Originally Posted by
cyccommute
A reasonable goal. However, building one bike from parts doesn't really do that much to stop the head scratching. It helps but it doesn't stop it. You need much more practice than that to become proficient at solving problems that occur. Your build will be a good start but it's only a start.
...And expect a lot of failures along the way. I have a couple of quotes I use. First, "the difference between a beginning mechanic and a master mechanic is the value of all the parts they have ruined". Second, "no one whoever got straight A's in school learned a damned thing". Expect to make a lot of mistakes but learn from each and every one.
Damn it! I find myself agreeing with you more and more often.
You remind of the people who have posted here in the past that all they need is to download an app for the cell phone to fix just about any problem they will encounter on the road. Yeah, right.
I also agree with your previous posting about the time to build. Sure, it takes a little time to plan out what is needed, and the accumulate the parts. But there are so many who get caught up with the fine detail of what they are doing, including the planning, that when they finally get out on the road, the reality is somewhat different from the dream.
There's a thread going in Road about test rides for bikes and their worth. The simple fact is that someone who has never owned a bike and who goes for a "test ride" usually doesn't have a clue about what they are looking for. The choice often comes down to colour!
I have seen threads here where there has been a small fortune spent on a bike... including the waiting time for the bike to emerge from the workshop of a "reputable" builder. Everything is expensive, and meant to last.
Well, to draw an analogy with boat building, you can spend a whole heap of time building your bike (boat), but that is time you could spend actually on the road (water).
The Thorns I built to take around the world with us took all of a week from bare frame, including the wheel-build, once I had accumulated the parts over the previous month to six weeks. That's two bikes that have served us extremely well and been ultra-reliable beyond that trip.
My very first touring bike was a hybrid bought from a local bike shop and modified as I saw fit in between riding it. What I have learned from it and the bikes I have subsequently owned contributed to the Thorn project working so well for us.
And in the case of our Santana tandem and the two Bike Fridays, it was far more efficient for us to pick them up ready-built (well, the BFs were a fine excuse to travel to North America to see Machka's family and get down to the BF factory in Oregon).