Budget road bike (self build)

peanut

THIS THREAD IS FOR SELF BUILD ROAD BIKES ONLY ...NOT DISCUSSION ABOUT BIKES IN GENERAL. If you cannot suggest the parts for a self build bike (like below) please do not post here start your own thread.

I thought it might be a useful thread to suggest some budget builds for those that are looking for an entry level road bike on a tight budget and would likethe satisfaction and reward of building it themselves.
All suggested builds should be for a complete bike build with sources of parts and prices. Naturally there will be some extra items to add like computer and pump, bottle holders tools etc and of course allow for postage costs.
My suggestion is based around the excellent value Ribble Frame 7005 with horizontal top tube. Prices correct at time of post
Frame : Ribble 7000 road £135.00
Forks : Wiggle basic carbon £34.95
Headset : Ribble Cane Creek £15.95
Stem : Ribble ITM Road £12.95
Bars : Ribble Deda Oiega £13.95
Wheels Ribble Shimano Tiagra £44.95
Groupset Ebay Shimano Sora 9spd £150.00
Saddle Ribble San marco £9.95
pedals Ribble SPD M520 £14.95
Tyres Ribble Continental ultra £8.95
Chain Ribble Shimano 9 spd HG53 £6.95

Total price £ 444.55 Mmm quite a bit more than I expected. Probably possible to save quite a bit on the groupset by buying 8spd individual componants and save on forks,headset,Tyres and saddle to get under £400.00

Please do not discuss the merits of self build /shop bought bikes in this thread this thread is for bike builds only not your opinions

Down the Road

Trek 1.2 £470 full warranty Walk out of the shop after it has been built by a Cytech approved and qualified mechanic.

Simple.

henderson_mk

I dunno... this seems a bit counte-intuitive to me.

If you're on a tigh budget then you get best bang for buck getting a prebuilt bike, or one of last years models surely?

if you're confident enough and have learned enough to build it yourself, then you'll probably not be satisfied with the budget components.

my personal opinion is that for an entry level budget bike... get it pre built.
something like the trek 1.2 mentioned above... or a decatlon jobbie ... or a spesh allez... or giant scr or whatever..... I don't think you can really beat those prices.

Gav2000

I considered that is a fixed geared bike a few months ago but concluded that it cost more to do it yourself than it does to by a complete bike. A £135 frame sounds great but once you added all the other components the price is at least 3X the frame price. I ended up letting Specialized do all the work and bought a Langster for £360.

Don't Ribble do a very low price base model bike and they are still advertising 2006 Xenon 9 speed bikes for £399.

Gav.

gkerr4

yes - but look at the spec you got for £444?

You got an alu frame with carbon fork

you got R500 Tiagra grade wheels which even at £45 quid will be about 50% higher value than the wheels on most bikes up to about £700!!

you got the new 2008 9-spd sora groupset - complete too- no cheap chainset or unbranded brake calipers.

you got a mixture of deda and ITM finishing kit (again - no unbranded stuff) a san marco saddle, cane creek headset, the tyres are ok(ish) and you even managed to get some SPD pedals in there!

not bad for £444 really

you are actually missing some things there though - bar tape, cables, tubes and rim-tape for example and the tools to put it together - but you would also have the satisfaction of putting it together yourself (not that difficult) and confidence to carry out your own repairs in the future so it could actually save you a lot of money if you look at the total cost of ownership.

willbevan

have to admit i want to build my next bike already.

I bought a basic Decathlon Sport 2 16S, have to admit i will be building he next for satisfaction, unless i get offered a cheap second bike lol

blackhands

gkerr4 wrote:

yes - but look at the spec you got for £444?

You got an alu frame with carbon fork

you got R500 Tiagra grade wheels which even at £45 quid will be about 50% higher value than the wheels on most bikes up to about £700!!

you got the new 2008 9-spd sora groupset - complete too- no cheap chainset or unbranded brake calipers.

you got a mixture of deda and ITM finishing kit (again - no unbranded stuff) a san marco saddle, cane creek headset, the tyres are ok(ish) and you even managed to get some SPD pedals in there!

not bad for £444 really

you are actually missing some things there though - bar tape, cables, tubes and rim-tape for example and the tools to put it together - but you would also have the satisfaction of putting it together yourself (not that difficult) and confidence to carry out your own repairs in the future so it could actually save you a lot of money if you look at the total cost of ownership.

But couldn't you buy a Ribble with carbon forks for £399 plus another set of wheels and still be about £450.?

peanut

gkerr4 wrote:

yes - but look at the spec you got for £444?

You got an alu frame with carbon fork

you got R500 Tiagra grade wheels which even at £45 quid will be about 50% higher value than the wheels on most bikes up to about £700!!

you got the new 2008 9-spd sora groupset - complete too- no cheap chainset or unbranded brake calipers.

you got a mixture of deda and ITM finishing kit (again - no unbranded stuff) a san marco saddle, cane creek headset, the tyres are ok(ish) and you even managed to get some SPD pedals in there!

not bad for £444 really

:

you are actually missing some things there though - bar tape, cables, tubes and rim-tape for example and the tools to put it together - but you would also have the satisfaction of putting it together yourself (not that difficult) and confidence to carry out your own repairs in the future so it could actually save you a lot of money if you look at the total cost of ownership.

Yes I'm glad someone managed to see that.Thanks.
The tyres and saddle are pants to be honest . I adjusted the spec down when the total came out at £480.
Like you say the statisfaction, confidence and experience gained from building your own bike is immeasurable and certainly worth more than £50 quid saved.

Incidentally some bike shop is currently selling a new Dawes 300 for £200 which at that price is a steal but I would still not recommend it as you would soon find it inadequate and difficult to sell ebay

acorn_user

Why would you buy a bike based on possible resale on fleabay? That's the kind of thinking that has hordes of dull German cars on the roads today.

Fort basic frame 90 pounds Sonic Cycles
Campagnolo Mirage group 220 pounds or so.
Campagnolo Khamsin or Vuelta wheels 60 pounds.
Cheap finishing kit (group should include cables) another 80 or so.
Others as above.

Just under 500 pounds for a really nice bike with Mirage. I would spend a bit more on a nicer fork though.

Might not always be the best value, but it usually is if you want Campag. The only sub 500 pound Campag bike I can think of is that Decathlon.

peejay78

building your own wheels brings the cost down considerably.

nmcgann

Having built a few bikes now (including wheels) I have concluded that it's not really a way to save money, the budget deals from the likes of Ribble are just so cheap.

However, it is very interesting to assemble your own bike and it does give a sense of "connectedness" that I don't feel with a shop-bought bike.

You can also do mix n match with different groupsets, Shimano/Campag hybrids - or even stay 9-speed (but in a high-spec groupset) when shop bikes are coming out 10 speed.

Neil

peanut

I am not sure why you are discussing the relative merits of self build bikes interesting though your opinions no doubt are ?

The title and the object of the thread is to research and list parts for economical self build bikes as a resource for all those members considering this route,

Please take the time to read the thread title and keep this on topic. It is not a thread for discussion although you are welcome to start your own thread if you wish.

This is just going to take a little effort on your part and maybe 10 minutes work thats all and we will have a reasonable selection for those that are new to cycling or road bikes and are considering shop bought or self build

peanut

acorn_user wrote:

Why would you buy a bike based on possible resale on fleabay? That's the kind of thinking that has hordes of dull German cars on the roads today.

Fort basic frame 90 pounds Sonic Cycles
Campagnolo Mirage group 220 pounds or so.
Campagnolo Khamsin or Vuelta wheels 60 pounds.
Cheap finishing kit (group should include cables) another 80 or so.
Others as above.

Just under 500 pounds for a really nice bike with Mirage. I would spend a bit more on a nicer fork though.

Might not always be the best value, but it usually is if you want Campag. The only sub 500 pound Campag bike I can think of is that Decathlon.

Acorn a valiant try but you haven't really done what was asked have you ?
There is little point in putting together half of a bike it serves no purpose. You haven't listed your sources and it is clear your prices are way off. Khamsin cannot be had in the UK for less than £80.00 as far as I am aware. If you are sourcing in the US please say so and list $ prices for a complete bike. You have an example of what is wanted at the top of the thrread

nmcgann

peanut wrote:

I am not sure why you are discussing the relative merits of self build bikes interesting though your opinions no doubt are ?

The title and the object of the thread is to research and list parts for economical self build bikes as a resource for all those members considering this route,

Please take the time to read the thread title and keep this on topic. It is not a thread for discussion although you are welcome to start one if you wish.

This is just going to take a little effort on your part and maybe 10 minutes work thats all and we will have a reasonable selection for those that are new to cycling or road bikes and are considering shop bought or self build

Resource - ebay. Can't list any of my bike parts, they have mostly been 1-offs and bargains that are not available regularly.

Stay on topic??? Unlikely

Neil

carbon-addiction

My firsy bike was a claudbutler milano racing and its doing me well for the winter so far but my racing bike that i use for racing is a sintesi icon 3.0 2006 its a full carbon frame with 105, does me good for U16

Nuggs

peanut wrote:

Acorn a valiant try but you haven't really done what was asked have you ?

I'm sure he'll apologise for buggering up your thread in due course... :roll:

djheaton321

Peanut, dear chap. This is a discussion forum for the use of everyone who is registered so wind you neck in. To be honest, if you are on a tight budget, building your own bike will work out more expensive than some of the deals that can be had if you shop around. I should know because I built most of my own bikes and wheels. Even going to the cheapest suppiers for individual items it is very hard to get close to some of these deals. If you want the satisfaction of riding something you have built yourself but on a tight budget why don't you buy one of these bargains, strip it down and rebuild it? Job done!! :shock: :shock:

another jacko

At the risk of incurring Peanut's wrath for misinterpretation of orders:

Scrounge a decent 531 framed unused bike off a friend or relative or, if you are out of luck there, buy one secondhand £40 tops.

Strip it down, clean, lube grease and adjust everything. Cost less than £1.

Replace worn out parts (if any) may include:
Chain £6
Freewheel £13
Brake blocks £4
Tyres £25

Total cost between pence and £100. If it's more than that, get a better bike for the base.

djheaton321

sorry jacko, that is just not on. You are going to have to include your sources, names of suppliers and exact prices if we are to stay on topic :P

meesterbond

djheaton321 wrote:

sorry jacko, that is just not on. You are going to have to include your sources, names of suppliers and exact prices if we are to stay on topic :P

Exactly... I want names, addresses and phone numbers of all of those friends and relatives with 531 racers in their sheds.

Actually, I really do - I'm trying to source something similar to turn into a fixie with minimal luck..

Nuggs

djheaton321 wrote:

sorry jacko, that is just not on. You are going to have to include your sources, names of suppliers and exact prices if we are to stay on topic :P

giant_man

peanut wrote:

acorn_user wrote:

Why would you buy a bike based on possible resale on fleabay? That's the kind of thinking that has hordes of dull German cars on the roads today.

Fort basic frame 90 pounds Sonic Cycles
Campagnolo Mirage group 220 pounds or so.
Campagnolo Khamsin or Vuelta wheels 60 pounds.
Cheap finishing kit (group should include cables) another 80 or so.
Others as above.

Just under 500 pounds for a really nice bike with Mirage. I would spend a bit more on a nicer fork though.

Might not always be the best value, but it usually is if you want Campag. The only sub 500 pound Campag bike I can think of is that Decathlon.

Acorn a valiant try but you haven't really done what was asked have you ?
There is little point in putting together half of a bike it serves no purpose. You haven't listed your sources and it is clear your prices are way off. Khamsin cannot be had in the UK for less than £80.00 as far as I am aware. If you are sourcing in the US please say so and list $ prices for a complete bike. You have an example of what is wanted at the top of the thrread

For christ's sake man get a grip eh? this is important stuff we're discussing here!!

acorn_user

Alright, I'll reference my attempt, for public service reasons only.

Fort frame http://soniccycles.co.uk/shop/ 112 pounds, choice of colour.
Xenon group www.probikekit.com 167 pounds!
http://www.cyclingbargains.com/product_ ... ts_id=1346
Vuelta Zerolite Corsa 63 pounds.
ITM basic fork 35 pounds http://www.cyclingbargains.com/product_ ... ts_id=1346
Cinelli Vai (wiggle) 18 pounds for the stem and 19 for the bars.
ITM post 16 pounds from wiggle (most shops will have the push/kalloy one for 15 or so)
Wiggle has Bikeribbon tape for 4 pounds. LBS should have Cinelli for a bit more.
Headset M:Part Inline 1 1/8 Aheadset 14 pounds from your lbs or wiggle.
That leaves a saddle. For that I'm going to recommend buying a new take off from the LBS. Could do the same for tyres and tubes.
Total just under 500 pounds.

Prices change so often that there is not much point referencing everything unless you have found a spectacular mega bargain. I'm sure you could do a little better on the finishing kit since the wiggle stuff is mostly at full retail price. Your LBS could do better than that. The prices I suggested initially were not wildly off, merely representative.

If you want to do this is in the US, I would use Cambria bike and Jenson, alongwith Nashbar for special offers. The group would probably be cheaper from PBK....

allaction

I am in the process of building a frame up. I think I have saved by buying at this time of year as component prices drop, the flipside to that argument is that complete bikes drop in price too. Agree that you get far more of a connection than one that is off the shelf but realistically it's not cheaper.

Anonymous

Down the Road wrote:

Trek 1.2 £470 full warranty Walk out of the shop after it has been built by a Cytech approved and qualified mechanic.Simple.

Preferably one that can read.
Might I refer the honourable gentleman to the OP.

secretsam

Here's mine (from teh late 80s- now resurrected!!)
Frame: 531 of unknown original from Bike Tech in Bristol £150
Wheels: cheap and nasty alloys, 27" can you believe? £30 say
Tyres: Shwalbe Marathons £40 (Commuting)
Gears: Shimano 105, pre-SIS, with braze-on D/T shifters, £35 total
Chainset: Stronglight 99 + sealed BB, £30
Chain and block: no idea :roll:
Pedals: Lyotard steel platforms, about £7
Saddle: Gel effort from Overbury's in Bristol, £10
Brakes: am going to upgrade to Alhonga D-P long reach, £20, keep original CLB levers (£10)
Bars and stem: SR, from old bike
clips and straps: new!!! From Evans, £7 I think

Beat that :oops:

Built it myself and agree with the point about gaining satisfaction - you decide where you want to spend and where to save...