Hi,

I was going to get a new road bike at cost, probably a Bianchi... whatever ended up being $1000 after the savings. Now I have a chance to get dura ace cranks (no bb), derailleurs, shifters (and the bars they're attached to), brakes, cassette, and chainrings for $300. They're 4 years old, except the chainring and cassette are new, but good shape. I figure I can build up a nice bike for less than $1000 this way, but I need to pick a frame. I saw some cool ones on eBay, but I don't know what to look for in a modern frame. It'll be used for training for track racing, as well as probably some road races in college. I figure if I spend $300 on the dura ace stuff, $50 on headset, $50 on seatpost, $50 on seat, $200 on wheels, $50 on stem (maybe high), $200-300 on frame, I end up at $900-$1000 for a dura-ace equipped bike! Not too shabby imo, but I could probably get a 105 equipped Bianchi or perhaps better for $1000 new. Thing is I have to wait till spring at least. This also sounds kind of fun building my own.

So if I go this way, what can I get for $200-300? What should I look for in my hunt? I'm guessing aluminum is what people want on a modern bike... I have 3 bikes but all steel. I understand carbon is the best, but it's also terrible if you crash it. I'm not closed to the idea of carbon, but I find it hard to think I'll get one for this cheap. Also, I saw some eBay auctions for bikes with seatpost, seat, and headset attached, and in my price range--wouldn't that be lucky! That'd kill 4 birds with one stone.

So yeah, I guess just things to look for frame materials, geometry I want (wtf is this compact, does it work?), compatability with current parts (53/39 chain rings, Dura ace 9 chain, 12-27 cassette), other qualities I should keep my eye out for.

Thanks for reading my craziness! I'm really excited about this, but don't want to make a big mistake.

In your price breakdown, you forgot BB, bar tape, chain, pedals, and cables/housings.

At your pricepoint, you're looking at aluminum or steel frames. Look for used frames and see what you find.

I can't say from experience, but I would imagine 2006 10sp. 105 would be better than 4 year old DA 9sp. Perhaps someone else can shed some more light on that.

If you can get a 105 equipped Bianchi for $1000, I would go for that personally.

Compact frames are the ones with the sloping top tubes (so they're not parallel to the ground). For compact vs. standard geometry, it really depends on what fits you best. I prefer the look and sizing of standard geometries, but there are plenty of people who are the opposite.

Oh yeah, well I have pedals, he includes chain and I forgot to mention. Cables and housing is minor I would imagine. Steel sounds bad and heavy for racing. What's wrong with 4 year old DA? I heard it hasn't changed in a while anyway. As long as the threads are intact and there isn't any wear or deformation, I'd imagine it'll perform as-new.

Yeah, cables and housings are cheap, I was just mentioning them that's all. Don't think that steel is a bad frame material, b/c it certainly isn't. I know people race on steel, and if it was such an inferior frame material, you wouldn't have companies like Seven still manufacturing steel frames.

Nothing is wrong with 4 y.o. DA, it's just that technology evolves, and I'm just begging the question that possibly 2006 105 is better/lighter than '02 DA?

I think the DA is still lighter according to weight weenies. https://weightweenies.starbike.com/listings.php

If anyone also thinks I should hold my horses, I can wait on getting a frame to build this up, but I think at $300 I can't resist buying the DA stuff.

So about frames, any tips? I could get a Bianchi giro frame in my price range, specialized allez pro/elite/s-works, fuji, giant, etc... Lots to choose from, very difficult.

IMO, by the time you pay shipping buy purchasing part by part, you can get a whole bike with 105 or ultegra, and a nice one at that on ebay for 1000-1200. I would recommend buying a whole used bike and then replacing a component or two that you dont like, if you feel inclined. Buying a whole bike, whether new at the shop or used on ebay, will almost always be cheaper than going one piece at a time. Just my opinion. I have built several ebay bikes and have found this to be the case.

Can anyone tell me about frames? Serious, I'm confident I can make this work for less than $1000 with parts I like. I just need to know, when people go to buy a bike, which frames they like the best. Bianchi Giro, Spezialized Allez/S-works, Giant OC, Fuji pro, DeRosa, Litespeed, etc...

Well there are hundreds of frames to choose from, and it's impossible to tell you which frames are the best. Your budget is going to restrict you to lower-level new frames, or used mid-level frames. Once you find a few potential frames that fit inside your budget, then come back and ask which might be the better frame given your riding intentions.

DeRosa Vega, Giant TCR C0, Litespeed Vela, Fuji Professional, Vitus.

I'm especially curious about the Litespeed Vela.

Are those used or new, and if used, what year are they? B/c if they're new, I'm pretty sure they're going to be a bit more than $300.