?


Here's my update:

-Gear shifting: Has settled in quite nicely. Maybe have to tweak it (meaning a quarter turn of the inline barrel adjuster) maybe once every 2 months. 

-Wheels: I tried to hop up a curb and failed miserably, spilling myself and the bike onto the ground. The rear wheel went out of true by about ~1/16" or 3/32" laterally; it started rubbing lightly on one of my fenders. You may want to have the spoke tensions checked on getting the bike, because there's I wouldn't think that a well-built 32h wheel should go out of true from that.

-Rack mounting: On the particular rack I have, one of the rack stays interfered with part of the brake caliper. I've been using only one, and it seems fine so far.

-Fender mounting: The front fork has multiple eyelets and braze ons, but the rear dropouts only have one threaded eyelet. It's a little annoying if mounting both fenders AND a rack. I was able to make it work because my rack has some extra holes that I used for mounting the fender stays, but it would be way more convenient to have an extra set of threaded eyelets on the rear.

I don't really abuse the bike much (aside from commuting on not-terrible city streets and the aforementioned curb hop attempt) so I can't really comment too much on durability. I recently got a puncture on the inside face of the rear tube, about 2" away from the valve stem, and I'm not sure what caused it (the rim tape was in good shape and I didn't see any foreign matter in there). On the plus side, the Kenda Kwickroller tires are SUPER easy to demount and mount by hand. On the downside, having a bike with track ends means the chain has to be removed in order to get the rear wheel out (or...maybe I'm just dumb and couldn't figure out another way)! The chain has a quick link, but maybe next time I'll try and fix it without removing the wheel from the bike. The fenders didn't cause any problems with getting a flat rear wheel/tire in and out.

Attached is a (crappy, cell phone) picture of my bike with a rear rack and full fenders. Sorry about all the clutter in the background.

Asad


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## SilentAssassin

That's a really good looking bike. Looks to be perfect for commuting. I like the paint color and finish. I found a used Winsor Tourist recently for a good price and modified the rear chainstays so I could use big tires like the WT5. 

Question: How does the wt5 ride, are the components cheapish or do they seems like they will last? Is the freewheel loud?


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## asad137

It is a really nice looking bike. The color is great, a charcoal grey with metal flake.



SilentAssassin said:


> Question: How does the wt5 ride, are the components cheapish or do they seems like they will last? Is the freewheel loud?


Ride: Fine, I guess. I mean, it's got fat tires and I have run them as low as 40-50 psi without pinch-flatting (I weigh 170, and the recommended pressure for the Kenda Kwickrollers is 75-110psi, IIRC), and at those pressures, it's like a Cadillac. I couldn't really tell you if it feels "lively" like steel bikes are supposed to or any of that stuff. I use this bike mostly for short errands and commuting (my commute is only 4 miles each way), and I'm mostly trying not to get doored or run over rather than obsessing over ride quality 

Componentry: The brakes and levers are Tektro, the headset is a Cane Creek, the crank is a Sugino, no idea on the bottom bracket. Tektro and Cane Creek are supposedly on the low end, component-wise, but it all works fine. The SA hardware seems pretty decent.

Freewheel: Not particularly loud, but you can hear it. Nowhere near as loud as my Neuvation freewheel, which can double as a party noisemaker in a pinch (btw, I'm loads of fun at parties).

Here's my initial review which has more info:
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=210902

I would say I like the bike a lot. Perhaps not love -- mostly it's because I wish the 2nd gear was a little taller. 2nd is too close to 1st, and then there's a big jump between 2nd and 3rd. Still, it's not a big issue given what I use this bike for.

Asad


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## iamagoodmachine

So far, the shifting has been much better with the new hub. It is pretty noisy, coasting sounds like a small WWII battle tank. At times the hub makes some interesting creaks when you really mash on it, but this has been much more stable than the first one I received. 

The reach was a bit much for me too, I put on a shorter stem with a hefty rise, and the bike is much more comfortable. I moved back to the drops from the bulls, I'm liking them much more with a shorter stem, and it doesn't feel like as much of a deathtrap to shift my weight on the bars and reach the shifter now. 

I'd really like to get the SA 5 speed trigger shifter, but it's only made to fit MTN sized bars. Bummer, as i'd really like to use bulls with bar-end brake levers. I tried the bar end brake levers with the SA bar-end shifter mounted on a Paul's Thumbie, but the cabling was wonky, and the lever itself was at an odd position for shifting. Hmmm. 

I jump curbs when necessary, and the Wt5 seems like it can take a beating, but I wouldn't advise riding down steps. I'm 200 Ibs and this bike's deflected a good bit of Atlanta's rough roads and keeps rolling smoothly.


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## Swerny

what does the stock WT5 weigh? 

Thanks


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## draganM

iamagoodmachine said:


> I received my Kilo wt-5 on Tuesday May 14th. There was some damage/defective parts on the bike- possibly in transit. The *box looked like it UPS used it for a punching bag.* The bike appeared to be packed well (see photos).





iamagoodmachine said:


> Ok, Whew! I received my new SA hub/Alexrims Sub wheel in the mail yesterday. * UPS MURDERED the box, it looks like they got their fattest delivery person to butt-flop onto the box, it was SMASHED.* Luckily, the dudes @ Bikes Direct know how to pack stuff... the wheel and hardware were completely unscathed. :thumbsup:.


 Hmmm, I think I see a a pattern forming A friend of mine bought a Motobecane and the box was pretty mangled too, luckilly no bike damage.

Mike do yourself, your customers, and your service dept. a favor and switch to Fedex ground. No shipper is perfect but " occasional damage" is a lot better than having UPS trash your stuff practically every single time.
I ship delicate electronics all the time with fedx and have not filed a complaint ever. I believe the reason is how it's handled. If you look at UPS tracking the shipment goes through sorting facility after sorting facility, sometimes 2 or 3 times before it even leaves the State.


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## Basalt33

Great thread! Interesting observation about the condition of the box. I just recvd my Mercier Kilo TT Pro yesterday and I could have sworn the box had been in a fight with the delivery truck... All seemed in order and final assembly tweaks are being handled by my LBS. Front wheel did appear a bit out of true out of the box. I too am a fan of FedEx Ground.


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## Hiro11

I bought a Kilo WT (fixed/ss not the 5 speed SA hub) about a month ago as a winter / bike path bike. I'm an experienced cyclist but a newbie here and don't want to start a new thread, but there aren't many reviews of this bike online and I thought I'd give my impressions:

*The Good:*

- Overall the frame is pretty exceptional for this price. It has really nice TIG welding for such an inexpensive bike. The paint is also defect free as far as I can tell. I got the emerald green which looks nice with the black rims and thick black tires. The bike looks tough, which I like.

- Tons of tire clearance. You can easily fit some 1.75 29ers on there if you want. This bike gives you great flexibility in tires, which is probably its main selling point. the stock 32 Kwickrollers are really nice tires and make the bike extremely comfortable (at least compared to my Madone with 23s...)

- The ride. and the road like geometry. YMMV, but I didn't want a twitchy track bike and this one works great for me. There's toe overlap, but not as bad as a true track bike (aso below for more on this...)

- Nice stock brakes. Rivendell uses these exact brakes on their fairly expensive touring bikes (whose frames, honestly, are probably made by the same company that makes Merciers). I can see why, they work great. the levers are a little narrow for my taste but fine.

- True-out-of-the-box wheels and very smooth hubs. We'll see how they stand up, but they seem pretty good right now.

-A truly great stock saddle. I actually love the saddle on this bike, it's extremely comfortable and seems to be fairly well made.

- A 16T fixed cog is included, despite BD saying it's not...

- Nice Sugino crank. I think it's an RD, which is about $130 with a ring, nice spec for a bike that costs $430.

- Packaging. the bike got here damage free and took maybe 30 minutes to build up. Good job here, BD.

*The ...eh, it's alright. What do you expect for this price.*

- Really cheap-ass industrial looking seatpost. Not a big deal but still.

- The stem and handlebars are fine but "functional", maybe a half step above a Huffy or the like. They're fine, but not exactly bling.

- The Alex rims. Cheap looking matte anodizing and uneven machining. The join is a bit rough. They do look tough but these ain't exactly DT Swiss.

- The decals. I would make them a bit more understated and much smaller. There's to many goddamned "Mercier"s on this bike.

- The rear dropout spacing is a bit wide. Not a huge deal, but I'd say it's 5-10MM too wide.

- Cheap-o Dicta freewheel. Again, what do you expect, but this thing's about as cheap sounding and looking (and functioning?) as they come. Belongs on a department store BMX bike.

*The "BD needs to fix this"*

- Sizing. YMMV, but this bike runs very big. I ride a 56CM road bike (pro fit Madone as I said) and got a 53CM Kilo WT. It's just about perfect for me. Thank God I read this forum before buying. These bikes run very big with long top tubes. Likewise, the stem is ridiculously long for how long to top tube is. I think it's a 110, I'm going to swap it for a 90. This isn't a "problem" per se, but more something hugely important that any buyers need to consider.

-Pedals. These are the worst pedals ever: narrow, uncomfortable, gritty. Also, the toe clips and straps are outrageously flimsy and tough to get into (especially when running fixed). Anyone who buys this bike is going to want to ditch these pronto. BD should sell the bike without pedals. Also, the spec indicated "Binda style straps". Bindas are leather, not cheap nylon webbing.

- Still too much toe overlap in the front to run a full front fender safely. BD needs to relax the headtube angle a bit more to give us room for a big front fender. Lots of people are using this as a winter bike and a downtube "mud board" isn't going to cut it. I don't feel safe at all running a Planet Bike Hardcore w/flap (admittedly a bulky fender) on this bike...

*Overall*, I'm very happy with this bike. I bought it on a whim and once I started looking around at the competition I'm really starting to realize the type of bargain this bike is offering. It's really a much better spec than anything else I've seen near this cost. Yeah there are some corners cut, but the important bits (frame, brakes, crank, wheels, tires) are all good choices for the money. I'm going to have a blast on the 100+ mile network of limestone rail trails (Illinois Prarie Path / Great Western Trail) right near my house in late winter / spring.


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## jpcjpc69

*WT5 hub noise*

About 40 miles on my WT5 right now. I'm getting a steady clicking noise (as if I'm freewheeling) while pedalling forward in gears 3-5, getting noisier closer to 5th.

Anyone else have that? 

Other than that, the bike is good, but it is geared way too high. 4th gear and I'm doing 27mph and not spinning out - going downhill slightly of course!


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## dynamic213

Any updates on the durability of WT5, mainly the 5spd hub? I'm considering purchasing one (whenever they have the bike in stock again) but can't decide on frame size. I'm 5' 11" tall with a 32" inseam and usually rides a 54-56cm road bike.


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## highlander9

I second dynamic213. How many trouble-free miles so far on your WT5 a la the S-A SRF-5 wide-geared internal hub??


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## highlander9

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=27197



> Unless the Taiwanese ones have greatly improved, the 5-speed was very inefficient in the extreme gears, particularly 1st gear.


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