If you could build your own bike what would it be made up of??

[outtherebikes]

Hi

I am planning at some stage to attempt to build my own road bike. Im not to sure as yet what frame im gonna go for or what the spec will be (if i ever get round to doing it) but im definately gonna do it.

If you were in my position what spec would you have???

 

[rich p]

The trouble is that I suspect new components would probably cost more than buying a built up bike these days unless you're going to compromise on what's available secondhand.

 

[John the Monkey]

With a bit of luck and a following wind, I may actually get to do this...

Frame - Surly LHT
Drive train - Tiagra shifters (have 'em in the shed) triple crank, 9sp at the back, exact ratios to be pondered
Wheels - Deore hub w. Mavic A319 at rear, dyno hub at front w. Mavic A319
Tubus Cargo rear rack
Fizik Arione Saddle (have it in the shed)
Prob. Panaracer Pasela TG for tyres, 32mm
Some sort of B&M dynamo driven lighting
More traditionally shaped (i.e. non "anatomic") bars.

Richp isn't far off regarding the cost. I toyed with the idea of just buying one stock, and flogging the bits I didn't want/need.

 

[simon_brooke]

Both my most recent bikes are home build - both on Dolan frames.

My race bike has a full carbon frame, mainly Centaur groupset but with Chorus carbon cranks; it has Centaur carbon ergo levers which I don't really like because you need to click the downshift lever once per gear, rather than sweeping several down in a gesture. It has Mavic Ksyrium Edition Speciale wheels, Look Keo pedals, and, when in time trial plumage, a Deda carbon wishbone tribar. It has a medium cage derailleur because I built it to ride audaxes and expected to use a very wide range cassette on it, but I mostly use my cross bike for audaxes so the race bike has a 13-26 cassette. It has a cut-down no-name seatpost and (like all my bikes) a Selle Italia SLR saddle,

My cross bike has a mainly Veloce groupset (compact chainset) but older Centaur aluminium ergo levers, which do have the multiple downshift (much preferable). It has wheels I built myself on Record hubs with DT Swiss rims, and they've stood up to cyclocross, commuting and audaxes so I'm pretty pleased with them. It also has genuine Froggleg brakes which I would NOT recommend - they're a pain to adjust and don't have nearly as much stopping power as I'd like. It has a 13-29 cassette and Time ATAC pedals - the same as I use on my mountain bikes. It has a USE Alien seatpost and my usual Selle Italia SLR saddle.

I'm really pleased with both bikes - the cross bike really is a go anywhere, do anything bike, while the race bike is unbelievably fast and responsive even with me on it!

I agree with those who say you don't save money by building your own - you definitely don't - but you get exactly what you want, and it feels good riding a bike for which you have chosen every part and which you have built up yourself. Riding on home-made wheels is even better (although you don't save money doing that either, and they probably aren't as strong as factory made wheels).

Here's the cross bike being built
Here's the race bike, about three years ago before it got carbon cranks and levers
Wheels

 

[jimboalee]

Its a bit difficult to hand build a Carbon frame. You will have to choose one from the established suppliers.
You can hand build an Alum frame at a framebuilders who offer a training course, but you might have to wait a year.

So if you choose Carbon, you won't get an exact fit to your dimensions. It will be pre-made to average dimensions for a range of sizes.

If you do choose to buy a Carbon frame and then buy the componentry seperate, you will have the satisfaction of ASSEMBLING the bike yourself, albeit for a lot more expence than buying an Off The Peg bike with a similar generic frame.

In the bike world, "building" a bike means getting a bunch of tubes and fabricating them together.
If you buy a frame already "built", you get the bits and "make" a bike.

You can then print a sticker which says:- "Made by Outtherebikes"

If you get to build the frame, you can print a sticker which says :- "Fabrique par Outtherebikes".

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I'd use chicken wire and paper mache!

 

[vernon]

Hi

I am planning at some stage to attempt to build my own road bike. Im not to sure as yet what frame im gonna go for or what the spec will be (if i ever get round to doing it) but im definately gonna do it.

If you were in my position what spec would you have???

I think you'll find that your spec will be limited by your budget.

I've assembled two bikes in the last year:

A steel framed Dave Yates tourer
A steel framed Trevor Jarvis 'Flying Gate'

The cost of the group sets and components went through the roof between Spring 2008 and spring 2009 to the extent that I couldn't even purchase Shimano Sora components for less than I paid for the equivalent Shimano 105 components purchased less than a year earlier.

If price is not a constraint then top of the range of everything is the way to go ;-)

 

[Sittingduck]

Something like this...
Changed out the frame after a few weeks though. So this is how it looks now.

 

[HJ]

If you wanted to make the frame as well and have something which would really turn heads, how about building a Bamboo bike, seriously...

 

[HJ]

Its a bit difficult to hand build a Carbon frame...

But it can be done, here is how...

Just found another useful site for general bike building, good luck...

 

[Arch]

Well, I'll be rebuilding my Dawes Galaxy at some point, so I think frame: metal, bits: whatever it had before, plus whatever I can get to replace bits that need changing.

Top luxury will be my Sogreni bell... (it was a present).

 

[bonk man]

I would build a bike out of bananas so I could eat a bit of it when I got the bonk

 

[GrahamG]

I assembled my road/audax bike exactly how I wanted it last year and it's living up to my expectations brilliantly. That said, I've only just passed 1000km ridden on it as I fractured my ankle which had me off the bike for nearly 6 months and have been riding fixed too much of late!

I went for a custom frame and then built it up out of bits that I'd been buying over the course of about 9 months prior to ordering the frame (taking advantage of sale/clearance items and then just stockpiling the other bits from the cheapest supplier).

Details as follows:

Hewitt custom steel frame (columbus life main triangle, I think zona stays and carbon fork), braze ons for guards and rack + clearance for guards and 28mm tires, no toe overlap in size 9's.

For components:

2006 Chorus ergos
2006 Chorus triple crankset (30-40-50)
Centaur triple fr mech
Mavic open pro on Ultegra hubs - 32 front, 36 rear (built by Paul Hewitt)
Shimano 105 long-cage rear mech
Shimano 105 10sp 12-27 cassette
Shimano ultegra deep drop calipers
FSA stem and seatpost
3T Ergosum handlebars

Love it - only changes I've made since arriving at this set up is a stronglight 26-36-46 triple chainset to use when touring (towing a trailer).


Looking at the price for groupsets and complete bikes, I'd be very tempted now to buy a bike and then split it and flog the bits I didn't want - SRAM is the best for this, their OEM prices must be less than half of retail.

 

[Rhys_Po]

I'd use antimatter and gravy.

 

[bonj2]

Looking at the price for groupsets and complete bikes, I'd be very tempted now to buy a bike and then split it and flog the bits I didn't want - SRAM is the best for this, their OEM prices must be less than half of retail.

on my race bike i bought a sram rival groupset for about £480, then sold the cranks for £80.