zDeaD

So the idea of building my own bike from scratch come across my mind a few times. I mean from the pedals to the frame and everything in between. Can any one give me out some good pointers to follow or parts to look into?
Thank you ^·^

SundayNiagara

Why not start with a frame/fork?

rms13

Expect to pay a lot more than you would buying a complete bike. And do a lot of research to make sure everything is compatible with your frame

WestPablo

What's your budget?

jimc101

This, unless you can get everything on closeout/sales buying complete is almost always cheaper than building yourself, also, warranty is with a single entity (the bike shop) rather than being for each individual par/purchase.

KBentley57

Just to be clear, you're not wanting to build, from scratch, a frame (from metal tubing), pedals (from ?), fork(from tubing)... right, but to assemble a bike? eg, buy a frame, fork, pdeals, crank, and put them all together?

If you're wanting to assemble a bike from components, you really only have to worry about a few things in particular. The headset frame fork combo has to match, the seat tube and seat post diameters must match, the bottom bracket, crank, bb shell combo has to match. Other than that, pretty much anything goes. Make sure that your shifters will work with the derailleurs, and boom, bicycle.

hybridbkrdr

If I wasn't lazy right now, I'd try to post the list of parts needed for a bike (still haven't completed my touring bike lol).

Some parts can be found for reasonable prices.

Some fun examples...

Aster road frameset from Zestbicycleshop on eBay $150 U.S.:
Aster Road Bike Alloy Frame Carbon Fork 56cm 54cm | eBay

Shimano Sora groupset for Fibica Store on eBay $250 U.S.:
NEW 2013 Shimano Sora Road 3500 3550 9 Speed Road Bike Groupset Group SET Black | eBay

Shimano WH-R501 road wheelset 79 Euro:
SHIMANO WH-R501 28"/700 C road wheel set offers at the cycling shop Rose Bikes UK

EDIT: And you can choose bar-end shifters if you wanted to choose friction mode (rarely have to adjust your derailleurs so you can tour): Microshift 9 speed bar-end shifters BS-T09 MicroShift Bar End Double/Triple 9 speed Shift Levers - AEBike.com

zymphad

Don't listen to all the warnings about price vs complete bike if you you are intent on building your own bike.
- If price is an issue, you can find great prices on great parts on CL and Ebay. Cyclists are constantly upgrading, I think cyclists spend more time upgrading than riding. Tons of parts used, but in immaculate condition, sometimes not even used, they are take offs!

First you need tools. I use the Nashbar $50 tooset, it has everything I needed to build my Shimano equipped bike. You may need extra tools if you decide to use a frame with pressfit bottom bracket.

What to buy:

- Decide on a frameset. I'd go with frameset since it will come with a fork and steerer that fits the frame well. Sometimes it comes with headset, if doesn't, pay attention to type and size. If it's tapered for example.
- Component groupset. Brakes, shifters, derailleurs, crank, bottom bracket
- On the frame pay attention to the bottom bracket type. If you choose Shimano group, then you'll need a bottom bracket adapter to fit Shimano crank if the frame uses a BB30, PF30 for example. I would do this rather than use a FSA BB30 crank because Shimano cranks are AWESOME.
- Seatpost. Pay attention to the size you need on the frame.
- Saddle
- Stem, pay attention to the length of the toptube and assess from there. Be prepared to change this, Nashbar has great return policy, if it doesn't fit have 365 days to return it.
- Handlebar, careful of the width.
- Wheelset
- Cable set, housing and cables for brake and shifting
- Chain. Be sure it's compatible with your component group, 8/9, 10, or 11.
- Pedals
- Lights for safety. I know in my State, all bikes are required to have lights that can be seen 500 ft away, rear and front.

Have fun!

Homebrew01

People often assemble their own bike because they already know what parts they want, and can't get that combination of frame/parts as a complete bike.

What is your motivation ?

zDeaD

Well im having my bike fixed. With buying new crankset and barings and a chain. Then the idea dawned on me. What if I get a lighter framset. Which that idea snowballed into me thinking of building my own ride.

zymphad

Sounds awesome to me. Go for it.

Homebrew01

You can end up with a nice bike for a good price if you:
- hunt around for deals
- go with slightly used parts here & there
- get new parts a couple years old

My race bike is better than anything I could have bought new for the same $.
I do all my own work, and haven't bought a complete bike since grade school.
But if you pay full retail for everything, then you will spend more.

hybridbkrdr

You could go for something unusual with something like the Kinesis Crosslight Five T frame Technical | Crosslight | Five T | Kinesis Bikes UK

or use a cheap frame like the Sette Xion (oops, can't find that one right now) or the Ascent frame (don't know max. tire size) $130 Ascent Aluminum Road Bike Frame - Road Bike Frames

hueyhoolihan

assembling a bike from the ground up with new to you parts can be much less expensive than buying a new bike and one can often end up with a better one too. but you will have to know what you are doing one way or another.

but what, IMO, ultimately presents the most challenge is a lack of patience.

calgarc

i build bikes all the time... the cheapest ones are always fixies or entry level mountain bikes. always get used parts. my last build was an ultegra build on a vintage road frame with 700c's and threadless stem. it cost me a pretty penny.

I am currently building my self a race bike of sorts. its all about finding deals everywhere Craigslist/Kijiji, Garage sales, ebay etc...

vwchad

I really enjoy putting bikes together. As stated above, shop around, have some patience, and know how to spot a good deal. It is possible to save a lot of money doing it yourself that way.

Leinster

Yup.


An option is to buy a complete bike, and sell parts as you buy the ones you want. Eventually you'll find you have a completely new bike of your own design. The problem comes when you start riding the bike as-is and just keep forgetting to upgrade it. My CAAD10 was supposed to be full Campy by now. It's still 105.