SteelersWheel

Hi everyone! I'm very new to this forum, so if this is the wrong place to post please let me know!

I live in Chicago and I love riding around the city whenever I get a chance. I currently ride a very heavy, steel fuji touring bike, and I'm looking to build a lighter, faster bike for road cycling. I'm planning on taking an 8 week course (every mon. 7-10 pm) on building a new project bike at one of my local shops. The class doesn't start until next winter, so I want to have all my components of my new bike ready by then. The only problem is I don't know where to start. I've never built a bike before, and I want to gather as much info as I can, so I can make an informed decision.

I've spoken to some friends that have more experience and they suggested to search ebay and craigslist for earlier models to get a great deal, but I still have so many questions. How do I know a good frame from a bad frame? Do I want to purchase each part separately or do I want to buy a whole new bike that has some good parts and replace the bad ones? What are some good brands and model years I should be scouting for? Whats a good price point for a used frame? (my budget for the entire bike is probably going to be $800 - $1400)

If anyone has any tips on building a new bike or can point me to a section of this forum that I should read through I would really appreciate it!

Thank you!

Maelochs

First off ... why do you want to build a bike?

Second .... what is "heavy" and "light" to you?

Third ... if you want to ride a bike, you need to buy a bike. This class starts in a year? Why wait?

Further still ... does this class involve cutting and welding tubes, or what---just basic bike mechanics? You can pretty much build an entire bike, once you buy the parts, with nothing but half a dozen allen wrenches and a phillips-head screwdriver (well, there are a few specialty tools .. but most of them can be improvised.) You can learn everything you need to learn on YouTube. if you still want to take a class. go ahead---can't hurt---but you could learn what you need to learn this weekend, shop through the week, and assemble a fine bike next weekend.

If you plan to assemble a bike after buying the frame and components, the real question is budget. Google "road bike group sets." Look at the various offerings on the various web sites---most will offer every sort of part and tool you would ever need.

Roughly I'd estimate $1500-$2000 if you started with no tools, no spare parts, and wanted a bike worth keeping for a decade: a generic frame, Vuelta wheels, Shimano 5800-105, cables, cages, tape, and other finishing bits, seat post, saddle bars, stem ... tubes and tires ... plus the tools and a floor pump, but I'd get a portable pump as well (called a frame pump, usually.) Then you will need to decide on flat of cleated shoes/pedals, and you might want some padded shorts and gloves. You will probably want a seat bag to carry some tools and a spare tube or two .... it adds up Fast.

As a rule, you would be better off buying used and tinkering .... getting the bike into really good shape, then deciding what you wanted to upgrade.

As for economy, nothing beats buying a whole bike. You will get more bike if you take advantage of the buying power of large companies, even with their markup, as a rule. Assembling a bike tends to cost more (I look at how many of those "Under 7 kg, Under $700" build plans include stuff like "carbon fiber bars I just happened to have laying around' and "wheels off an old bike ... ") than buying a built-up bike from a shop or online. Buying used is hit or miss, but if you get a hit is can be a grand slam---the bike someone bought for $3500 five years ago but never really road, on sale for half price ....

Even getting just a decent deal on a used bike is the best bargain, because most components last a good long while.

Building a bike can be easy or it can be frustrating. Sometimes everything goes smoothly, sometimes there are little miscalculations or mix-ups ... and you can spend days looking for that annoying click .... same with a used bike.

I don't know you, or your motivations ... but In General I would suggest spending less than $1000 on a brand new bike and focusing on riding. I would suggest getting a bike with a good frame so that later if you chose to upgrade parts, the effort wouldn't be wasted.

As for other suggestions ... too many specifics unknown. How do you like to ride, how do you plan to ride. Do you like to ride all stretched out like a Tour de France racer, or are you more relaxed? Do you plan to ride fur miles or four hours? Will you be dealing with traffic and rough city streets or open road with better pavement?

Also ... is this "heavy, steel fuji touring bike" 30 pounds, 35 pounds, 25 pounds? How old is it?

Depending on the frame and its age, my first thought would be to cold-set the rear triangle to 130 mm, swapping it to 700c wheels, and build up a sweet steel Fuji. Depending ont he precise model and year, you might be best off using the Fuji as your base bike and upgrading it. You can always put the parts on a lighter frame later.

Basically, there are too many questions unanswered for anyone to give you much specific advice.

Tell us about your current bike, you current rides, your plans for future rides, your budget, and your level of desire to build, as opposed to buying a bike. and let's see where it goes from there.

bakerjw

My son has a Fuji steel frame. Although not as light as our carbon bikes, it is still a very comfortable ride. A well made steel bike rides real nice.

SteelersWheel

That was a very thorough and thoughtful response! Thank you! Let me see if I can answer a few of these questions:

1) I want to build a bike, because I think it would be a rewarding experience, and I want to learn more about the sport. I want to learn the purpose of each component and variations between different types of parts. I get that I can probably watch a bunch of youtube videos and get a bike built together in a week, but I don't think I would be satisfied with the results. I'm not in a hurry to build the bike since I currently have a fully functional bike, but I think this is a project I would really enjoy undertaking. I think the 8 week course gives me a deadline and ample time to gather enough knowledge to find the right deal for me. Also, it gives me an opportunity to meet people in my local biking community.

2) I found my exact bike model with all the specs, but unfortunately I'm not allowed to post links until I have more than 10 posts on this forum. I've posted a copy of the specs below the body of my post.

My current rides mostly include riding around downtown for 2-3 hours at a time on roads where i spend a lot of time dodging potholes. My future ride goal is to participate in local Chicago cycling events that will push my physical limits. Specifically there is annual tri-state tour that takes you through three states in 85 miles that I want to work towards.

I have considered upgrading my current bike as opposed to building a new one, but I would like to have the opportunity to have two different types of rides. I want to have a bike where I can test by performance on some amazing paved trails I have access to along the lake shore, and then I want a beater bike that I can leisurely ride around the city.

3) My budget is flexible to a point. I can probably swing $1500, but not too much more than that. I want to gain intimate knowledge of the individual components of a bike, and my initial instinct is to try building one myself. I should clarify that I don't mean to necessarily weld and forge a frame from scratch. I more or less compare it to building a computer where you buy all the individual components and put it together. I'm unsure if building is the right path for me, but that is part of the reason why I turned to this forum.

I appreciate you taking the type to respond and hope some of the above info clears up a few of the unknowns.

SPECS:

Frame Custom-butted Elios 2 chromoly, rack & fender mounts, spare spoke holder

Fork Elios 2 Chromoly w/ 1 1/8" steerer, low-rider fork mounts

Front Derailleur Shimano Alivio

Rear Derailleur Shimano Deore, 9-Speed

Number of Gears 27

Gearing Microshift bar-end, 9-speed

Chain set Shimano Deore, 48/36/26T

Bottom Bracket Shimano BB-SM52 sealed cartridge

Cassette Shimano Alivio, 11-34T, 9-speed

Chain KMC X9 w/ MissingLink, 9-speed

Pedals Supplied

Brakeset Tektro RX6, stainless cable guide

Handlebars Oval Concepts 310 Ergo, 6061 alloy, 31.8mm clamp, 133mm drop, 4 degree sweep

Stem Oval Concepts 313, 3D-forged 6061 stem body, +/-7 degree

Bar Tape Oval Concepts 300 bar tape, suede

Headset FSA, 1 1/8", sealed

Rims Vera Terra DPM18, double wall, 36/36h

Front Hub Shimano Deore

Rear Hub Shimano Deore

Tyres Vittoria Randonneur, 700 x 32c

Saddle Oval Concepts 300 Pavement, steel rail

Seatpost Oval Concepts 300, 6061 alloy, 27.2mm diameter

Weight 13.4 kg

Maelochs

Not a lot to "know" about differing component groups, IMO ... particularly at that price point. Your best bet by far would be a Shimano 5800 105 group set (https://www.merlincycles.com/road-bi...?brand=shimano) (https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano...set-72462.html) for maximum performance for the price. IMO, nothing comes close in value. You can argue wheel manufacturers all night and day, but ultimately most of them use similar rims and spokes and bearings at any given price point. Seatposts and stems .... low-tech. No need to spend much to get stuff as good as the really expensive brands. (Stems in particular, I use cheap Chinese or Kalloy Uno--$15--$30.) Saddles are a matter of what fits your anatomy, often hit or miss.

You might do best to get a used Giant Contend or Trek Emonda ALR-5 to get the best frame for the money (endurance geometry or race geometry.) None of the frames I have seen sold as bare frames from manufacturers are affordable, and the generic metal frames ... less quality, even though they would be rugged. Just less engineering overall.

Your best bet, would be to get together a parts list (including a donor bike) as soon as possible, and then start spending an hour a day on EBay. Since you have time, you can wait for those magic deals---there is always someone who bought a brand-new bike, rode it twice, and parked it, or decided to change parts and is selling he old stuff (with 100 miles on it) for dirt cheap ... but being there when the stuff you want shows up is the trick. Since you have time you could probably get amazing deals .... just don't buy anything for more than half price, because you could always order brand new parts two weeks before class started.

You should be able to build a bike weighing at least ten pounds less than your tourer. At least.