kenshireen

Assuming all parts/frame are identical.
Which is less expensive to acquire

Retro Grouch 

Trek can buy Shimano parts much more cheaply than you can. As a general rule the cheapest way to buy bicycle parts is already bolted onto a frame.

Jeff Wills

A complete bike is always less expensive than buying parts and building it up. Manufacturers can negotiate lower prices for individual parts because they are buying thousands of them at a time and don't have to pay for shipping, warehousing, and distributing the individual pieces.

Unless you have a very unusual need, it's generally cheaper to find and purchase a production bike that's close to what you want and customize it from there. A "full custom" bike can be very very nice, but I rarely see them going any faster than off-the-shelf bikes.

ramzilla

Dude, it's way cheaper to buy a factory built bike than to put one together yourself. The big assembly lines can buy massive volumes of parts for cheap. No way you're getting anywhere close to their prices. Alternatively, you can buy an old vintage Japanese or Taiwan built bike & replace worn out parts with cheap (old technology) new 6 & 7 speed parts.

FBinNY 

Just like with cars, bikes are far less costly than the sum of their parts. Chalk it up to the economics of a package deal, or any of a number of factors, that's just the way it is.

RunningPirate

Adding to what others said: Cheaper to buy that build.

This was driven home to me some years ago when I bought my Record Ace. I originally was going to get the lower model which had Tiagra components and then upgrade them over time to Ultegra. The guy at the LBS pointed out that it would be far cheaper to buy the RA with the Ultegra components.

What I've learned since then is that it would have been cheaper for me to just buy the lower model and leave the Tiagra in place, as I'm not that great of a rider to really appreciate the difference Ultegra offers...but that's another conversation...

fietsbob

Yea, the opposite .. +1; OEM parts are bought by the Thousands , you will pay Retail for Each.

and Most of the parts are shipped Locally, from 1 TW company to another, for assembly..

Shipped in stacked Pallets .. they dont even need Boxes for each part .

marcw

What do you guys think when you get a deal from https://www.merlincycles.com/ ?

HillRider

Yes, buying individual components from Merlin or other UK dealers is cheaper than buying the same things here in the US but it's still cheaper to buy a complete bike. For that matter, you can buy complete bikes from some of these suppliers and they will also be cheaper than building them up from their individual components.

wphamilton

What if you bought this Knight: Windsor Knight Shimano Ultegra Road Bike for $699, and this 2016 Motobecane Sprint CF (Tiagra) for $1100, swapped all of the best bits over to the CF bike, then sold the Windsor with Tiagra parts? Surely with this "build" you'd come out ahead with a CF bike equipped with Ultegra?

CafeVelo

sure, after a lot of work maybe you would, but I'd assume you'll take a bath on the bike you sell, and end up with a bike that cost you ~$1500 best case, which is an achievable price point for a new bike specd that way. Plus you get a service package and a warranty with a local point of contact. Alternatively you could find a better used bike for $1500.

wphamilton

I'd expect more than $300 for the Windsor all-new bike so your best case is worst case IMO.

I'd personally rather have a new $1500 CF/Ultegra bike than a used one, but the question here is can it be cheaper to build than buy. I didn't think that we're asking "is it cheaper to buy used than build".

mconlonx

If you charge a complete bike purchase to a credit card and don't pay it off for years, there is every chance you will pay more for that bike than if you start with a bare frame and build it out with parts as you can afford to pay cash for them.

dwmckee

Ahead of what? Watch the parts list on the BD bike. Sometimes they say Ultegra when just a derailleur or two are Ultegra and the crank and other components are RaceFace, etc. But that is a good way to get the price down on a component group. You can also get a closeout XS bike with Ultegra components and switch over, but the watch the crank arm length. The hodgepodge Windsor you want to sell made of leftovers may not fetch a significant price however. You are not countying your labor either...

ddeand 

Last year, I built up a hardtail mountain bike. I found a really nice new frame for an outrageous price, got all the components new (with the exception of the fork) at roughly 40% - 50% off retail, and ended up with a bike that likely would sell for $1900-$2000. I figured I spent about $1200 for the whole thing. It's almost impossible to beat the price of a new, assembled bike unless you have access to parts at wholesale.

DiabloScott

Not cheaper, but very satisfying to select each and every component, one piece at a time.

Retro Grouch 

Typically, on many factory bikes, the rear derailleur (which may be the most reliable component on the entire bike) is a parts group higher than any other component. The bottom bracket, headset and wheels are often house branded or downgraded parts. If, on the other hand, you assemble an Ultegra equipped bike yourself, you can have pride of ownership in knowing it's ALL Ultegra. I've always liked that feeling.

How much difference does it make in how the bike rides? You may need laboratory grade instrumentation to objectively answer that question.

habilis

What is your goal, and where are you in your "career" as a cyclist/mechanic?

Are you asking, "What's the most cost effective way to acquire a first bike?" That's a very different question from "Can I build a one-of-a-kind custom bike more cheaply than buying one already assembled?" Some posters have speculated whether you want to bring together parts that are never found on the same factory-built bike. However, if you are new to both bicycles and bicycle mechanics, your goal may be very different.

If you want to save money, have a functional entry-level bike, and learn mechanics at the same time, there are ways to achieve those ends, but first, you have to tell us what your specific goals are.

mconlonx

This. Also judicious use of lightly used and/or take-off parts. Sometimes I flip bikes based on what a bike needs to get it going and what I have in a fairly extensive parts bin.

You could certainly build a bike cheaper than something new if you don't get hung up on latest, greatest, current generation parts and components, and are willing to trust used or NOS parts, make compromises in some areas regarding quality, etc.

wphamilton

Ahead of building a bike with the same specs, or buying one.

More ideal is keeping both bikes, one for a beater, but that's not strictly in keeping with the thread theme.

What's wrong with the reasoning? Both bikes are initially cheaper than building (sans special finds or wholesale parts). One is even cheaper because it has cosmetic defects, which you don't care because it's going to be the beater. Therefore, switching parts will still be cheaper on either bike. The issue raised with budget bikes online is often that some components, or frame or fork or wheel, are lesser quality. Nice frame on one bike, nice component group on the other - the "nice" bike can't help but be an even better bargain than it began, and the "beater" is perfectly ride-able, in good shape with decent components which is what you want in a beater.

You may have lower quality wheels on both bikes, but you upgrade wheels on the (budget) good bike regardless, right? As long as you want the beater or can unload it for a fair price, I don't see how you can fail to come out ahead from an accounting point of view.

gauvins

I've built two bikes this past Fall, one on an LHT one on a Troll frame.

1. I would have changed the saddle, the brakes and the handlebar anyway.
2. I gave the list of components I wanted to my LBS and was told that they couldn't match the prices (from German online stores). Was told that some were lower than wholesale.
3. I had posted on a LHT group to get some advice. Someone offered used parts (pedals) heavily discounted. The price was higher than that of German online retailers for brand new components

So, in my experience, it can be cheaper to build your own. I've basically paid the price of a stock LHT, but with significantly better (and custom) components.

HillRider

All of this works if you:

*Know specifically what you want that doesn't come on the stock bike.
*Are knowledgable about components that are compatible and suitable.
*Have a low cost source for these parts.
*Can do the assembly and adjusting yourself.

I can't help but think that anyone who asked the question the OP did doesn't meet these criteria.

gauvins

Good points.

But gaining the knowledge (what do you want in a bike) and expertise (how do you assemble) is rewarding. I merely wanted to add that it need not be a waste of money.

edsall78

I bought my Soma Double Cross as a frameset and am confident I could build one cheaper than the complete most LBS's and Soma sell. But i didn't put it together piece by piece to save $$..

In my case--I wanted to learn as much about the bike building process as possible--In fact, i would have PAID to be able to put the bike together from scratch.

As an example: (I am sure i missed something--feel free to add it to the list.)

Surly Frameset: $450-500 (cross-check, or whatever)
Shimano Group: $300-$500 (see merlincycles)--I pieced mine together because i wanted barcons but, could have just as easily picked up the gruppo from Merlin...
headset/seatpost/stem: $60 (ebay?)
Wheelset: $150-$250 (velomine?)
Saddle: $25-$150
Miscellaneous: Handlebar tape, rim tape, spacers, etc -- $25-$50
Tires + tubes: $40-$100
tools + LBS help: $100 (headset installation)--i bought a pipe cutter at a plumbing supply store and a ton of spacers..tool for installing BB..and a topeak multi-tool..My headset installation was $15-$25 dollars..

Total: $1150 - $1700 (even the base model gives some decent hardware if you know where to spend the $$$)

Building your own bike: Priceless!?...i think the money saved by understanding how your bike is put together will easily save you money (assuming you keep the bike long enough). The biggest drawback is the uncertainty/risk regarding fit and comfort---you'll need to be fairly certain about what you want since testing out handlebars, saddles, crank lengths, pedals, etc. is a little tougher.

Duo

And that goes for other things too, i used to build my own computers and doubt it saved any money; but what can you learn buying a computer from the Big Box? Well generally you learn how to take the shrink wrap off but nothing about the internals. Basically the same for bikes, i bought my bikes used and rehabbed them...and saved money too. Since this is a hobby, bicycles are not about money anyway. For some of us, building is part of our fun.