kaliayev

Congrats on the build.

j_deLaBay

Thank you!

So last night, I ended up installing the cables myself. I went to the guy that I mentioned earlier, but he couldn't cable up my bike because according to him, he's "never seen this high end sh*t before." (I have 105 brifters ) He couldn't figure out how to cable up the shifters so he sold me the cable/housing for cost and gave me a spacer I needed. Took me a couple hours but I got everything working!

Just rode to the LBS this morning to have them check everything over. I picked up a little bracket I needed and had them true my back wheel and get the back canti all lined up. I'm only running a rear brake temporarily (bought a road fork forgetting I already bought a canti set). There's a single front Cane Creek on eBay, but I don't know if I can wait another two weeks just to get a single brake. Hoping something will fall on my lap through CL for cheap, its worked out really well so far.

So after the work last night, I've pretty much put everything together myself! (Performance offered to cut my fork and press the headset cups for free...which I have the tools to do both even) I rode about 3 miles this morning, and nothing fell apart/I'm still alive! Just want to get these bars wrapped already...

CNY James

good job man, the bike looks great. and +1 for doing your own cables, wasnt so bad, right? When I did my first build in Jan, I was worried about the cables too... my father in law owned me a book that explains bike repairs in plain language, intended for beginers. it gave me a lot of confidence. Surprisingly enough, for mine they needed very little adjustment.

AdamDZ

I was worried about the headset/fork and the cables too but it turned out to be quite easy. I got a cheap headset press on eBay and watched lots of videos and it worked out very well in the end.

BTW, I soldered the cable ends - I learned that trick on BF. It's nice, allows you to re-do the cabling if you have to, no end fraying. Just sand the end off a bit or it may not go through the housing if there is too much solder left and it's too thick. You may need a very powerful iron for it and clean the cable with alcohol.

It proved helpful when I replaced my shifters.

Adam

j_deLaBay

Cabling the bike wasnt bad at all. I thought it was going to be a lot more of a difficult process.

All in all, I think that putting together a bike is way easier than originally thought. Just as long as you have the right tools, its really not that difficult at all. Actually, its alot more common sense than you would think. All the manufacturers do a pretty good job of making things so you can only install them the right way.

I'm glad I decided to go this route. Imagine if I just bought a whole bike and let the LBS do all the servicing...by learning everything I did I probably saved myself a TON of money. Kinda like how I learned how to string my own tennis racquets. That stuff adds up after a while!

CNY James

I was surprised to learn this as well... the hardest part for me was getting used to things threading backwards on one side of the bike
I did refer to the book that was loaned to me but that was more of a safeguard than an instructional thing. Overall, my experience gave me a better sense of understanding how bikes really work and the confidence that I can handle my own repairs in the future.

thomast

A certain part of the bicycling addiction is to always want to upgrade, just remember to save some money for food and rent. The bike looks great, have fun!

I'll second AdamDZ's link to bicycletutor.com. Easy to understand stuff there.

AdamDZ

LOL, after I built my commuter bike, during the next two months I've changed: tires, fork, handlebar, fenders, shifters, re-run cables, rearranged lights several times. Now I'm getting new wheelset and Avid BB7 brakes And I'm still not sure if this is it Lucky for me I'm getting another frame to start another build

Adam

j_deLaBay

Just wrapped the bars! I THINK I'm all done. Lol. Next: Find a backpack...

Frame: Nashbar X aluminum
Fork: Alpha Q Sub 3
Bars: Sette Avanti OS
Stem: Specialized Comp Stem adjustable
Crankset: Shimano r700 compact 34/50
FD/RD: Ultegra 6700
Cassette: Ultegra 6600 10 speed
Wheels: Trek Matrix ISO c-11
Brifters: Shimano 105
Brakes: Nashbar canti rear Tektro caliper front
Seatpost: Bontrager Carbon
Saddle: Forte Carbon something. Just got it today.

Also threw on some lights. Possibly gonna add a rack. I just have a front rear light, and would like to stay away from as many reflectors/lights as possible. (I LOVE my sleeper look.) Will the lights suffice? They're LED and pretty bright, rear has 180 degree visability.

Here it is...the google/CL budget ninja.

CNY James

looks BA

AdamDZ

Yep, looks good. I like all black bikes, although blue is OK and my next frame is green but all parts will be black Lights are good to have!

Enjoy the ride and have fun with the bike!

A.

kaliayev

Looks great j. Feels great having built it yourself doesn't it?! I finally got some decent weather to go out and treat the Trek 750 frame I am building with Frame Saver. Hope to have it done by Monday or Tuesday.

j_deLaBay

Yup feels great! Good luck on your build!

I rode for about 16 miles yesterday. No problems all day until on the way home. Just a couple minor hiccups.

I have 105 shifters, and when I bought them they came with a warning label saying that if you have a compact crankset (which I do) and you try to shift past your big chainring, you can break the brifter. I was pushing the lever to shift in that direction and caught myself pushing it. I immediately let go and the FD thew the chain to the inside off the ring. Luckily I caught myself and didn't break the shifter. I did the lackadaisical half paying attention shift. When I first got the shifters I KNEW I was going to do that @ some point...

And after all that, I got off the bike to put the chain back on. The front tire spun a bit and the bike slipped out of my hand and hit the ground handlebars first, while scraping up the tip of my shifters a bit. : / Also the rear brake housing came off the framestay(?). Had to wait to come back home to put it back in. But I can't pull the cable enough to get it to where it was before...so I'm off to the LBS to get a 4th hand today.

I don't think I did any significant damage. But other than that part, the rest of the ride was fun! I thought that my stem might be too long, but if I did 16 miles (the first major ride in YEARS) without any neck, shoulder, or back discomfort thats a good sign right?

Chris Chicago

def a cool looking bike, congrats!

what was the total cost?

Layladylay

How much did it end up costing you in the end? Have you gotten all the bumps smoothed out?

Robert Foster

Good looking bike. Strange the guy couldn't run the cables for you. No access to park tool site I guess. Running Shimano cables is a piece of Cake compared to SRAM Double Tap.

mayamon

Is there anything like this for removal of the headset cups? I've seen people use a screwdriver online (and it wasn't exactly recommended).

I'm starting with this frame: https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...0_20000_400314

I have everything i need for everywhere else but the headset (bottom bracket tool, etc). So i was just wondering if there is anything special i need for headset removal / installation. Thanks



Edit: Ok nevermind about headset remover tool. Just found this https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=1190007

So the plan is to take the fork off another bike i have and put it on this new frame. I already know they're compatible so i was just wondering about what is needed to do this. Basically i remove fork and headset from original bike, then install headset onto new frame? Is there anything i'm missing or that could give me problems? Thanks again

eddiejclayton

Congrats on your first build! A word of caution, it's contagious...you'll be building another one soon! I know I have that problem anyway.

j_deLaBay

I never got the final cost was kinda afraid of what the number might be lol. But just with bike components only:

Shifters/Cassette: 225
Frame: 80
Bars: 40
Seat/Seatpost: 40
Wheelset/tires: 100
FD/RD: 120
Crankset/BB: 100

A little over 700. Prob 800 out the door incl shipping, cables/housing, bar tape, chain etc.

It's definitely been a cool experience. I've done pretty much everything myself...and I've done all my mini-tunes along the way. Only thing I really had done was have a wheel trued. I've been riding around with no issues yet...just a couple flats that I got from the original tubes that came with the wheelset. I have since found a backpack, and I've been using my bike for fitness rides as well as errands around town. I love my bike...and all the other bike enthusiasts usually give me a good review when they get a close up look at my bike. Ive even have some guys at the LBS do some double takes. lol

I LOVE my bike so far. I'm even thinking of doing the 18 mi commute to work on a regular basis (all along the American River Bike trail...essentially NO cars.) But we'll see how that goes. I've even used my newly acquired skill to tune my dads bike, which was a good test because he tinkered with about EVERYTHING that could be messed with. High/Low screws, cable tension was ALL jacked. It was almost like installing new cables/derailleurs from scratch. Took me an hour and a half, but I got him back up and riding smooth!

I've now taken my DIY-skill and done the reasearch to start a new task...indoor hydroponics. : P

j_deLaBay

Did my longest ride earlier this week: 22 miles! Here's a pic of my ride on the ride!

j_deLaBay

The Ninja/Google bike is still goin strong! Did 25 mi ride today...here's a cool little photo.