My uninformed hypothesis (and intuition) about more experienced builders:
1. Have solved the same problem more times
2. Have done enough builds to have a signature / trademark element
3. Has had enough experience to iterate on designs
4. Better at estimating lead time
5. Will have a point of view on their bikes
6. More comfortable pushing back and leading you through the process
To iterate this a little bit more. A newer builder will be more apt to see each bike as a new project to experiment and learn from. They will be more apt to try new things both because they are eager to please and want to stretch their building muscles. They don’t always know what they are god at yet so want to try more things as they hone into their niche. You’ll be a bit of a guinea pig in some ways.
While every custom is collaborative process, my assumption is with a newer builder you will be able to guide a bit more of the vision and process because it’ll be a bit of trial and error for both of you.
That being said, I went on a similar journey and ended up choosing a non local builder who had experience with close enough builds to my vision.
I chose a frame style, some notes on riding goals, and sample images that were a good style match. I didn’t have geometry input other than a few thoughts about handling. And notes on why bikes hadn’t fit me in the past.
I am ahead of you in the process. My bike should be done in about 3 weeks.
Good luck, have fun and make sure your custom bike has a serial number.
