Possible to build a good bike with less than £400?

indysmith
indysmith Posts: 276
edited May 2008 in MTB beginners
I can get a good deal on a frame (£280 for a very unique specialized fsrxc frame), and I was wandering how much it would cost for me to build a bike up around it?
Firstly - I'm very new to biking - what will i need?
Obviously I'd like reasonable quality gear, but the frame is £280 and I only have £400 to spend. Is it possible?
Thanks. :oops:

Comments

  • omegas
    omegas Posts: 970
    edited May 2008
    The standard forks for that frame are Rock Shox Reba SLthat retail around £200

    The problem with building a bike is the parts added up can end up costing double the cost of buying the bike off the shelf.
    http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1844902/
    http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1844919/
  • toasty
    toasty Posts: 2,598
    Not really, a decent fork will be another £100 second hand (£150-£200 new), wheelset will set you back another £80-£100, gearing will be easily another £100 or so for derailleurs + cassette + chainset + cables + shifters. Then you'll need brakes, decent hydraulics are £100ish, even second hand they barely lose value as it's one bit lots of people upgrade.

    I'd wait for another like my old one to come up or alternately find a hardtail of some sort, buying second hand can be risky.*

    * Except for mine, that was genuinely fantastic quality, hehe :P
    Stumpy FSR 29er
  • batch78
    batch78 Posts: 1,320
    Take a look on Merlin and see what package deals they're doing at the moment.
  • deafasapost
    deafasapost Posts: 27
    i'm with batch on this one, merlin are doing a corker for the cash, 08 malt 1, deore, mavic rims, hydro brakes etc, a lot of bike for the cash. :)
  • Torres
    Torres Posts: 1,266
    There's always the possibility of buying a well specced bike from a not-quite so well known brand of the internet, dtripping it for parts, putting them on your frame and selling the other frame. This is especialy good if you can get last years models, which many only have left in some rather obscure sizes, 25" or 14" or somethign similar.

    Take a look at the beone ranges on chainreaction, or the focuses on wiggle.
    For example, this, this or this.

    It will turn out more expensive, and you won't get the best kit, but you get the satisfaction of building your own bike (which will be a full sus). Depends how much you like the spesh frame and if you prefer it over other deals, 700 quid gets you a lot of bike, ie:
    This (which i have and can recomend), this or this.

    All of those are better speced than anything you could build for £400, but it depends what you mean by "a good bike."

    For me a good bike is one you love, one which gets you out riding, enjoying your riding. If you feel that building your own would do that, then yea, you can build a good bike, but if you think you'll wonder what it would've been like to buy somethign with a better spec, then maybe not.

    But i have always wanted a full susser....
    What We Achieve In Life, Echoes In Eternity
  • Chaka Ping
    Chaka Ping Posts: 1,451
    On your budget I'd agree that you'd do best to start on a hardtail - especially a well-specced one like a Merlin.

    Then you'd be able to swap to an FS frame later if you felt the urge.

    If you're new to biking, you might benefit from learnign on a hardtail and you'll get better VFM. And the performance difference between hardtails and full-sus bikes isn't so great as you probably imagine.

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