Next year is going to be the year I build a road bike, so NOW is the time to start saving.
Im not to saavy about where to look for road bike frames. I currently ride a singlespeed IRO....freaking awesome =].

Help me Please and Ill love you forever!

Price Range-$300-$400 ($500 is absolute highest, 3-4 is my preference)- thats the price range for jusrt the frame alone.
Preferred Material: Alumnium....but steel is always good to!
Intended Use: Commuting, racing with mis amigos (XD)

I will probably be using the lowest SRAM groupo. Apex, and probably be using SRAM S27 or S30 wheelset to.

But yes. Me and my friend currently ride fixed/ss and we finally made a decision to build road bikes next year so wooo!

That's a weird thing. Cheap frame and low-end components...you might just be better off finding a nice used bike on Craigslist. I'm guessing this is about the actual BUILDING of a bike.

well....id like to point out im a newbie to true road biking lol. So idk. I built a SS and I thought it would be just as rewarding to build a Road Bike from the ground up. Didn't know $400 was cheap for a road frame =p. And i thought Apex was actually an ok groupo, knowing that most of my riding will be commuting to school and back, shopping and using it to go anywhere I need to.

And along that line, any suggestions as to building a road bike from the ground up would also be useful.

Anyone ever done it and have links to pics of those bikes?

I'm not much help in building a bike, but I've seen a few folks here who built nice bikes for not a lot of money just by finding good used stuff on craigslist and ebay.

Apex will do fine and you can easily buy a nice new aluminum road frame in your price range. Just for example.

1. Lightweight frame, full carbon fork, headset and front derailleur. https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_S...ls&ProdID=1041
2. Decent wheelset. https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...1545500_400222
3. Apex group. https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=263602_304652

Hmm, guessing the $500 cap is out the window. That's the cost of the Apex group alone.

You meant $300-$400 for the complete build? The thread title and your post read as if you were looking for an aluminum frame in that price range. If you are interested in a complete build in that range, then the suggestion of a used bike is a good alternative.

Apex is more like $600 at the absolute cheapest(plus shipping) also a wheelset is around $150 and the frame-set around $250 (that bikeisland is decent)

plus $250 for finishing kit(+pedals) that's $1250 so just go to a specialized store and get an Allez Comp with Apex(excellent frame) or save more and get a CAAD 10-5 for around $1400.

coool coool. thanks guys. btw. 3-400 dollars is for the frame alone ill edit original post.

OP says "didn't know $400 was cheap for road frame". So I believe he know his entire build will be more.

Anyway, if somebody knows what they want and has the knowledge, time and tools to build his bike I think there is great value to DIY. Entry level bikes often have parts that people want to upgrade immediately and the take-offs aren't worth much. So if you can't find a complete bike with the exact components you want going ala carte isn't always more expensive.

Also, many of the problems I see people have with cheap bikes stem from a crappy assembly, not not the parts quality. If you do it yourself at least you know the person building your bike cared more about getting it done right than getting it done in an hour. Again, providing you have knowledge and access to tools.

To OP, I build my bikes up from bare frames because I am particular about components and because I have the time and tools. If that's you I say go for it. For new steel take a look at the Surly Pacer and the Soma Smoothie. For used steel I would look on ebay for good deal on a Lemond. Performance and nashbar sell new aluminum frames. Or for used go to ebay and look for a Cannondale Caad frameset as they come up fairly often and are a favorite around here.

If not, and you are just looking for a good deal on an Apex bike and don't mind getting a little dirty to save money then check out this:

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...per_strada.htm

It fits your criteria short of the wheelset but does require partial assembly and the ability to give your own bike a tune up.

Entire Apex bike for $900: https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...per_strada.htm

+1 on the Motobecane Super Strada. Only available in 50, 52, 60 and 62 ATM. Even so that's a good deal for the build kit, so you could shop for another frame if you need a different size.

BD prices pretty much make the frame free. Many reviewers have stated that the bikes pretty much need a rebuild right out of the box (complaints about not enough grease on threads or bearings, etc) so there's your bike build part.

I know if I got one chances are I'd swap out bars and saddle within a week of assembly, so there's some more building for ya.

Since you are on SF you might want to go check out Box Dog Bikes in the Mission, they sell new and used and have a workbench and tools open to anyone: https://www.boxdogbikes.com/

Also Soma sells some nice and fairly inexpensive steel frames if you want to go that route but they are going to be a little above your $400 budget for frame & fork: https://www.somafab.com/frames_main.html

BD has a good deal on steel right now also. $700 for darn near complete 105 on Reynolds 520 frame.