bike build

jonnycon
jonnycon Posts: 116
edited October 2009 in Workshop
Considering building my new bike myself, it would be from scratch. How realistic is this ? ( I do my own services etc but never ventured further than that) and is there any good reference out there on the net ?

Comments

  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    it is relatively easy, some things you ideally want an lbs for, headset pressing, bb facing, everything else is perfectly doable.
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • skyd0g
    skyd0g Posts: 2,540
    It's perfectly do-able (with the exceptions as noted by ride_whenever) - you'll learn alot in the process too. :wink:

    It won't necessarily save you money over an "off the peg" bike, but you'll be able to spec it exactly as you want it. So, rather than most people who will buy a bike then change the saddle, seatpost, stem etc. and or upgrade other parts, you can make savings by getting it right first time and taking advantage of offers as & when they come up. 8)
    Cycling weakly
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    oh you certainly won't save money, but you'll have a really nice bike!
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • aoeu
    aoeu Posts: 34
    When you say from scratch, I assume you mean you're going to source tubing, lugs, and brazons and do all that yourself. If thats the case, you're in for a long but fun journey. It will be expensive, at times you'll hate yourself and your friends, but if you complete it you'll have a bike you built yourself (in some ways good, some ways bad if you've done some poor welding et cetera).

    If you mean you're goin to purchase a frame and assemble it yourself, well thats a different game altogether. Much easier. You may or may not save money, usually not though. Just ask yourself "how nice do i want my bike to be" and couple that with "how lucky will i be to find a bargain". That will determine the outcome.
  • Slow Downcp
    Slow Downcp Posts: 3,041
    This comes up quite often - if you do your own servicing, then building shouldn't be an issue. I always self build and it invariably costs less than an equivalent off the peg bike. Off the peg always looks cheaper, but they normally use low end wheels, cheap tyres, saddle may not be of your choice etc. Shop around (that said, I only used 4 places last time - Enigma, Ribble, Merlin, and CRC), and you can get some good bargains.
    Carlsberg don't make cycle clothing, but if they did it would probably still not be as good as Assos
  • Ollieda
    Ollieda Posts: 1,010
    Slow Downcp wrote:
    I always self build and it invariably costs less than an equivalent off the peg bike.

    + 1

    If you're clever about the purchases you stand to save loads of money.....and gain a massive sense of acheivement!
  • neeb
    neeb Posts: 4,473
    It's not hard, but don't forget to factor in the cost of the proper tools if you don't have them already. Ideally you need bottom bracket tools, cable cutters, and a torque wrench (especially for carbon) as well as the usual alen keys, screwdrivers etc.

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