Custom base model or expensive off the shelf?

cw42

Which is "better"? If you had a bike built to your spec, and just had a base set of components, versus an off the shelf bike from one of the major manufactures, say a trek madone tdf special, or a cannondale six13.
There's only one way to find out.....................................







......................ask bike radar obviously

balthazar

"Better" is a value judgment which can mean too many different things for it to be very helpful, without qualification. A custom bike (I guess you mean one assembled from the owner's choice of components, rather than a bespoke frame) affords a choice which may suit somebody with either specific demands, or esoteric taste. Off-the-shelf bikes in general end up a little cheaper for the same components. There are some well-known exceptions to this, of course.

I fall into the "esoteric taste" category, and further I enjoy building and maintaining bikes, so I would always assemble them myself from parts. This also means that you can avoid admitting to the total cost of a new bike, as it is bought piecemeal over time. Good for the deniers among us.

cw42

By custom I actually meant a custom frame, with a base component set, say ultegra or 105, against a high end off the shelf bike. By better, I mean would the high end be more comfortable than the custom bike fitted to the riders exact measurements.

Barrie_G

cw42 wrote:

By custom I actually meant a custom frame, with a base component set, say ultegra or 105, against a high end off the shelf bike. By better, I mean would the high end be more comfortable than the custom bike fitted to the riders exact measurements.

Depends on the bikes and the builders.

A bike that has been built to fit you should be more comfortable, though this won't always be the case depending on the materials and parts used, and I would assume that anyone buying a high end bike would have the sense to have some form of fitting before purchase.

balthazar

A bike that fits you will be more comfortable than one that doesn't. If you are averagely proportioned, and have no specific complaints (such as a bad back), then a stock frame will fit you properly. If not, then ordering a bespoke frame, fitted to your body and requirements, is a sensible option.

Even though I don't need them for those reasons, I still prefer bespoke frames: I like to preserve the manufacturing environment of craftsmen-led, small-scale operations; I prefer to specify my own colour, graphics, logos (or not), and small frame details. Also, I like to know that I can take my frame back to its maker if it needs repair or modification. However, I'd make sure my bike fitted me perfectly wherever I got it from, as an absolute priority.

Monty Dog

Depends on whether you can get a good position on a stock frame or whether you have any specific requirements. If you are of 'average' proportions then you will get better 'value' from a stock build because shops make less margins on whole bikes than they do with components. However, I simply couldn't afford to be a 'whole' bike to my required spec so I tend to operate a rolling-upgrade programme which means I can decent kit without taking a £3-4k hit all at once