benajah

I am debating the merits of building a new bike with some new frame and spare parts/broken donor bikes, and some new parts, versus buying an entirely new already built bike. The freedom of perfect customization aside, what are your opinions from a monetary perspective regarding buying an already built bike versus building one up from scratch. The reason I am asking is mostly because I have two really good wheelsets, but not too many other spare parts, and it seems like a waste to pay for another set of wheels with a built bike.

Carbon Unit

If you are looking at this from a financial point of view, buying an already built bike is the cheapest way to go as long as you like the build. However, if you are particular on what goes on your bike you may get more satisfaction from building your own bike.

Take a look at this website. They have fairly cheap builds if you already have some part and a frame. It could be the way to go.



www.gvhbikes.com Click on the Build Kits.

rydaddy

OEM wheelsets are usually the first thing to go, unless you're buying something pricy. Building from scratch is fun, but not usually the cheaper route.

s4one

buy a new bike, building up a new bike cost a lot, in my view its because the owner is never happy with the set up so they keep changing parts.

Thats what i plan to do next.

TCR

Just built up a bike from a completely bare frame I picked up on Ebay for $100. This was my first build and I was surprised how easy it really was. I had lots of extra parts lying around so it was definitely cheap for me. Still need to tape the bars and I was just playing around with the aero bars.

benajah

Yeah I love building bikes, but I never really put two and two together on just how much I was spending doing it, because usually I was doing it over a long period of time, but now I want to build one or buy one with some quickness (new bikes, an addiction?). There are some really good deals going on right now on full rigs. I raced mountain bikes for years and always built them myself, but have only been riding road for two years or so, and mechanically they are a lot simpler, more expensive because of the weight thing, but simpler.

roy5000x2

It depends on how good you are at finding parts. I'm about to build a carbon bike with SRAM rival for sub $1500. Most of the time though, you're better off buying new.

benajah

How are you getting a carbon frame and SRAM rival for less than 1500? Teach me!!

thirdin77

There was a thread posted by someone who just built up a bike and he reduced expenses by collecting parts, new and used, off ebay and craigs list. You can do that but it can be time-consuming because you have to wait for the part you want to appear on the market rather than just buying it now, at full or nearly full price. You can also collect parts from sites like off-shore retailers probikekit.com or totalcycing.com.

I understand you've got a wheelset but what other parts do you have? The shifters and crankset are the most expensive components and usually MSRP for $300 and $400 respectively, the brakeset can be $100... The parts you have already need to be those key, expensive parts or you need to be able to get those parts for cheap.

It also depends on how much you want to pay for stuff like the saddle, bars, stem and post. Do you demand higher-end stuff or is entry or mid-level stuff OK? If the latter, you could get all four inside of $160. If not the latter, some people actually do pay $140 just for the saddle.

Of course there's the frame. If you like Soma's geometry, you can get a steel frame for like $400, maybe a frameset inside of $600. You can also look at Surly and Salsa and Kona sells a few framesets. After that, prices become higher by hundreds, like $900 for a Waterford steel frame.

What exactly do you want to build up and what parts do you have?

haimtoeg

It's hard to answer - you probably should create a spreadsheet and calculate the various options and costs for parts from ebay, bonktown, pbk and other sources and then make a decision.

Building your own bikes is fun and a rewarding experience, but you have to manage it well to make it cheaper than a built bike.

travkat

I used to work in a shop and can say from my personal experience buying a fully built bike is just about always the more cost effective way to get going. Piecing together a bike (especially if you are not the wrench putting it together) begins to get costly really quick, when parts don't fit, you have to special order, you need cables and housings, tools, etc.

However, if you love tinkering and are not too worried about the cost then by all means build it up.

clausen

If the complete bike is not exactly what you want, you spend to get it that way. My newest bike came only as a frameset so I had no choice but to build it up it. It definitely cost more up front but I never get ugradeitist.

swif

Here's a thread on my recent build with all parts and costs listed.

https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/516447-finally-after-months-waiting-s-complete.html

botto 

patience.

Flatballer

It depends on what you want. If you want "just a bike" you can do better buying fully built. If you want a higher end bike and want to decide on every part, you're better off building it yourself. New bikes often skimp on things like seatposts, seats, wheels, stems, bars, etc. in order to get the price down. Since you will likely end up upgrading most of that stuff anyway if you're like me, why not just get it right the first time?

For example, I spec'd out a bike with a PF RS2 frameset, Reynolds DV46T wheels, and Ultegra SL that weighed under 15 pounds and cost a touch over $3000, wheels included. Try buying a comparable bike brand new already built, and you're looking at a ton of money.

You have to be patient and wait for things to come up on eBay, bonktown, chainlove, craigslist, etc.

roy5000x2

Neo Exile group buy + working at a LBS + patience.

I've been looking around for a second bike for a good year or so. The group buy provided me a frameset and groupset. Working at a LBS provides me with low cost parts (I'm talking Bontrager Select level here), and also the skill and tools needed for building the bike. And finally, I would have lost my mind about buying a second bike if I didn't think every deal that passes in front of me through. That helped me determine if it really was a deal or not at the time, and if it was worth my time and money to look into it.

I actually had another option, which involved Orbea and SRAM. However, I think I'll find the Neo Exile and SRAM to be a better investment in the long run.

wolfpack 

i built up my Fuji Team RC in the spring of '07 for way less than the cost of an already built up bike. new sram rival 10sp group too. it came in at $1750, but then i blew it when i had to have the American Classic 420's for another $600. still, everything i had in it, including the wheels, came to less than an already built up bike.

captnfantastic

Ha! If only we could build bike using exclusively womens cycling clothing.

gurana

Glad I read this thread. I always assumed that buying a complete bike was the more expensive route. I guess that'd only be the case if you already had most of your components together.