There are several reasons to build a bicycle rather than buying one pre-assembled from a shop. First and most importantly, you might not find one with the combination, style, or vintage of parts you want or a frame you like. You might want the lightest thing around and with one high dollar part will often come another - it's easy to find $5000 bikes out there. Also, you might have an old frame or some older parts around you want to put to use. If you are like me, you are a control freak and want to do everything yourself. This is simply an underlying ploy to stock bragging rights for later. I would not recommend building to someone who has yet to find the "right fit" with another bike as that will influence what you buy - type of shifters, frame size, stem size, etc. The last thing you want is to finish it and have it just not feel right.
The benefits of building your own bike are numerous. Despite what you read, you can save some money, assuming you would have to pay a premium for getting the components you actually wanted swapped for you (I've not seen lots of SRAM Force components or Masi frames in the Kansas City area). Sometimes you don't need a brand new component set for an older frame - something period-correct might float your boat. You might opt for a NOS part you find on Ebay or want to reuse your lightweight wheels, favorite seat, etc. Also, today's service being what it is, you can ensure that the parts you purchase are actually what you thought they were(who knows which bottom bracket is actually in there?), that the parts are installed correctly, and that they are going to stay on the bike! My GF's Cervelo came with Ultegra, 105, and diacomp stuff - not only different series of Shimano parts, but even a different mfg. No biggy but if you think you are getting an all DuraAce bike and it shows up with an XT rear derailleur, you should be angry. Most importantly, you know how the bike works and how to repair what might go wrong later. Things like derailleur adjustments will no longer be intimidating. As a side note, most new bikes are delivered to the LBS pre-assembled. They finish the assembly and do adjustments but I don't think it is common to remove high-end parts for cheaper stuff laying around. Remember, your LBS (local bike store) does have to pay a substantial amount of overhead to be there for the community. Don't blow them off completely just because they aren't the dirt cheapest you can find online. That said, I bought most of my stuff online. The availability just wasn't there.
Start off by defining your goals vs. your budget. Lightweight road bikes are all the rage but they are not meant to endure curbs, potholes, or any abuse. Mountain bikes re cool but heavy and overkill for about 90% of those who own them. Perhaps a cyclocross style bike would be best if you ride on the road but go offroad at all. Titanium and full carbon frames are cool but again, they are overkill for most of us. Titanium is comportable like stell but remains light, carbon is the same. Both are exponentially more expensive than a modern aluminum frame. Except for the early 80's Ross 10-speed my parents bought me, I've never owned a new bike, let alone one like you'd drool over in the "expensive section" of the LBS. I won't test ride bikes just for the fun of trying them so if I wanted to feel what a new, high tech bike was like, I'd have to build it myself. As for my goals? Personally, I wanted a lightweight bike (under 20lbs) that had smooth, new, top-end components in a package that could later be raced. For me, if I couldn't do that, I'd rebuild an old cruiser or vintage lightweight racer. I didn't want to spend $3000 but as I knew I could accumulate parts over time, $1500 might get me what I'd pay $2000+ for in a shop. You'll soon find out that "light weight" =$$. It's a small jump up to a nice groupo, say the Shimano 105 group (still light by most practical standards) but it get's exponentially more expensive for each gram you want to save beyond that. Twice as expensive does not mean twice as light. Someone once said, "Strong, light, cheap - pick two."
Have fun and don't take yourself too serously. Here's a good blog about cycling that is a hoot to read:
http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment