Leinster

My main ride is a CAAD10 with 10spd 105. I've had it for about 18 months, but quite a few of my PRs still stand from rides on my old Schwinn Fastback with Tiagra and a triple chainset. Both the Schwinn and I were about 5-10% heavier than my current configuration. I love the CAAD, though, it feels and looks faster even if not all the stats show that it actually is.

79pmooney

To add to what mercator said: the danger of getting a custom bike built as a novice is that we get attached to it. And we become (understandably) very reluctant to see its shortcomings. But as we ride, we grow. Not in size, but in strength, flexibility, pedaling style and fluidity. All real changes. And therefor the bike that was "right" when we started is no longer. But that multiple thousand dollars we spent on that sweet frame has an amazing way of putting blinders on us. Now, if we start on a basic, nice $1000 bike, figuring out after a year or two that our seat really should be further back and the top tube length isn't the best is no big deal. There's that bike at the shop down the street for $2000 that does both of those right and is a little nicer. And after 5 years on that, with a few epic rides, some races, you begin to think "this bike should really have ..." You are ready to go custom and get a bike that will suit you and your riding for many years. (And you will know what very expensive frills you don't need and can focus your bucks on what makes a ride better for you.)

There are extenuating circumstances that justify going custom much earlier. Very unusual body type for one. Special circumstances for what this bike will be used for. I had my Peter Mooney built early in my learning curve because after my head injury and final season of racing I knew I would never race again but needed a bike I could ride year 'round to maintain my sanity. So I had a bike built that could do fast day rides, tour, have room for fenders and be generic re: 27" or 700c as the direction the bike industry was going to go wasn't obvious, nor was which tires and wheels shops in say coastal Maine would stock (in 1979). That bike has done all of the above except 27" wheels. I moved to the West coast and 700c has been easy to get the entire time. But none of that was known to me in Boston in 1978 when I was designing the bike with the framebuilder. The bike has toured (and does quite well). First year included some very fast club rides. Many hard ascents. Some rain rides, two epic. Off road. But it is not perfect. If I waited a few years I could have dialed in the geometry to my body better. I now have a 155 stem on it.

That Mooney isn't a perfect fit for me. But if I had my previous racing bike custom built for me, it would have been worse. The bike I raced was a stock Fuji Pro. Not remotely what I would have chosen but it was cheap. Last year's model at the shop I worked in. It fit. Not super custom perfect, but close enough to slow this fit 24 year old down not at all. I got to see for the first time what this body could do when it wasn't constrained by the bike. Radically better than anything I ever rode before. That bike shaped the thinking on the Mooney. Without that experience, the Mooney would have been different and not still a good ride years later.

That's my custom story. Yours will be different. Now that I am in my later years and have the experience, I can call a framebuilder, tell him what I want, give him the dimensions, and love the results. (I work with one who knows I know what I want. He does check my work and questions me about it. Our goal is the same; the bike that is right for me. He has built me two bikes so far, 8 and 3 years ago.)

Ben

cellery

I've been riding a definitively entry-level $1400 alumiminium Trek 2.1 105 for four years while wathcing my friends upgrade to hot new wunder bikes and I still keep up fine. I want an $8k custom wunder bike too and would get one in a hearbeat if I had the cash - but only because it's cool and supports my habit. I am realistic about the unlikeliness that I would see appreciable gains in performance from such an upgrade, or even upgrading to an entry level carbon bike.

caloso

Personally, I would rather have a midlevel frameset with midlevel components and invest the excess in multiple wheelsets, a powermeter, and a coach to help me get the most out of it.

sced

Personally, I would rather have a midlevel frameset with midlevel components and invest the excess to get the most out of it.

sam_cyclist

Very cool thread.

I assume any benefit from weight reduction on climbs would be negated by the benefit of additional weight on descents.

OP, have you considered 10 speed tiagra? It shifts extremely well, and gives reasonably small gear jumps from 12 - 30. Slap some kool stop pads onto the brakes and you will have excellent stopping power in addition to perfect shifting.

Leinster

Some of the remaining PRs on my Schwinn were on climbs. On my CAAD I've shattered some of my old descent times. There are a lot of factors that go into any given on-the-day performance, and the bike is just one of them.


You're very right about the 10spd Tiagra. My wife's bike has it and it shifts like butter. I've considered borrowing her 12-30 wheel for some particularly tough climbs around here too.

Campag4life

Agree. Many of us are on the diminishing return curve and we know it and choose to be there by choice as you say. $8K is a bit steep for my blood, but one can build a real nice bike for $5K with exact choice of handlebars, stem, saddle, seatpost, groupset etc if staying away from those pricey carbon wheels.

Katiesmalls

Sneaky, just wondering are you sorry for asking yet? Can you imagine people twisting around a simple question so thoroughly?

hueyhoolihan

pretty much agree, although i've never ridden a CAAD10. or used 105.

i went custom on a bike about 20 years ago. i rode it extensively and still ride and enjoy it, but there is no way it was worth it from an economic or performance point.

sometimes the show is worth the price of admission and sometimes you're better off just reading the review.

StanSeven

Since I've had both bikes, Seven (my forum name) and Guru, I'll add some comments. They are custom frames and a large part of the cost is for designing and building it just for you. With Seven they carry it further than just geometry and use different thickness tubesets to get the ride you want. My frame was very light but I had the bb and rear stiffer so it wasn't the lightest possible. I'll also add that most people don't need custom and can get a good fit with the right size parts.

As far as is it worth it, that's a personal decision. It's based on your priorities, other interests, finances, and things like not buying a bike when your wife is talking about a vacation or jewelry.

jnbrown

For $2K you find a used bike on Ebay or elsewhere that would as good performance wise as the bikes you mentioned.
I just watched an S-Works Tarmac SL4 go for $1200 on Ebay, that is one third of the retail price. There is always a risk with buying a used carbon frame but i think its well worth as long as you can return it after inspection.

kbarch

Point well made.

I've gotten the sense that for off-the shelf bikes, around $2000 is where the quality/$ curve starts to bend. Customized bikes, somewhat more, but for made-to-measure, I'd guess diminishing returns come around $4k. So, back to the original example, I'd say the $8k custom Seven includes minor improvements for which a substantial premium is being paid, and one may be able to do nearly as well for about $5-6k, like you say.

3alarmer 

.
...I started seeing diminishing returns around age 47-48, IIRC.

D1andonlyDman

The curve is diminishing across it's entire range, once you get past WalMart/Dicks/Target bikes. A $1000 bike will be faster than a $500 bike, whereas a $2000 bike will be less faster than that $1000 ride - the biggest improvements will be elsewhere, like comfort, quality of the componentry, etc. In many cases, a $3500 bike will have the same basic frame as the $2000, but the components are more costly, the wheels are probably lighter but less rugged. etc. Beyond $3.5-4K, electronic shifting is the biggest cost adder, everything else gets pretty subtle, at that point - maybe a lot more hand finishing and customizing of the bike.

DinoShepherd

Diminishing returns is all in the eye , and wallet, of the beholder.

:-)

Alias530

Dunno why people trip on bike component costs... in what industry is going from high level to the absolute top of the line a cheap venture?

dbnm

I bought a Greg Lemond Washoe for $3800. Then I bought an Enve cockpit for $900.

I bought this bike for several reasons:
- it is steel
- it is handmade in Portland OR
- there are very few made

I could have purchased a more expensive bike (like Indy Fab or Firefly) but this is what I wanted.

One of the other bikes I was heavily considering was a Breadwinner Lolo.

Get something unique. And ride it. A lot.

(ps... I have an insurance policy on it. Full coverage.)

Drew Eckhardt 

For $3000-$4000 you can get exactly what you want except for expensive brand names - even a custom frame from a small builder.

While no faster, you can have things your way - Campagnolo group, the gearing you want even if odd (50-39-30x13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23-26), your preferred bar shape, NOS or used components with superior aesthetics (I don't do black alloy), etc.

Divide by the years it will last (I've ridden the same frame since 1997, same wheels until training with power in 2011, etc) and the price isn't interesting.

Divide by the $200 a month charged by nice health clubs in expensive areas and a bike like that quickly pays for itself.

rms13

+1. But probably not the popular opinion

bruce19

Either way he will be looking for a new bike in a couple years. If there's someone here who still rides their first and only bike please speak up. My regrets over the past 40 yrs. are not about the bikes I bought but the bikes I sold. I still wish I had just about every one of them.

Jim from Boston

Nicely said. I have previously posted that when I shop for a an expensive item, I start by looking at the high end models to investigate what’s out there, then whittle down to a price acceptable for the features I want (the “sweetspot”).

On this similar thread, “My new $7,000 bike and the futility of justifying the price to the average person,” I posted:

That mechanic is also a master bikefitter, and even though not custom-made, and without measuring me, the bike is as perfect a fit as I can imagine.

Also, I have no buyer’s remorse over what I might be missing.

clydeosaur

Point of diminishing return is when you stop smiling when you get on the bike. Everyone has different budgets, preferences, likenesses, etc.. If you are comfortable with the $ you spend, and happy, confident and comfortable when you ride, in my mind it's all worth it. Whether your on a $500 bike, 2g, or 10g+, it all comes down to you. Do it for you,because you want to, because you love the workout, the feel, the look, the sense of accomplishment, whatever. Not to keep up with the Jones'...

curlyque

For me to custom build, it would be for looks first.....the function will follow

bigredkevbot

This right here. I am not buying a new bike until I can save up to have a bespoke bike built to my specifications, where I can go in a talk to the builder and discuss dimensions and preferences with them. I don't need a 14 lbs carbon weight weenie, after all (and as others have said) I am the engine. I just want something that I can ride to feel like I'm riding a bike for the first time again. For that, I'm willing to pay. As far as diminishing returns, keep working hard, building your strength and abilities, and you can swear off diminishing returns. Find bigger, longer, and harder climbs and keep pushing.