custom made versus buying

[BG986]

i have a good racing bike which works very well and enjoying it.

however over the next year i am looking to buy my first top end bike. the question is do i save up a buy a bike or do i take the year to buy the seperate bits and build my own? #

obviuosly would be more fun to build my own but is it worth it?

interested to hears people's thoughts.

thanks

 

[ttcycle]

If you have the time to spare to build a bike then definitely go for that route- you may find that you spend more on components then a straightforward off the peg bike though. However, learning to put the bike together no doubt will equip you with skills for life - however, do factor in the costs of getting some of the tools required ie for putting in the headset etc.

Depends on whether you have the cash and the time as this approach is unlikely to save you money but hey when was cycling about saving money ? I gave up that misconception a while ago!

 

[Chrisz]

Build it!!!!!

So much more satisfying than buying one off-the-peg. You will also then ensure that it's kitted out EXACTLY how you want it

I did mine at the start of the year - my one big disappointment was that it didn't actualy take very long (I had all the parts ready). However, since then I have changed an awful lot of the 'original' parts - the process continues as I upgrade to 11speed

As to being 'worth it' - from a financial point of view - definitely not! My bike stands me for a tad over £4k - no doubt if I had specced it up in a shop it would have cost considerably less and I would have had to compromise on some of the parts anyway.

 

[Ian H]

The idea of buying a new bike complete, all built up, is weird. I'd want to choose the fixtures and fittings to suit me.

 

[BG986]

Cost is a notion that left the day I went into the shop to buy my first bike. So by worth I meant time and effot.

I think it would nice Sunday project that I could roll out for the summer season. So the next question us where to start? And are there places which are cheaper for components than others?

 

[ASC1951]

..and you can start with a custom built titanium frame from XACD. I hope you get the build done quicker than me, because mine is still on my work stand a year later while I decide what drive train to use.

 

[Chrisz]

Start with a frameset and wheelset and work from there. I found Parker International to be about the cheapest - good delivery times too. It's also always worth nosing around on ebay - you never know when the bargain fairy will strike next