Dream bike - what would you spend?

bobones

My current best bike is now my dream bike, but it evolved over a number of years rather than being something off the shelf that I splashed out on all at once. It started as a Scott CR1 frameset to which I added SRAM Rival groupset and Dura Ace C24 wheels. The wheels then became 50 mm carbon, the groupset SRAM eTap, the finishing kit was upgraded to Zipp carbon stuff, then the frameset was changed to a De Rosa SK. I then added aero integrated bars and upgraded to lighter, tubeless compatible carbon wheels. Probably spent about £4-£4.5k for the current configuration, but never more than £1.6k at the one time, and almost everything I have bought has been heavily discounted.

bianchi_dave

bobones wrote:

My current best bike is now my dream bike, but it evolved over a number of years rather than being something off the shelf that I splashed out on all at once. It started as a Scott CR1 frameset to which I added SRAM Rival groupset and Dura Ace C24 wheels. The wheels then became 50 mm carbon, the groupset SRAM eTap, the finishing kit was upgraded to Zipp carbon stuff, then the frameset was changed to a De Rosa SK. I then added aero integrated bars and upgraded to lighter, tubeless compatible carbon wheels. Probably spent about £4-£4.5k for the current configuration, but never more than £1.6k at the one time, and almost everything I have bought has been heavily discounted.

That's evolved like Trigger's broom! Pretty much what I do however

matt_n-2

Probably about £9k:

Pegoretti Responsorium
Super Record 12spd
Bora WTO 45
Deda carbon finishing kit and a nice saddle

Or about £10.5k:

Colnago Concept
Super Record 12spd EPS
Bora WTO 60
Colnago R41 carbon cockpit

alistaird

I have two of mine. Lusted after both years ago and hunted for the right frames on eBay for years until I could afford them. Colnago E1 and Pinarello Dogma FPX, both builds together probably cost less than either frame would have cost new.... And the FPX was NOS.


A

pblakeney

Looks at current account, that much. Not enough? Save up. But get what you want, not what's trendy and especially not what the pros ride. They don't get a choice.

ibr17xvii

Shirley Basso wrote:

Can you use an allen key, screwdriver and a pair of wire cutters?

If so, you can build a bike.

It's really THAT simple. And I am incredibly cack-handed.

Really? :shock:

I'd love to buy all the bits & pieces and build a bike myself, not necessarily for the cost saving but just for the satisfaction.

However my mechanical "skills" are questionable to say the least & although I'd like to I just don't believe it's that easy.

Matthewfalle

yes - it is really really simple.

its a collection of 20 allen bolts - either M4 or M5
5 screws
a bottom bracket
a set of headset bearings tha generally drop in


err thats it really

2/3 allen keys for the bolts
#1 phillips or japanese standard screwdriver depending on mech make
wire snips
tourque key for £12 to make sure its all at the right tourque.

for the b/b either buy the tool for a tenner or borrow one
if you really need a headset press thats £15 or buy one

brakes bolt to holes in frame
rear mech can only go in one place
front mech same.
seat post, cages, stem, bars, brifters - same
cranks - as above

its very, very simple.

4hrs to build it immaculate, everything greased, oiled, fettled, ready to roll.

don't believe clubbies/bloke in shop who says its complicated. Fiddly sometimes but not actually that difficult.

slowmart

S works Tarmac with discs.

I couldn’t justify the price of a new bike so second hand is the route here but even then I’m upgrading from a SL5 Tarmac expert pro so the difference in performance will be negligible and the return on investment in this case is still hard to justify in monetary terms.

So I’ve set myself a goal , 4 FTP/kg for next Spring/ summer. I’m currently 1.88 due to not riding for 18 months but I’ve found the love again so the cash is one consideration the effort, focus and resilience will cost me a lot more.

poweredbyidris

Matthewfalle wrote:

yes - it is really really simple.

its a collection of 20 allen bolts - either M4 or M5
5 screws
a bottom bracket
a set of headset bearings tha generally drop in


err thats it really

2/3 allen keys for the bolts
#1 phillips or japanese standard screwdriver depending on mech make
wire snips
tourque key for £12 to make sure its all at the right tourque.

for the b/b either buy the tool for a tenner or borrow one
if you really need a headset press thats £15 or buy one

brakes bolt to holes in frame
rear mech can only go in one place
front mech same.
seat post, cages, stem, bars, brifters - same
cranks - as above

its very, very simple.

4hrs to build it immaculate, everything greased, oiled, fettled, ready to roll.

don't believe clubbies/bloke in shop who says its complicated. Fiddly sometimes but not actually that difficult.

Plus youtube is your friend. Anything you're not sure about? There's bound to be a video with a how to plus hints and tips

pblakeney

PoweredByIdris wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

yes - it is really really simple.

its a collection of 20 allen bolts - either M4 or M5
5 screws
a bottom bracket
a set of headset bearings tha generally drop in


err thats it really

2/3 allen keys for the bolts
#1 phillips or japanese standard screwdriver depending on mech make
wire snips
tourque key for £12 to make sure its all at the right tourque.

for the b/b either buy the tool for a tenner or borrow one
if you really need a headset press thats £15 or buy one

brakes bolt to holes in frame
rear mech can only go in one place
front mech same.
seat post, cages, stem, bars, brifters - same
cranks - as above

its very, very simple.

4hrs to build it immaculate, everything greased, oiled, fettled, ready to roll.

don't believe clubbies/bloke in shop who says its complicated. Fiddly sometimes but not actually that difficult.

Plus youtube is your friend. Anything you're not sure about? There's bound to be a video with a how to plus hints and tips

Not only that, but once built you know how to maintain the bike.

daniel_b

It is pretty simple at the end of the day, your only bolting bits together in the main.
Setting up rim brakes is not exactly a huge area for skill, as mentioned youtube will show you all you need to know.

The ony area of potential fettling, and adjusting you may need to do is in indexing the gears, but even that is not the mystical thing I thought it once was.

tgotb

Matthewfalle wrote:

its very, very simple.

4hrs to build it immaculate, everything greased, oiled, fettled, ready to roll.

don't believe clubbies/bloke in shop who says its complicated. Fiddly sometimes but not actually that difficult.

Well.....

You also need:
Pliers, cassette tool, chain whip (to get the cassette back off again), spoke tool, tube of grease. Possibly another tool (often large allen key or back of the BB tool) to attach the left crank. Bleeding kit if using hydraulic brakes.

Bar tape can be a bit awkward to do a neat job the first couple of times (but practice makes perfect - use the bar end plugs that tighten up with a 3mm allen key). Make sure the shifters are in the right place before doing the bar tape.

Wheels can be a bit time consuming the first couple of times, but get a lot easier once you get a feel for how far to turn the spoke key for what effect. Much easier with a truing stand and tension gauge.

4 hours sounds about right; I just built 3 new CX bikes, took around 1.5 hours each without wheels, plus around an hour each for 4 new wheels.

The first time you do it, allow an elapsed time of a couple of weeks to order all the odds and ends you forgot to buy (bar end plugs, seat clamps, cable adjusters, bottle cage bolts, front mech hanger etc etc etc.)

If you don't build your own bikes, how do you get the combination of components you want?

sniper68

ibr17xvii wrote:

Shirley Basso wrote:

Can you use an allen key, screwdriver and a pair of wire cutters?

If so, you can build a bike.

It's really THAT simple. And I am incredibly cack-handed.

Really? :shock:

I'd love to buy all the bits & pieces and build a bike myself, not necessarily for the cost saving but just for the satisfaction.

However my mechanical "skills" are questionable to say the least & although I'd like to I just don't believe it's that easy.

My 10 year old helped me build his last Cyclo-cross bike.He had an idea where stuff went so I just showed him then let him do it.Wheels were pre-built and headset/fork were already installed.Cables were all external so slightly easier.Took about 3 hours but he struggled a bit on indexing the rear mech.He got it though.
It really is not difficult at all.

Matthewfalle

TGOTB wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

its very, very simple.

4hrs to build it immaculate, everything greased, oiled, fettled, ready to roll.

don't believe clubbies/bloke in shop who says its complicated. Fiddly sometimes but not actually that difficult.

Well.....

You also need:
Pliers, cassette tool, chain whip (to get the cassette back off again), spoke tool, tube of grease. Possibly another tool (often large allen key or back of the BB tool) to attach the left crank. Bleeding kit if using hydraulic brakes.

Bar tape can be a bit awkward to do a neat job the first couple of times (but practice makes perfect - use the bar end plugs that tighten up with a 3mm allen key). Make sure the shifters are in the right place before doing the bar tape.

Wheels can be a bit time consuming the first couple of times, but get a lot easier once you get a feel for how far to turn the spoke key for what effect. Much easier with a truing stand and tension gauge.

4 hours sounds about right; I just built 3 new CX bikes, took around 1.5 hours each without wheels, plus around an hour each for 4 new wheels.

The first time you do it, allow an elapsed time of a couple of weeks to order all the odds and ends you forgot to buy (bar end plugs, seat clamps, cable adjusters, bottle cage bolts, front mech hanger etc etc etc.)

If you don't build your own bikes, how do you get the combination of components you want?

Just buy factory wheels. All sorted from the box and no need for spoke keys, etc.

But agree with the other points.

homers_double

You've all forgotten to factor in beers to your build time/equipment lists.

Of all the bikes I've had my Trek Domane is the only one I've had to resort to shop help for and that was a wheel true and a basta2d rear brake which no matter how clear and bubble free the fluid was still felt spongy. And still isn't as good as I can get my MTB brakes.

Matthewfalle

homers double wrote:

You've all forgotten to factor in beer, blow 'n' ho to your build time/equipment lists.

Of all the bikes I've had my Trek Domane is the only one I've had to resort to shop help for and that was a wheel true and a basta2d rear brake which no matter how clear and bubble free the fluid was still felt spongy. And still isn't as good as I can get my MTB brakes.

ftfy - hope you don't mind

ibr17xvii

Maybe 1 day I'll have a go but for now when my dream bike comes along it will be from a shop

Matthewfalle

why?

carpe diem
a life lived in fear is a life half lived

at least choose it all separately exactly as you want then get someone to build it.

ibr17xvii

Matthewfalle wrote:

why?

carpe diem
a life lived in fear is a life half lived

at least choose it all separately exactly as you want then get someone to build it.

That is on my bucket list to do before I give up cycling.

Matthewfalle

why wait that long?

start doing it now to spread the cost - you could keel over tomorrow morning and it would never be done.

do it. do it. do it. do it now. do it.

sniper68

ibr17xvii wrote:

Maybe 1 day I'll have a go but for now when my dream bike comes along it will be from a shop

Then it’s just a bike....any old run of the mill bike.No matter if it’s £1k or £10k it’s still like all the others.

Matthewfalle

Sniper68 wrote:

ibr17xvii wrote:

Maybe 1 day I'll have a go but for now when my dream bike comes along it will be from a shop

Then it’s just a bike....any old run of the mill bike.No matter if it’s £1k or £10k it’s still like all the others.

this exactly.

with handlebars that don't fit you properly and a shyyyt saddle.

tgotb

Matthewfalle wrote:

Sniper68 wrote:

ibr17xvii wrote:

Maybe 1 day I'll have a go but for now when my dream bike comes along it will be from a shop

Then it’s just a bike....any old run of the mill bike.No matter if it’s £1k or £10k it’s still like all the others.

this exactly.

with handlebars that don't fit you properly and a shyyyt saddle.

And the wrong length of cranks.

By the time you've changed the gearing, cranks, bars stem, saddle, wheels and tyres, you might aswell have built the bike yourself anyway. And that's assuming you were able to get the frame you wanted with the groupset you wanted.

To answer the OP's question, because I've jsut realised I never did:
Six years ago I built two identical CX bikes, using my ideal groupset, bars, crankset etc, on decent but economical frames, with decent but economical wheels. A lot of the bits were acquired over a period of time, looking out for special offers, liquidaton sales, decent second-hand components etc. Total cost ~£2.5k.
Over the course of the next couple of years I built 4 tub wheelsets on deep section carbon rims and 2 tubeless clincher wheelsets (also carbon rims). Stiff as you like and ~1300g a set. Total cost ~£2.2k
At the end of last season I picked up a pair of my absolute ideal dream frames, 1 year old, and transferred all the bits over - Total cost ~£1.2k
I then sold the better of the old frames and both sets of the original wheels for ~£600.

That leaves me with a matching pair of my dream bikes, 2 sets of carbon training wheels, 4 sets of deep section carbon race wheels and a spare frame for just over £5k. Put another way, I've had 5 years of racing at £1k per annum, and have 2 top-notch 7.5kg CX bikes to show for it. I was reflecting the other day that, not only are these bikes more capable than the MTB I had 25 years ago, they're also a lot lighter and stiffer than the (quite decent) road bike I had at the same time...

bendertherobot

Dream is difficult to define. If it's lottery, then my bike garage would be like Jay Leno's car garage.

But, my dream? With my salary? A little inheritance? I'll be honest and say I'd draw the line at 5k. Probably even £4k.

I don't know WHAT bike it would be, but in terms of what LEVEL I'd like it to be than something like a Trek Domane SL7 Disc with Etap and Carbon wheels is enough of a level. Beyond that, I'd find it difficult to justify even if it is my dream.

ibr17xvii

Matthewfalle wrote:

Sniper68 wrote:

ibr17xvii wrote:

Maybe 1 day I'll have a go but for now when my dream bike comes along it will be from a shop

Then it’s just a bike....any old run of the mill bike.No matter if it’s £1k or £10k it’s still like all the others.

this exactly.

with handlebars that don't fit you properly and a shyyyt saddle.

I can (just about) change a saddle

shirley_basso

To me it's sad that people dream of disc breaks.

sniper68

Shirley Basso wrote:

To me it's sad that people dream of disc breaks.

Having disc brakes break would be more of a nightmare..... :P

shirley_basso

F***

tgotb

Sniper68 wrote:

Shirley Basso wrote:

To me it's sad that people dream of disc breaks.

Having disc brakes break would be more of a nightmare..... :P

I'm toying with making my own carbon rotors, so it could happen!

Matthewfalle

TGOTB wrote:

Sniper68 wrote:

Shirley Basso wrote:

To me it's sad that people dream of disc breaks.

Having disc brakes break would be more of a nightmare..... :P

I'm toying with making my own carbon rotors, so it could happen!

can you video the first ride for us please.