Buy whole bike or parts and assemble?
B.M.R.
Posts: 72
Hi all,
As the post title says - is it worth buying parts and frame for a bike seperately and assembling it myself?
I come from a computer environment where it was always better to custom build your own PC as firstly it was cheaper, secondly you could put in the parts you wanted (most off the shelf PCs normally have a few OEM/cheap parts thrown in to keep costs down), and thirdly because you had assembled it yourself, you had more of an understanding of how things worked so repairs were easier.
Does the same apply to road bikes? Or is it better in all respects to buy a complete bike (with warranty).
I've got tools and a repair stand already.
As the post title says - is it worth buying parts and frame for a bike seperately and assembling it myself?
I come from a computer environment where it was always better to custom build your own PC as firstly it was cheaper, secondly you could put in the parts you wanted (most off the shelf PCs normally have a few OEM/cheap parts thrown in to keep costs down), and thirdly because you had assembled it yourself, you had more of an understanding of how things worked so repairs were easier.
Does the same apply to road bikes? Or is it better in all respects to buy a complete bike (with warranty).
I've got tools and a repair stand already.
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Comments
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If you're confident you know what you're doing then a custom build is often better than off the shelf for the reasons you state. However, unless you're buying second hand or hold out for bargains, I doubt it would be cheaper.
A good compromise is something like Ribble's bike builder which allows you to alter the specification whilst maintaining the purchasing power of buying a complete bike.
Rob0 -
It can be cheaper if you are not in a hurry and buy wisely when Ribble, Merlin, CRC etc have their sales or discounts codes, I've just done this to build up a winter bike supplemented by various bits and pieces I've accumulated in my parts box. Just waiting for Ribble to deliver now. :roll:0
