New Bike to Build (Gulp)

[Oldlegs]

Just placed the order for the Ribble winter / audax frame plus the bits not in my spares box to build up for a wet weather bike.

Starting from a bare frame is a bit of a daunting prospect but it should be interesting and there's always "know how".

and possibly

 

[johnr]

Let us kow how you get on

 

[Melvil]

Aye..good luck!

 

[alecstilleyedye]

i've done it and, believe it or not, left the lbs to do chain and cabling (and i did at least have fork and headset in place. i'd recommend a torque wrench for the bb (and find the settings, shimano have them on their website).

 

[andy_wrx]

When off work for several weeks after an operation last year, I decided to build-up a TT bike as 'a project'.
I fancied the idea of 'building my own bike' and it would be something to do with all the time I had on my hands.
I bought the frame and all the bits on eBay over several weeks, as I could be patient and wait for decent prices.

When eventually I had everything, I screwed it together and hit a major anti-climax : it was far, far quicker and easier than I'd anticipated !

Even with lots of take-it-slowly, working-out how things go together, playing around and experimenting, it took less than an afternoon to assemble the basic bike, plus the following morning to cable it and fit the bartape, etc. - the stuff where there's a choice of just shoving it on quickly or taking time to do very neatly and precisely.

I think if I were to do it again, now understanding how to do it, it would take me only 2 or 3 hours...
I'd kind of imagined it as a project like building a kit car, but it was far simpler, easier and quicker than that so I was left a bit disappointed.

I've seen bike shops charging £20 or £30 to assemble a bike, presumably they can do it in an hour or two.

 

[Keith Oates]

Although I've not built a bike from scratch, I find that when I'm doing something I have to work until it's finished, I don't like leaving things for the next day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[cisamcgu]

I remember "when I were a lad" - you nearly always built your own bike. You bought the frame (R J Quinn for me !), bb, headset, etc.... and then built it up. It was very easy to do - nothing daunting or scary about it. Now a days, I imagine the index shifting would add a level of complexity, but even then, not hard at all. I do remember though, the catalogues from Holdsworthy and Claude Butler, with complete bikes in them - I thought they looked marvellous


Andrew

 

[k-dog]

^ yeah, although my uncle's first fixed gear came about when he took his apart and couldn't get the 3 speed hub back together.

It's a satisfying experience though and something I would highly recommend. You also then know exactly what's inside everything on your bike and how it was put together - i.e properly.

Hopefully.

 

[barq]

Building up your own bike is a great project, and I wish you the best of luck with it. I've found it quite a rapid process - maybe a couple of hours if all goes well. I think in my case I'd undertaken all the steps involved many times (fitting BBs, pressing headsets), but never all in one go on a bare frame.

To be honest I didn't find it at all anticlimactic since being finished meant I could ride it. The time consuming aspect was choosing the frame and what parts to fit on it.