Building My First Bike
 

I'm building my first bike over the winter and I'm looking for some help on what order to buy the components. I have the frame and am probably gonna buy the fork soon. I guess my question is, is there an order I should buy the rest of the components? I hope to buy a piece or two every few weeks, and being as good and strong and easy on the budget as possible.

Sounds like you are on the right track to start with the frame and fork. Do you know what components you want to build up your frame? You will probably end up with a better result if you know what you want for the final build before you start buying pieces.

When I've done my builds, once I had the frame and fork the rest fell in place as I was able to find a "steal of a deal" on parts here and there. Just be patient, spend some time comparison shopping and make sure your purchases will fit the frame (right sized stem and headset, seatpost, front dérailleur etc.).

Unless you already have usable components you're planning on upgrading, the ordering sequence doesn't matter, since you won't have a rideable bike until you finish. The timeline for accumulating stuff becomes more important if it stretches out beyond a year since things keep changing and you'll have to worry about compatibility. If you're only talking about a few months or less then let opportunities and sales drive the sequence.

One thing you should think about is the total component cost for your new bike. If you can find a complete bike with specs similar to what you want, it might be cheaper than the components bought separately, and you'll have a frame to either sell, keep as a spare, or build up with chaep or used stuff into a "B" bike.

Certainly not the cheapest way to go about it... if you save up for a bit you can prolly buy a second hand bike that's in good nick with much better bits than you could afford buying separately. Then you'd likely just need to chase up a few odds and ends.

Here's the order I built mine if it matters at all:

Had the frame, first thing I did was choose a fork and headset. Then bought bars, stem, seatpost/saddle, then wheels. That way I had a very basic "mockup" in which to build from there.

Then build up the mech (it was a single speed, so very basic) including BB, crank, cogs and chain. Once it was all put together, I dialed in the cockpit so I could cut the steerer tube. Last thing I did was wire up all the brakes with cables and housings.

So I just decided to tweak an old bike to make it into a CX bike. I have an old Giant 500 that I'm gonna swap out the handlebars and get some new shifters. I have an old set of road handle bars but now need a new set of shifters and brakes. I'd prefer the all-in-one shifter/brake combo. I'll probably end up putting in some interrupter brakes too.

So, any suggestions? Something nice but still relatively cheap.

I see good deals on new-ish Shimano brifters (integrated brake/shifters) on Craigslist all the time. I think anything above Tiagra will get you the most bang for your buck. The only trick is you need to match your shifters to your gearing. What other components are you running?

I normally start with a frame fork and headset.

I do not cut the steerer. This can wait until after riding the bike for a few weeks, to make sure the fit is correct..

I use old seatpost and stem, I want to ride these items before buying new components that are the wrong size for the fit. I purchase these last after riding the older components to adjust the fit.

Look for brake calipers and handlebars since these will work with any setup

the drivetrain is the part where decisions are all interconnected. Brifters need to match the rear derailluer and cog. Rear derailluer is sized based on crankset and cog size. Once this is decided I start looking for the cheapest components in any order.

My winter build is almost complete, I only need to purchase a cassette and chain, I will use wheels from a different bike initially and build a new set of wheels later as time and funds permit. I find that buying hand built wheels costs me about the same as buying the components separately, so I don't need to spend my time and labor. I will build some wheels myself for fun.

So I decided not to buy all new components. I'm just gonna cannibalize an old Giant and a few other parts I have. All the parts should fit but I'll still need to get a new set of shifters and road brakes. I have 18 gears, 3 up front and 6 in the back. I don't think I want to spend the money on a set of brifters, but does anyone have a suggestions or preferences that could help me out. Thanks.

Rebuilding, overhauling for maintainence, the one you have already..
is a good first step.

ask your self what do you want your bike to do for you..

racing style and cargo carrying are both reasonable uses ,
but require entirely different choices of parts.

This will be difficult since brifters (combination brake levers and shifters) you may be able to use 7 or 8 speed brifters but I am not sure how that would work.