lucky53s

I am trying to figure out the least expensive way to get my girlfriend a good entry level bike. She has shown interest in cycling with me and I'd love to surprise her with something of her own. Now the question: Does a new bike stand out in anyone's opinion that is inexpensive and dependable. I'm thinking 105 components probably (maybe Tiagra). I have plenty of mechanical know-how and am capable of building her a bike (I've built a fixie and do everything on my bike by myself. And I was a helicopter mechanic for almost four years.) If I build a bike I would need advice on a frame. Let me know what you all think.

Unless anyone near Baltimore has something around 52 cm they want to part with.

merlinextraligh

Unless you have spare parts laying around, are going to use used parts, or are willing to spend a ton of time sourcing special deals on components, it's almost always cheaper to buy a complete bike, particularly at the entry level.

The reason being is that large sellers can get much better pricing on components than you can buying one off.

So build a bike for the fun of it, to get exactly what you want, or to take advantage of parts you already have, but just to save money.

rothenfield1

If you know your way around a bike, I think it is always cheaper to buy used. Unless you find some incredible deal on last years model or something, I would be scouring craigs for an aluminum bike with a decent wheelset and brifters. If you do decide to build from a frame up, it will probably cost a little more, but you have the pride of knowing all of the components are functioning properly and well adjusted. Your girlfriend may appreciate more as well knowing the effort you put into it.

Carbon Unit

The great thing about building a bike yourself is that you can have it exactly the way you want it, but it will cost you more than buying a pre-built bike. I build my own because I like Campy but it does cost more.

Aurelius

^^^ I couldn't disagree more. I built my Kestrel Talon off of ebay with full Ultegra SL (Shifters, wheels, cassette and chain are 6700) and it cost me south of $1500. Tires, cables, wrap all in...still south of $1700. A carbon Trek or Specialized at my LBS with full Ultegra is $3500 (Canadian pricing).

lucky53s

I was thinking of using the 105 parts from my Felt and upgrading my bike a little. Shhhh, she'll never know!

Craigslist seems to be getting so expensive. Unless you search five times a day it seems tough to find a deal on a bike. People seem to think crappy 10 year old bikes are still worth $800 around here.

Carbon Unit

Yes, if you are buying used that can save you money over buying a new pre-built bike. I built my used Calfee up with used parts off of Ebay and I did save money over buying new. But, if you are looking at building up a new bike with new parts, it will usually cost you more than buying a new pre-built bike.

Smallguy

you time is also money so consider that

building a bike ot be custom is one thing but I think unless you have allot of parts already or do you ssssh swap it probably investing allot more time thna it's worth

also your gonna want to make sure what ever bike you buy her fits and that can be a wrench in the process too

rothenfield1

I feel ya, everyone in my area thinks their rusty Schwiin Continental is worth $250. Have you considered the comfy ride of a steel framed bike?

merlinextraligh

1) A Kestrel Talon is not a Trek or Specialized. A more apples to apples comparison would be the $1800 or so you can get the Kestrel for form Bikes Direct.

2) Are you sure you're actually adding all the costs? Shipping adds a lot when you buy from different sources. Also, sometimes thing get left off that total figure, like bar tape, rim strips, tubes,tires, cables, etc.

It's going to be rare that you can beat the economies of scale of Bikes Direct, or similar.

Also if you read my post, I didn't say it can't be done; one of my caveots was if you were willing to spend enough time seeking deals you might be able to.

At this very moment the best "Buy it now" price on Ebay for that frame is $789, and the groupset $719, which gets you over $1500 before we consider wheels, tires, stem handlebar seat, etc.

Now obviously, you may be able to find better Ebay prices over time, but that gets to my point that if you hope to save money your going to spend a lot of time sourcing parts for deals.

And did you reuse any parts you already had, like maybe a seat, etc. which was again another exception to the statement.

eippo1

If you know your stuff, it just takes some patience to grab stuff on ebay etc. For instance, with picking up parts one by one, I'll have a crit bike for a little over $400. 2005 Sworks E5 with a Reynolds fork. The original fork was cracked from overtightening and was part of the reason I got the frame for dirt cheap (I'll probably use that as a backscratcher or something). It'll also have Centaur cranks, Ultegra shifters, 105 front and rear derailleur, 105 brakes (most likely). I have a spare wheelset that I'll put on there and will just use take-off parts from the shop for the handebars, stem and well, I'll probably get a Thompson seatpost. All the parts came off of ebay and required some patience.

lucky53s

Merlin-Is that Jacksonville, FL? I will be moving there from Baltimore in June and can't wait to get back where it's warm. I would be riding already if I was there but up here I am still stuck to just the nicer days. (I am from FL so don't own the proper riding gear to keep warm up here. )

merlinextraligh

Yes, I'm in Jacksonville. Glad to answer anything about rides down here if you want to PM me.

BTW it's high 70's here today.

TrekFix

I have a 49cm Kona Jake the Snake cyclocross frame. I was thinking of building up but, it will cost more than I can afford this year. I can possibly be persuaded to sell it though if you are interested.

lucky53s

Trk-I think it's a little small, she's 5'6" with longer legs.

Merlin-I moved up here from there so I know a little about the rides. I did the MS 150 in 2009 down there and it was a blast. I used to ride the weekly rides with a shop near Phillips and Baymeadows. (I can't remember the name right now) And I went on a few with the near San Marco off of Hendricks.

merlinextraligh

San Marco is the Open Roads ride, very fast on Tuesday nights particularly. The one in Baymeadows would Champion.

sbxx1985 

Without knowing whether her interest will continue, I'd be hesitant to spend much money for something that might end up sitting in the garage. Specialized has some nice entry level women-specific bikes. I think it's called the Dolce. It's the bike my wife started on.

lucky53s

It was Open Road. The Baymeadows one was Bikes, Etc. I wasn't on the fast Tuesday ride, I'm more of a slow and steady guy.

lucky53s

The website says $940 for the least expensive Dolce, not really inexpensive. I should be checking the shops to find one from last year I guess.

Aurelius

Wrong. All of the parts I bought were brand new in the box or new take offs. Frame and wheels included. I built a brand new bike. You couldn't pay me to buy used bike parts. Not worth the risk.

sbxx1985 

Hers was $699 on sale (I assume it was the previous year's model), but in all fairness, that was a long time ago. I didn't look at the current pricing.

Aurelius

1) The bikesdirect bike doesn't exist anymore. That's a cached page. Not relevant. Besides, those usually have lesser cranks and wheels. Not full Ultegra. Still a good deal though in my opinion.

2) Yes, all costs in including shipping. And yes I included tape tires ( Continental Ultra Sports at $29 each...saved a little there) cables and tubes as stated in my post.

Yes, it took me a few days to buy all of the parts but that is a small price to pay for the savings in my opinion. I purchased easch part buy-it-now as I can't stand waiting for auctions to end. Each piece was purchased individually as buying an entire group id more expensive. All parts were new or new take-offs. Frame was $500. Wheels were $300 shipped. Crank was a new take-off I got for $100...

No, I didn'r re-use any existing parts except for pedals. Seat is ebay carbon ($100 shipped)

You're right, it takes some time and some searching but if you have patience it can be well worth it. YMMV

vg30et

IMO if she's not sure if she wants to get into cycling, I would get her a dependable used bicycle. That way if she decides not to get into it, you should be able to resell the bike at minimal loss. I just built up a bike around a used frame that I found on CL and found that I could've bought something new for around the same price but I wouldn't have been able to pick out the exact mix of components that I wanted.

55/Rad

Understanding that you bought everything new, sans pedals, I'd like to see the breakdown of this.

Carbon Unit

The parts I put on my Calfee were takes offs, which are still sold as used on Ebay. The crank I bought had approximately 1,000 miles on it. My LBS called me and told me about the crank. It looked new but again it was used. I bought the frame used, probably only had 1,500 miles on it. The only new parts on the bike were the handlerbars and the saddle. The bike looks new to this day.

I have a friend that bought a new Specialized Roubix with 105 on it for $1,700. I don't think I could build that bike for less even buying new parts off of Ebay.