Jmpierce

Budget? What's a budget?

I rarely set anything like a budget. Depends on the build how much I'm going to spend. The "fanciest" bikes I've built have started as a frame and fork buy then component match from there.




Case in point, an early 80's Vitus, mostly Shimano 600, some Trim-Color. Hand assemble wheels $40.00 labor not sure of the cost of parts.

Kabuki12

I try not to set a fixed budget. As I build/rebuild whatever I am working on I look around for whatever I need and put it on the bike. If it costs money I just buy what I can afford and stick to components that I really like. I don’t spend much money on stuff , I will wait until I get a decent deal on the part I want. In terms of budget , it just depends on what the finished bike is worth to you when it is done..

Cougrrcj

My first 'better' bike -- newer, lighter than my Fuji S-10S - was the Univega Viva Sport. Pretty much on par with a Miyata 710 of the same year other than 27" wheels vs 700c. OK, I guess the SunTour BL derailleurs vs Cyclone as well. Same frame, same fork, same hubs, brakes, bars...

Sooooo what do I do? I put 1st gen Cyclone derailleurs on it along with a set of SunTour barcons, a new wheelset with Sun M13II rums (still 27" though ) and a NOS SunTour Winner Ultra freewheel, Tektro dual-pivot brakes using new aero brake levers, of course new teflon-lined brake housing with slick stainless cables, wrapped the bars with expensive LizardSkin tape, a nearly new Brooks B-17 on a new seatpost, Cyclone crankset, a set of lightweight pedals from VO... New tires, tubes, rimstrips, chain,...

What did I keep? Frame, Fork, bars, stem and headset bearings. $135 for the bike, and ~$500 or maybe more for the new parts. If I were to sell it, I < might > get $200. Yep, I'm waaaaaay upside-down on this one.

djs42

My expensive road bike is the Guerciotti frame you have pictured built with SuperRecord components. It has decades of miles on it and the only investments I've had to make along the way are tires, a new seat, and grease. Conversely my inexpensive Giant has had virtually every Shimano component replaced due to failure. The lesson I've learned: buy top quality products as they cost a lot less over the long run.

crank_addict

Fine bike and build!

Pompiere

Sometimes my builds are like the children's book "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie", where one thing leads to another, and another, and so on. I got a LeTour for $40 at a local flea market and all it really needed was bar wrap and some new brake pads. Everything else was serviceable, if not pristine. The Sun Tour Accu-shift worked fine, the fit was okay. I started with a Tri-color drivetrain that I thought looked good with the blue and white frame. Then a Brooks saddle, a taller stem, and dual pivot brakes. When I got done, every major part had been replaced except the frame and seat post. Then I decided to make it more of an all day touring bike, so the Tri-color came off and a triple with bar-end shift levers went on. Fortunately, almost everything came from swapping parts from other bikes and my parts bin, so the cash outlay was not large.

1988 Schwinn Le Tour as found.

1988 LeTour w/ triple and fenders

Hoppedrocker19

Budget bike...me and my friends watch craigslist and fb marketplace for cheap and sometimes free parts.we trade and sell within our circle.my current ride is an 89 rockhopper I got for 20 bucks.that was a complete bike that only needed a tune up and front derailleur.i had a shimano sitting in the garage,put new cantilevers on it new specialized grips and a WTB seat.saturday night I bought a set of weinman rims with specialized hubs,9 speed for 20 bucks.gonna need a rear derailleur cable and new chain to make it work though. Got a 91 rockhopper aluminum frame next in line to be built.

USAZorro

Sounds like my track record.

It all started off with the trashed Raleigh Professional frame I got off e-Bay about 12 or 13 years back. Cost me about $50, then had it custom painted and put about $400 of parts into it. I've repeated this a number of times - taking bargain-priced frames and going a bit wild. The Raleigh Team Pro, Giant Iguana, Super Course, gugified Competizione have all followed, and I'm certain I've overlooked something.

I can go the other route also, but those usually aren't as fun.

Stan Heinricher

The quality of the frame is the main thing, I’ve found. If you have a criterium bike, stiffness works for you. But if you use a stiff and upright criterium frame for road races, your body will suffer from the vibration transferred to your hands, feet, rear end over the course of a 50-mile race. I’ve found that upgrading components is a fun exercise.

J.Higgins 

Spot on. The frame is everything.

Murray Missile 

I'm collecting period correct Super Record for this one and I'm about halfway there. I have 3 and 4 decades old Shimano and Suntour on bikes that have seen many, many miles, they may not have the sex appeal of Campagnolo and they may not be pretty any more but they still work like new. The lesson I learned was take care of your stuff regardless of what it is and it costs a lot less in the long run.

johnu

I got a "free" bike off Craigslist to use as a visitors bike............ $175 later!

Mr Carl

I did go overboard on my green Sears Roebuck 5 speed. Because of the green color, I decided to put it in the local St. Patrick's Day parade. I added green lights. The parade in 2020, the bike will be sporting green tires, pedals, saddle, grips, cables and lights.

sunburst

a few things come to mind:
1) if I could sell bikes for what I have in them, I'd be restoring bikes all the time. Since I can't, and since I don't have unlimited space, it keeps my fleet down to about a dozen. In other words, all my restorations are way over budget/resell value. I figure at least a $200 loss on each if I tried to sell, sometimes much more (I'm looking at you, Trek 560!)
2) if I didn't need to replace saddles, bars and pedals on every restoration ...
3) if I didn't love Brooks saddles (and Nitto bars, etc, etc, etc) so much ...

collcs

Oh boy...."Hi, my name is Cass and I am a bike build-a-holic" the room chimes in "Hi Cass...."
I get into tangents on my 6 (so far) bikes....color matching components (I really dislike black).....changing cassette cogs and chain rings (along with RD, FD and shifters), cable housing colors, different handlebars, different cranks, changing from 8 speed to 9 speed, different colors of tires (so far cream, tan, grey and brown), different saddles, different chain guards......and on it goes. Starts with something like "Wouldn't this bike be cool/lighter/faster with.....". And it's off to Ebay with Paypal we go. But hey....cheaper than customizing cars (I used to do), strip joints and street drugs...right? And, at 71 years old, the riding keeps me on the green side of the sod.I REALLY try to NOT total the investment in each.

Mr Thylacine

Old steel frame bikes are a joy to ride and unfortunately they always cost you money as the components need to be replaced, a chain here a wheel there it all adds up. However doing up an older bike with a good frame is way cheaper than buying a new bike and replacing what you don't like..... Like small chain-rings give me a 42/52 every day of the week!

collcs

Agreed.....this is especially true for a more accomplished or more active rider. These individuals develop very specific tastes and preferences for components that more exactly fit them and their riding style. I have started several projects with just the frame (often a Craigslist item I stripped down to the frame or an Ebay frame only purchase) and two with new alloy frames (inexpensive but quality manufacturer overruns to satisfy warranty claims)....then built to my exact tastes from there. I would guess I was not that far off in total cost from a comparable new complete bike that I STILL would be replacing parts on.

tgenec86

Budget vs. Idealism is always a REALLY bad scenario. I recently acquired a true steal of a deal on Facebook Marketplace for an Italian racing frame, but then I decided I wanted to re-live my USPro days from the '90's with a "dream bike" set-up. So what could have been a 85% ride as is fix-up bike has become a Campagnolo Record money pit that I can't wait to finish and post photos of.

I'd report how much I've spent, but A) I have not kept track, and B) is I'm terrified that my wife will find out...

collcs

I get the same fears on some of my projects.....wife notes a dozen+ Paypal purchases and asks what is going on (she really doesn't understand the component replacement thing...."I thought that bike already had wheels/tires/pedals/handlebars....etc" ) but has learned to deal with it. As to the cost.....I feel it best to view the project as a cost/benefit analysis. Expensive yes....but a huge benefit to health and happiness. The true "value" goes beyond a high quality possession.

Lov2hurdle

First happy new year everyone, well your not alone I’m new to cycling and picked up a approx 2008 cannondale synapse . Up graded to complete 105 group set ,brooks flyer saddle, easy priced wheel upgrade 150$,compact bars and stem .as a complete beginner the 600$ for the bike probably was already above my skill level 5”9 265lbs, then got a 86 bianchi de Italia frame and fork , build up completely with campagnolo components and group set brooks saddle and bar tape wheels only 80 but everything costly on eBay vintage I guss? So nice I didn’t want to ride and scratch .

J.Higgins 

Amen, brother!

collcs

I understand the desire to view the expensive and surely beautiful bike build as a metal work of art.....but you really MUST engage the true purpose of that art form....riding and enjoying the experience despite the risk of damage. Kind of like exotic car collectors that store a vehicle and never drive it for fear of it being damaged (does not apply to the purely investment items appreciating in value). Bikes are not generally an appreciating asset to be shielded from damage.....ride your project with gusto and passion. Ride on!

Interesting aside.....I kept my first road bike...a '65 Louison Bobet....but garage storage resulted in the seat/chain stays rusting internally making the bike unsafe. I used the wheels on a current ride and plan to make wall art of the rest (including a photo & ad from the small storefront in Detroit where I purchased it and some early marathon patches). To make it compact to fit in a small room, I will cut it up and mount the pieces as a sort of collage. Will post when done this summer.

ryansu

Well I do have an $800 Nishiki Cresta GT but to start I bought from a forum member for more than I usually pay, I knew it was a keeper, and then got nice stuff for it I was still surprised when I added it all up. This bike is an exception to my normal approach, buy low, get reasonable consumables, use free labor (me) and then offer for a reasonable price.

One thing I discovered is that consumables cost pretty much the same whether its a cheap entry level bike or a nicer mid-level or higher end bike so a few years ago I stopped buying stem shifter, turkey lever "gas pipe" bikes because I can ask more for a mid-level bike - and get it - whereas most folks don't want to pay $175 for a rebuilt refurbished Motobecane Mirage.

I also try to ride a bike for a bit before I jump right in, which is hard because I usually want to fill my Amazon cart before I even get the new find home. This way if ends up being something I will let go I can spend less to make it good and make sure I make a bit on the transaction. If its a keeper then I have a tougher time keeping my wallet closed. I picked up the Trek Antelope below for $20 it had a flat front tire and the FD shifting didn't work and RD shifting was iffy. I have fixed all that for zero dollars and now I need to figure out if its a keeper and I should spend $$ on tires or it I should sell it and double or triple my $$ to use on other projects....

collcs

This post brings up the question of reselling projects. I have custom built several bikes for myself (one unusual aspect is fabricating alloy pieces to extend the wheelbase and saddle backset to create a crank forward, lowered height bike for my 71 year old arthritic knees). As friends and family have watched me do this, the suggestion is often to do this as a mini-business to supplement retirement income. I really enjoy building bikes as a hobby and enjoy riding them but consistently doubted the "business" viability due to competition from retailers of BSO's and an uninformed public. Just too much time and money invested and the barrier of extremely high shipping costs of whole bikes. I will do occasional repairs for family, built 2 bikes for my brother, and restored several vintage Schwinns (and built a trike) for a family friend that is an auto mechanic to trade out for future auto repairs.

dimini

I love this thread!
My free 1971 Raleigh Pro is going to be a keeper because I've already depleted the checkbook with the vintage Campagnolo NR parts upgrades that it "needed" before I'd be happy to ride it and claim it as mine. It had already been repainted 20+ years ago (poorly), thus giving my conscience full creativity for how to refinish it. The cost of vintage Campy parts, if sourced through eBay or shops that sell used gear, can be pretty outrageous, thus my dedicating this bike project to foolish nostalgia that makes me smile every time I ride it.

It's the cost of having a fun, healthy hobby. There are way worse things I could be doing with several hundred dollars here and there.