Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Building a Rando bike starting with the Velo Orange Rando Maxi Build Kit

As a pipe dream, how much would it cost to complete the Orange Rando Maxi Build Kit a the following three levels?


As inexpensively as possible - with reliable but heavy components?
At some kind of mid-range (reliable, but no top end) components?
With the components you'd most like to see on the bike?


Just for apples-to-apples, I am looking for the component cost - not labor - on top the $1250 kit cost.

http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/frames/rando/rando-maxi-build.html

the way I would like it is with brifters and ultegra, so you're talking $600. I suspect you could scrimp and finish it for a little less than $150, but I'm not sure about that. I have a fairly high tolerance for used parts, ymmv.

the way I would like it is with brifters and ultegra, so you're talking $600. I suspect you could scrimp and finish it for a little less than $150, but I'm not sure about that. I have a fairly high tolerance for used parts, ymmv.

Is that with new brifters and Ultegra for $600?

Mike

the way I see it, you need a cassette, brifters, chain, front and rear derailleurs, saddle, and bar tape. Am I missing anything? I would go with sram cassette and chain, the rest of the drivetrain would be ultegra

If you're willing to run DT shifters you could save a lot of money there and still be able to upgrade to brifters when a deal comes your way. That's the way I'd go if I wanted to save money initially. New, indexed DT shifters (or bar-ends) are still made and used friction ones would likely be cheaper still. Friction shifters would let you run any derailleur with any cassette... a modern cassette plays really nicely with friction shifters too. Throw in some tektro levers and you could definitely squeak in with an additional 150$ and likely less if you have good sources for parts.

Before going the route of components individually go to Bikes Direct .com and you may find all your components, or most, you want on a bike. Look in the touring section at the Gran Turismo or some other bikes http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/gran_turismo.htm (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/gran_turismo.htm)

http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/components.html

I have a Gran Turismo I have since added fenders, and adjustable stem, Lighting. But i did need to redo the cable guides as they were too short for the adjustable stem and new gel bar tape

the way I see it, you need a cassette, brifters, chain, front and rear derailleurs, saddle, and bar tape. Am I missing anything? I would go with sram cassette and chain, the rest of the drivetrain would be ultegra

That's pretty much what I thought though I a very new to this. It seemed to me like I'd need a cassette, front and rear derailleurs, some kind shifters, so kind of brake handles (or combine for brifters), a seat, and some handlebar tape.

When I searched for various levels of "group sets" on Amazon, the usually included the brakes, which are already included in the build kit. Is there a name for a set of components that includes only the cassette, front and rear derailleurs? Or only those and shifters?

Thanks,

Mike

I recently finished building up a bike from components bought piecemeal.

After looking over my list of stuff I bought, here's what I think you'll need to finish the Maxi Build:


Pedals
Brake Levers (or combined controls)
Shifters (or combined controls)
Brake Cables/Housing
Shifter Cables/Housing
Rear Cassette
Chain
Front Derailleur
Rear Derailleur
Tires
Tubes
Bar Tape
Downtube Cable Stops (if you don't use DT shifters)
Cable Silencers (Optional)


And that doesn't include things you know you'll want to add before you take it anywhere: Bottle cages, emergency kit (tools, spare tube, flat patch kit, pump, bag to hold stuff), rear lights, front lights, etc...

To give you some ballpark numbers, here are the prices I paid for such things (including shipping). Your final build is likely to be different, so your prices may vary:


Pedals - take off another bike.
Combined Controls (including cables/housing) - SRAM Apex - $182.50, Ebay.
Rear Cassette - SRAM Apex 12-32 (I'd suggest 11-32 with a 48/34) - $44.99
Chain - KMC DX10SC - $25.99
Front Derailleur - SRAM Rival + Problem Solvers Braze-on Adapter*: $55.65
Rear Derailleur - Apex Midcage - $40.20
Tires - Vittoria Randonneur / CX - $25.00, Craigslist
Tubes - $9.01
Bar Tape - $11.99
Downtube Cable Stops (if you don't use DT shifters) - $17.99 (universalcycles.com)
Cable Silencers (Optional) - $2.49


* - SRAM doesn't make a front shifter that clamps to a standard-sized steel seat tube.

I could've gotten better prices on some things; I got pretty good deals on others.

I recently finished building up a bike from components bought piecemeal.

After looking over my list of stuff I bought, here's what I think you'll need to finish the Maxi Build:


Pedals
Brake Levers (or combined controls)
Shifters (or combined controls)
Brake Cables/Housing
Shifter Cables/Housing
Rear Cassette
Chain
Front Derailleur
Rear Derailleur
Tires
Tubes
Bar Tape
Downtube Cable Stops (if you don't use DT shifters)
Cable Silencers (Optional)




Thanks very much for this list.

Here's the picture I am getting:

It looks like I could get an Ultegra 6700 drivetrain (cassette, front derailleur, and rear derailleur) and brifters from Amazon for just around $600.

More than half that cost is the brifters.If I started with separate brake levers and down tube shifters, I can probably knock $250 off of that $600. That's figuring that the brifters are $375/pair, and figuring that I could get a good set of brake levers for $75, and a good set of down tube shifter for $50.

Most of the rest of the stuff (chain, tires, etc) would come to something under $150.

Is all of that in the ballpark?

my favorite brake levers are the Tektros, which go for about $25 ( you have to wade through all the models to get the road version, I just ask at the bike shop and they get me the correct ones).

So poking around - as a complete newbie, it looks like I could build a Velo Orange Rando frame based bike for for somewhere around $1650 + pedals.

Here's the list:

Multi Build Kit : $1250
Pedals : ???
Brake Levers : $35 Cane Creek Road
Shifters : $42 Velo Orange (down tube)
Brake Cables : $15 Velo Orange metallic braided
Shifter Cables: $15 Velo Orange
Rear Cassette: $70 Ultegra 6700
Chain : $20 SRAM
F. Derailleur : $50 Ultegra 6700
R. Derailluer : $85 Ultegra 6700
Tires : $25 X 2 = $50 Vittoria Randonneur
Tubes: : $10
Bar Tape: : $10

This is all a thought experiment for me. I think that I have my heart set on a completely different high tech bike in the spring:

http://beltbik.es/civia-cycles/2012/bryant-belt-alfine

On the other hand, I love the look of a lugged steel frame. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of lugged steel frames with belt drives (at least not in my price range).

While I am just getting back on a bike after 30 years or more off, and am only regularly riding 35-45 miles on Sundays (much shorter distances on weekdays), of all the cycling sports, randonneuring is the most appealing.

So if I decided to forgo the Bryant high tech route, I could build a pretty competent new randonneur bike for $1650 or so (and add $150 - $200 for an LBS to assemble it).

Any thoughts on how different it would be to do a very slow, barely within the time limit 200K brevet on the high tech Civia Bryant in the link, versus the V-O rando as I have spec'd it? Or is that just too wacky of a comparison?

Thanks for your expertise.