dauphin

I have only purchased complete bikes in the past, but the idea of building up a bike has piqued my interest. In just a brief search online at places such as Nashbar, Performanc, and Ebay...I've discovered what a great deal my "complete" bike was. The price of the components alone is amazing. I did find a new 105 groupset at a decent buy it now price on ebay which was about 250.00 cheaper than sale items on either Nashbar or Performance. I assume that many of you who have built bikes do it mostly for the pleasure and enjoyment of the process or you simply search long and hard for unbelievable bargains on components. Anyone have any tips or experiences?

tpelle

The obvious answer is that if you really have the jones for something special - in my case it would be a beautiful lugged steel frame with, say, chrome lugs, and downtube shifters - that couldn't be easily had at an affordable cost otherwise, then you would have a lot of satisfaction in building it yourself.

Actually, just building anything yourself is very satisfying. Taking a bunch of parts and "breathing life into them" is a hoot!

Regarding cost, I understand that lots of folks go to Bikesdirect.com and buy a bike with the components that they want, strip it down when it comes, and use the components on their own frame. I guess that Bikesdirect sells "complete" bikes for a price less than what you would pay for the individual components.

SoonerBent

Long ago I had a complete bike. Then I started upgrading compnents as I found good deals on them. About the time I had all the components upgraded I'd find a frame that I'd fall in love with. I'd build the new frame with the newer components, put the old stuff back on the old frame and sell it. And so on, over and over and over.

This has changed some since ebay. Now it's better to just sell the old parts as you take them off.

markjenn

I'm in the process of spec'ing up a build now. My experience so far is that it is not very economical compared to buying a complete bike - most commercial complete bikes sell for much less than the cost of their individual components. It's a little like building up your own computer - you do it for fun, to know your machine better, and to get exactly what you want, but not to save money.

Ebay has some good deals, but there are pitfalls there too.

- Mark

dauphin

anyone know of a good step by step guide to doing a build? Perhaps an internet link?

tellyho

I remember someone posting something like that a while back. But I feel like it's planning too far ahead - you're inevitably going to have to change your tactics when you come across something funky. Do one component at a time.

Sammyboy

I build a bike when I have too many components sitting around, or a frame that I just can't resist. It wouldn't happen if I didn't buy and flip bikes I guess.

roadfix

I think that in general, if you're a tinkerer by nature, building from the frame up is the natural thing to do. For the most part, I don't think it has anything to do with saving money.

dauphin

I have a bike now that would like to convert from a flat bar hybrid to a drop bar roadie and I have seen examples of how someone did just that with the same bike. I figured it was more about the fun and enjoyment of tinkering rather than the money part. I think I will start collecting the parts I need and see where it goes.

bigbossman 

I've built a slew of vintage bikes, and a couple of new ones recently. In the first case, I wanted a vintage Italian steel frame with a modern 10 speed Campy drivetrain. In the second case, I came across a NOS Pinarello frame on closeout that I could not resist.

I built them because I thought it would be fun, and I wanted to learn how to build a modern bike. In both cases, I ended up with very nice custom bikes that were equipped with Campy 10 sp Centaur for around $1000 each.

I see you're in NorCal - I'm over by Mt Diablo. I have most all the tools and a good stand. If you wanna get together, let me know.

Six jours

I end up putting my own bikes together because A) the kind of frames I like rarely come available as complete bikes, B) I have some unusual ideas about makes a "good" component (T.A. cranks, nine-speed downtube levers, toe clips and straps, etc.), and C) I really don't trust the 17 year old at the LBS to know what he's doing.

Were I just looking for a standard road bike at the best price possible, I'd be all over a performance or REI complete bike. Performance had one a while back that was so cheap it was like buying a discounted D.A. group and getting a frame thrown in for free.

Six jours

FWIW, I've found some shockingly good deals on used stuff on Ebay, especially if it's Shimano and has been supplanted by something new. I found a nine-speed Ultegra rear derailleur that had been replaced by ten speed. It looked new to me, and it cost $15. A hardcore bargain hunter could probably have pieced together a complete nine-speed Ultegra group for a couple of hundred bucks, shortly after ten-speed was introduced. Combined with an aluminum Performance or Nashbar frame, that could be a pretty decent mid-level bike for under $500.

Indolent58

If you compare normal retail prices of complete bikes vs frame-up builds, the complete bikes will typically be a better value. However, with careful use of sales and e-Bay for frames, wheels, components, etc, the opposite can be true. In my case I wanted specific things that were not available in off-the-shelf bikes and were too expensive for an LBS custom build. Piecing it together myself saved approx. $1K+ over what it would have cost if I had ordered from a LBS. The savings came not from LBS labor but from getting good deals on the frame and parts.

BikeManDan

I built my own because no one in the US is selling a Shimano Alfine hub gear complete bike and its just nice to get every component that you think is best.
I actually just saw that "Civia Cycles" is going to be selling one for $2200 and I built mine for just shy of $800

urbanknight

I used to save money by building up bikes from scratch, but that was accomplished by collecting parts at local bike swapmeets and the recycler over the course of a year.

operator

Ageism.

Six jours

Are you the one in charge of pointing out the obvious, here?

BluesDawg

To build bikes for less cost than buying bikes, it helps if you have a big stash of parts just lying around waiting to be used. These can be take offs from bikes you upgraded or parts you bought for another project and didn't use. Sometimes you'll see a part going for next to nothing on eBay or at Nashbar or the like and just buy it in case you can use it someday.

It also helps not to be in love with the latest technology. Building bikes with bar end or downtube shifters is much less costly than STI or Ergo brifters.

If you do want new modern components, it is possible to find build kits online or through your LBS that cost considerably less than buying the individual components.

Generally I like to build bikes because I enjoy doing it and I like to have bikes a little different than the standard fare. If I can save some money, so much the better, but it usually doesn't work out that way. I also like to reconfigure my bikes, swapping around a few parts, maybe adding something new here and there.

operator

Oh sorry. I though it was point out the ******baggery statements of the day game.

Six jours

Touched a nerve there, did I? Don't worry, you too may live long enough to realize how useless the average 17 year old is.

AlucardZero

Wrong. Building a PC is cheaper than say buying it from Dell.... You can probably build a PC for a $1000 thats better than a $1000 Dell Pc. People also build it for gaming purposes because the ones you buy pre-built doesnt cut it for them.

You can relate that to bike building, maybe not the price though.

operator

Oh don't worry, i'm sure you're just as useless as the 17 year olds.

Six jours

Well, at 17 I was an idiot, though I didn't think so at the time. Doubtless when I am 20 years older I will look back at my current self and think I was an idiot then too.

Actually, it just occurred to me that I am now debating with a 17 year old who can't punctuate and thinks "You're useless!" is clever reparte. So I obviously am an idiot.

Tom Servo

I built one of my bikes so that I would have a better appreciation of how inexpensive the off_the_shelf bikes that came with similarly equipped components are.
Seriously, I probably put $600 into a commuter bike I could have purchased new for $400.

operator

Wow you haven't changed one bit!

Looks like we got ourselves a winner.