norco_rider77

Hey, I can't decide what to do. I want to buy the Norco One25 but I also want to build either a Norco GD or an Azonic Steelhead. what's your opinion and if you think I should build, do you have any tips? thanks

Retro Grouch 

Buying a complete bike usually turns out to cost a little less.

Building a bike is more fun and allows you to use the exact combination of components that appeal to you.

norco_rider77

Ya, i know the complete one is usually cheaper, and in this case will be around $500 less but I read this article in Mountain Bike Action magazine saying that sometimes a company wants a bike to be a certain price but putting on such and such part will raise the price to much to be competitive so they talk to the company and get them to put lower grade parts in the or on the part to lower the price. a lot of OEM parts are because of this, but sometimes if you buy the part for a build its actually better.

my friend is doing a build and he tells me i shouldnt do one too but i think thats cuz he knows mine will be awesome and he just wants to have a better bike. last bike he had was a zellers lol. this time around he got an 04 norco wolverine frame and is building that.

also, the friends i mainly bike with all have norco's, do you think ppl really care what u ride as long as its good?

stokessd

I cared a lot more about what I rode and what others rode when I was younger. Now I'm slower and a bit older and I just enjoy the ride. I have more money to buy nicer bikes, but I find that my old trusty bikes bring me the most pleasure.

Sheldon

mx_599

...and building your own is priceless. seize the opportunity.


what tips are you looking for? just ask the forum here as you journey through your first? build.

norco_rider77

ya, first build, and since I have a bike to ride while doing the build, I wont miss biking. Ya building your, theres a 'satisfaction garentee' if you know what i mean. my friends is having a bad experience because he hasnt been biking for almost a month and he didnt think, he just did. im thinking about what im doing. so tips? to start - chosing the frame.

Brian

Why should they care whether it's good or not? My wife's MTB is a custom FS with a Horst rear end. Kindly ugly, but light and incredibly effective. And there's only one like it. Same with our tandem - no stickers of any kind to ID it, but it's titanium with S&S couplers, and makes a great XC ride for two. We had tons of fun when we lived in Australia, and it was never about the bikes, always the riders.

By the way, you need to work on your spelling and grammar.

Retro Grouch 

That's pretty much all of the time and it's getting progressively worse.

It used to be, if you bought a 105 equipped bike, it would have a complete 105 groupset - derailleurs, shifters, hubs, headset, crank, bottom bracket, brakes - the works.

Then they started "cheating" on the parts you don't see - bottom bracket, headset, maybe house brand hubs. We won't even talk about things like stems, handlebars and seatposts.

Then they started "upgrading" the rear derailleur one group from the rest of the bike. Now the rear derailleur might be the most reliable component on the whole bike but it's also the first (and somethimes only) component that buyers look at. Manufacturers call that a "105/Tiagra component mix".

Now I'm starting to see bikes that have a rear derailleur that's two component groups higher than what's on the rest of the bike. Sheese!

I personally prefer to piece together my own bikes.

norco_rider77

Ya, thats what i think ill do, but first i need more money lol. also, i think i should mention that im 14