Cheaper to build your own?
chorscroft
Posts: 254
I'm looking into buying a road bike, and have been looking from around Giant Defy 3 level, up to Boardman Team Carbon.
Is it cheaper/better value to buy a frame, wheels, components etc and build it yourself or are you better to buy a fully assembled bike?
Thanks
Conor
Is it cheaper/better value to buy a frame, wheels, components etc and build it yourself or are you better to buy a fully assembled bike?
Thanks
Conor
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Comments
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Always better value to buy off the shelf. You'd need to go way over budget to build a bike to the spec of the Defy 3, let alone the Boardman. Just get test rides first as they will all feel very different (Boardman racy, Defy compact)0
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It only really works out cheaper if you are spending more than £1500.
Although if you are willing to use second hand bits, and spend ages looking for bargains lower level bikes can be built cheaper. I built my Ribble winter bike with Veloce/Centaur, Ventos, decent saddle, for less than what Ribble were selling winter bikes with Mirage, crappy wheels, dodgy contact points (bars/saddle) and dodgy tyres.
Building your own means you get exactly what you want. By the time you've swapped the saddle, stem, bars, tyres, and sometimes even wheels it might have been cheaper to build your own.0 -
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At the price point you're looking at, I'd say your more cost effective buying off the shelf (OTS). However, it can be done piecemeal fashion buying its off ebay or when the likes of Ribble have 15% off (now!). That said, it might take a while, you'll have to remember to factor in litle things like grease/carbon paste, tools, inner tubes, cables all the things you don't really account for at the beginnign 'coz your to busy thinking "What frame, wheels, forks, saddle, carbon stem!!?"
Do what I did and list EVERY item you will need or want. Once you've done that, trawl the various online stores and maybe even LBS and list the price next to it. Then watch those items on ebay and get a feel for how much they sell for on open auction. The totals you get will give you an idea of how much the project will cost buying new from a store and how much can be saved buying used off the likes of ebay. Try to keep your list 'like for like'. You might want to factor in the cost of having your LBS set it all up properly once you've done the necessary spannering if you're not 100% certain.
Overall, unless you're quite lucky and patient, you'll end up coming out dearer than buying OTS. It might be however that the idea of such a project is worth the extra. If you're looking to save money though then just buy the whole thing OTS. Finally, don't forget to ask an LBS for discount on a new bike - now more than ever.0 -
guilliano wrote:Always better value to buy off the shelf.
Not true - depends on spec of what you want and what the bike comes with to a large extent. I built up my Enigma Etape for a few hundred pound less than buying complete - even though I put better spec wheels on. Also you should add in the cost of any things you may want change from an off the peg bike - compromises are invariably made on wheels and tyres, plus bars/stem may not be the size you want and saddle is very personal.Carlsberg don't make cycle clothing, but if they did it would probably still not be as good as Assos0 -
The retail margin on complete bikes is less than for components, so generally whole bikes are cheaper - many compete for certain 'price points' too. Depends how closely the complete bike spec matches you needs or whether you're planning on upgrades.Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
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When I said always cheaper.... I was talking at the price range the OP was looking at.0
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OK, at individual component prices how can you build an equivalent bike to the Boardman Team Carbon for under £1000? I don't mean by getting Ribble or someone to do it from the OE parts they buy, but by going into an LBS and buying each and every part....0
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No. You won't do better than the manufacturers for the same spec, although I suppose it's possible if you're prepared to wait and spend a lot of time haunting ebay for the right bits. I'd say the only time it might be worth thinking about is if you really can't find just what you want and are looking at substantial upgrades from new.
Projects and builds for their own sake are different of course, but it's not the most cost effective way to get yourself a bike.0 -
If you are prepared to shop around, you could put together a very nice spec bike for the cost of a Boardman Team Carbon (£1000?).
£300-£400 for Veloce or 105 groupset
£60-£120 for wheels (Quest Como, or Shimano RS10s)
~£100 for stem; handlebars; seatpost; saddle
£175-£400 for frame (Uncle John cro-moly (?); Principia aluminium; Deda carbon
~£100 for carbon forks
Still needs finishing touches like cables and grip tape, not to mention a compentent builder, but you get the idea
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2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo0 -
By going carbon you are already way over the £1k and that's without the tyres and other finishing touches0
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I was going by similar spec Reddragon...... Boardman Team Carbon is errrr...... carbon0
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guilliano wrote:I was going by similar spec Reddragon...... Boardman Team Carbon is errrr...... carbon
Similar spec doesn't necessarily mean the parts have to be exactly the same. TBH I'd rather a good alloy frame than a crap carbon frame, but I guess you'd rather believe the hype about carbon frames.0 -
Not at all..... you said you could do similar spec by building your own cheaper. Similar spec to a carbon bike means a similarly specced carbon bike
If I walked into a shop and said I wanted a Ti bike, SRAM Force groupset and Zipp wheels I wouldn't be happy if I walked out with a "similar" chromo bike with cheaper groupset and wheels for roughly the same price0 -
NitrousOxide wrote:If you are prepared to shop around, you could put together a very nice spec bike for the cost of a Boardman Team Carbon (£1000?).
£300-£400 for Veloce or 105 groupset
£60-£120 for wheels (Quest Como, or Shimano RS10s)
~£100 for stem; handlebars; seatpost; saddle
£175-£400 for frame (Uncle John cro-moly (?); Principia aluminium; Deda carbon
~£100 for carbon forks
Still needs finishing touches like cables and grip tape, not to mention a compentent builder, but you get the idea
What you're describing is a much lower spec than the Boardman though, sort of proving the point?0 -
guilliano wrote:Not at all..... you said you could do similar spec by building your own cheaper. Similar spec to a carbon bike means a similarly specced carbon bike
WTF? Who cares whether it's carbon or not...I don't. If you really believe there's a noticeable difference between frame materials you need re-educating.
It doesn't matter what you frame material you use, unless you are being an arse and meaning that a similar spec means it also needs to have an SRAM groupset, dodgy shaped handlebars, imploding Ritchey wheels, and crap saddle. By saying you believe only a carbon frame would provide a similar spec you are showing your naivety in that you believe an alloy frame is fundamentally worse than a carbon fibre one.0 -
So what you are saying is that if a person wants carbon with mid range parts they should be happy to get alloy with lower end parts for the same price? I'm not debating that there are other materials that make a decent frame, just whether you can truly build a similar spec, similar material bike cheaper than buying off the peg as I don't think you can without settling for second hand
Going by your rationale the Giant Defy 1 (alloy with Shimano 105) and the Trek Madone 5.2 (carbon with Ultegra) are similar bikes
Edit: Similar would, in most cases, mean equivalent grade/price in terms of components and the same type of frame/fork material.0 -
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Well bearing in mind that the SRAM force groupset is £749........ and that's off the net, not an overpriced LBS, I think you are instantly looking at using lower price/end components when building a similar bike to the Boardman that has instigated this discussion
Edit: apologies.... it's SRAM Rival at £529..... still be going some to build a decent bike from the leftover cash from £1k0 -
I don't think there is much of an argument about it being cheaper to buy a similarly specced bike in parts than off the shelf.
HOWEVER, buying a bike from the shelf is less interesting than building your own. You can pick what parts you want to suit your bike and building it up if you have the tools can be a fun task. It will inevitably be more expensive as tools, brake pads, tubes, cables, cable ties, tape all have to be taken into account but you will definately end up with a more personal bike and probably better specced. It will cost you though.
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guilliano wrote:Edit: apologies.... it's SRAM Rival at £529..... still be going some to build a decent bike from the leftover cash from £1k
The price you are quoting is for a full groupset - the Boardman doesn't have a full Rival groupset.
And why would a similar specced bike have to have Rival anyway?0 -
OK, so what is similar spec for less than the complete bike? Not everything can be different or it isn't similar spec......0
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guilliano wrote:OK, so what is similar spec for less than the complete bike? Not everything can be different or it isn't similar spec......
Don't waste your time discussing this with him - he's opinionated, but his logic doesn't add up. If the frame material is irrelevant, so are the components - I doubt that you can tell th edifference between a dura ace frant mech and a 105 one. So his logic says that I can build a 'similar' bike to a Scott Plasma for less than a grand - I just choose components I don't think will make any difference. If he can't tell the difference between a carbon frame and an alloy one then he's obviously not ridden decent carbon frame for any time.
Back to the subject - it can be done - two years ago I built up a full carbon BH with full Dura Ace 10 speed and with Reynolds Race wheels for under £1,000 - can't be done now with the price of DA components over a grand alone, but bargains do still come round - I just buy things when they are cheap and then build up the bike later.0 -
blackhands wrote:If he can't tell the difference between a carbon frame and an alloy one then he's obviously not ridden decent carbon frame for any time.
WTF are you on about? I probably know more about materials than you do.
We are talking about a cheap carbon frame here, not a bloody Extreme Power or Scott Addict.0 -
redddraggon wrote:[
WTF are you on about? I probably know more about materials than you do.
Only probably - that's not good enough - before you tell me I don't know what I'm talking about you should be certain that you do know more than me.
Typical student - full of crap.0 -
i have just ordered my new carbon frame and forks and i am convinced that the way to go is to build your spec up yourself..
i could have bought this bike complete but it would not have everything on it that i wanted (could have wrong groupset, wheels,saddle, stem, bars etc etc) so therefore i would not be buying the bike i really want seeing as the frame is only part of the ride..
the local store from where i have ordered is going to price me on all the extra bits but i suspect that although he will be keen on some of the components, i will find cheaper elsewhere.... which of course will mean that the answer to the original post is that it will be cheaper to buy the frame and build yourself...0 -
The higher up the price scale the more sense it makes to do it yourself, especially if you're fussy about the exact spec. At the £1000 price it seems like there are some great deals on full bikes.
Reddraggon doesn't usually speak c**p, but he seems to be implying that the Boardman frame is rubbish and if this is the case I'd love to know why.0
