Fill in the blank. I was reading through a thread a couple days ago that was talking about why you love to ride. Well, I think I get a high off building bikes as well. I love building bikes because it lets your individuality and creativity show. It lets people have a chance to own something nice for not a ton of money in my case. I love watching it come into life. That's why I love building bikes.

I just recently bought a bunch of tools for crank removal, etc. I love building/fixing/repairing because I get to have that much more pride in my bike because I worked on it myself.

As a gearhead on hiatus one thing that I really like about building bikes is the quickness with which I can go from thinking about building up X project to actual completion. Cars take literally years to get together and costa ton, but I would guess your average bike build is around 6mo. to a year, maybe?

......because I can't stand to see other people work on my bike, when I am perfectly capable of doing it myself.

That's pretty much it for me. I like to start with the concept, acquire the parts, and make it come together with a severly limited budget. To me part of the fun is figuring out where to splurge to "make the bike".

The most frustrating part for me is I don't have enough ideas about kinds of bikes that I'd have fun building.

...because other people do it wrong

because you build a love for your bike as well. you learn everything about it inside and out. you dont have to schedule an appointment with a "qualified mechanic", like you would with a car

this.
you really get to know your bike when you build it up/maintain it yourself.

I love building/working on bikes.

In the past few weeks, I have overhauled the BB, hub, and headset of my commuter bike. Now, whenever I ride I can just envision exactly what is going on. I can imagine the BB spindle turning inside the bearings, picture the way the stem is wedged into the steerer tube, and practically feel the tightness/looseness of my hub.

Also, to be honest, I'm a better mechanic that most the guys who work at the shops, so I just like knowing that my bike isn't going to fall apart.

I work on anything that I can. I work on cars, dirt bikes, jet skis, bikes, etc. I would work on my own house if I had one. I'm just a grease monkey, I guess.

There is that element of immediate gratification w/ bikes, though. Everything else i've worked on takes much longer and is much more expensive. With bikes, I can do an entire build in one day for <$600. Shoot, the rear view mirror on some vintage cars costs that much alone!

the more of me I put into it, the more it becomes a part of me.

I <3 wrenching

im a wannabe gear head

I am glad I have this in common with everyone. I literally can think of a build in a couple of minutes. Like today at work I thought of a build for my old high schools yearly auction. They typically only do high end type stuff so if I get the green light by the committee, I am going to build a sick "Regis High School" single speed.

I get such a joy out of figuring things out on my own and knowing they are done the right way, usually the first time. Recently acquiring my tools, I set everything up in my parents shop out back and have spent a lot of hours in there thus far. When I am focused on a build, time flies and I do not seem to tire.

Pure enjoyment.

...it sure beats finding all the damn parts.

and then you realize how much time passed and you haven't eaten in hours. Then it all kicks in.

For me it's ownership in something I built. Pluss it's cheaper

Why not build a bike? Compared to other "completion" projects like boats, cars, furniture, etc, a bike is built quick and with relatively little cash, but with all the excitement upon completion.

This is very true. My mom asked me the other night what I had eaten in the day. I replied: "Well, I had a couple cups of coffee this morning, and....and...well I guess that's it Ma!". This was about 4 in the afternoon. She replied with a very stern face and told me I better get my butt inside and eat something.

I need to find a long reach brake without a ton of shipping fees for my latest project. It's an '84 Bridgestone 400. Will post pics upon completion.