non-fixie 

My buying and building processes are usually completely asynchronous. I regularly visit swap meets and jumble sales and buy the parts I like when I come across them at the right price. I also keep a small stock of consumables.

So when I build a bike I usually have the parts I need already available. Which makes it difficult to calculate the actual cost of a build, but I don't think I have ever gone over $500.

The only true budget builds I did were a couple of Clunker Challenge contenders. That was a fun challenge, which proved that one can build a pretty nice bike for less than $100.

For eighty-seven dollars and eighty-six cents, to be exact:

markk900

I tend to get my projects cheap (ie free up to under $100CAD), so hard not to exceed the original price with upgrades etc. Usually tires,
cables, brake pads and chains are already over that starting point.

What laugh at myself over is spending $100 on decals just because!

xiaoman1 

Frame-up builds always cost me more...the problem is that in my size many of the bikes I want to have have been stripped of their parts, so very clean examples are difficult to find.
I promised myself that I would not want to buy larger bike with the intention of salvaging parts but I am not looking at a few larger frames that have components that are tempting me....
Best, Ben

plonz 

You mean I may not be the only person with an $800 Tempo?

Full disclosure: Everything in my parts bin has a $ value assigned to it based on what I spent on it. Virtually nothing gets used at $0 unless it was a takeoff from a bike where I allocated the purchase price across other components. Yep, kinda nerdy this way.

xiaoman1 

[QUOTE=plonz;21260014]You mean I may not be the only person with an $800 Tempo?

Not sure about it, but you might be!
Ben

dddd

This.

I mentioned using the "used parts that I have on hand", but these have to come from somewhere!

Swaps, co-ops, free bikes coming in, dumpster-dives, exchanges with shops (over time though, since each transaction might be a one-way deal in the short term).

And, like big chainring , I re-use items like cables, housings (I clean out using a bent-up cable and silicone-ptfe spray), bar tape (through the laundry cycle in dozens of instances), old freewheel teeth modified for extra service life, components repaired, etc.

The cost of inventorying everything is considerable then, even just in terms of the real estate it occupies (even when the parts costs are free or silly-low).

I sometimes struggle to have enough of the right kinds of pedals and saddles for each of the bikes I might ride, so rebuilding SPD and SPD-R pedals with axle problems or with broken latches that can be pirated from discards helps keep all of my rides comfortable for my needs.
Haggard-looking modern, high-end saddles are often found discarded or sold for peanuts at the swaps/jumbles, but which actually look better on vintage bikes where bold, new modern materials and graphics might look horrific. I've sourced a couple of really worn-looking WTB Lazer Titanium saddles for my Pro-Tour and my '79 PX10 which are actually my riding favorites without standing out as an aesthetic sore.

The availability of the inexpensive Cane Creek hoods has saved me a lot, for my own rides and for flips.

Where I might spend real money is for modern bikes and wheels, some of which turn up discounted 75% or so. I have a couple of 11s modern bikes that were 100% top-of-line but where I kept the total cost to quite well under 2k by making opportunistic purchases that fell unexpectedly in my lap. Such can be the side benefit of building multiple bikes for the new-bike buying crowd, since the "old" (lol) bike must go out with the newer one coming in (and some apparently don't much like selling through public marketplaces).

Good super-low budget "builds" have included my Steyr and Sears/Steyr, my International, Motiv Defiant, Pro-Tour, Detel Marathon, Trek 520, Nobilette, Bridgestone 400 and some 26", 27.5" and 29" MTB's. I'll also mention the Davidson Impulse that I recently invested $80 worth of raffle tickets for and only had to come up with clincher wheels/tires and different bar, stem and saddle (all from my stash of course).

Ged117 

My interest in bicycles has grown by orders of magnitude in the last few years. I was always a rider, but now I get a high sense of satisfaction from taking them apart, cleaning parts, and making them my own. Certainly I'm putting more into the parts (alloy wheels, crank, used nitto stem + the handlebar off the Voyageur) for the Peugeot AO8 than it is worth, mainly because the new 700c wheelset and VO bottom bracket will live on in a future PX10, Grand Jubilee or Tour de France whenever such a frame comes along. When I took the Superbe apart and brought it back to life, that took a lot of time invested. It is good for my hands and mindset to take care of the machines.

non-fixie 

This. If you have the space, buy cheap stuff, even if you don't need it now. When I started this affliction with old bikes ten years ago I quickly learnt that buying complete bikes for the parts was way more economical than buying a particular part when I needed it. I spent a few years looking for cheap ($10-$50) bikes with nice parts (Stronglight cranks, MAFAC brakes, frames in my size, anything Campagnolo or TA), and filling my attic with them until I ran out of space. They still yield many of the parts I use.

One of my favorite builds started with a €5 frame from that period, and came to an estimated $250 in total:

rjhammett

My builds never go over budget. I have so many parts that I have accumulated over the years I seldom have to spend more than $20-$30 for a build.

ThermionicScott 

I don't have a lot of bikes. Rather, each one has evolved over time to fulfill a general role in the fleet. Concentrating my efforts on a relatively few bikes helps me justify the occasional splurge.

Some folks always weigh the cost of each part against the purchase price of their bike, which makes no sense to me. What if the bike was free, would you be unable to ever replace the tires? I prefer to think in terms of the overall project. (That's how I justify a custom bag and rack, for the custom fork, for a $75 frame. )

nesteel 

I don't consider it "upgrading". If its a keeper, I look at it as tailoring or customizing it to my tastes and fit. And even then, I keep an eye on the funds invested in such endeavors.
If it's a flip bike, it's down to lowest dollars invested versus its actual current market value. If it's worth more in parts, its going to become a part out post haste.

xiaoman1 

Nice looking build...I know what you mean over the years I have bought complete bikes that we too large for me but priced right and as new, I couldn't pass them up. Now I have N+too many and am seriously considering "harvesting" parts rather than selling the complete bikes...at the moment it's a dilemma for me, I hate seeing nice complete bikes going that route.
Ben

noglider 

@nlerner, I have wheels to contribute to your Raleigh. They're not perfect, so they would be perfect for it. Email me if you're interested. But shipping cost might be prohibitive. I built them in 1983 or so and rode them quite a bit, first on a UO-8 and then on my Super Course. The front is fine. The rear has been rebuilt in the hub, and the rim has one or two small low spots. Hubs are Miche Competition, spaced to 6 speed. Rims are Ukai single wall, black. Spokes are DT galvanized which haven't been made in 100 years but they are great though ugly.

cinco

Same here. I bought about 400lbs of mid-range and high-end parts from a closed co-op many years ago so I generally don't have to hunt for more than one or two things for any build. I've also collected lots of cheap good wheelsets and tires over the years by buying in bulk from flippers who have no appreciation for history.

nlerner

Thanks, but not worth the cost of shipping.

Murray Missile 

Frame up builds always cost more....... I too have the problem of bikes my size being stripped for parts, I ride 25" road bikes and 22" MTB's LOL so I end up buying the "skeleton" and putting too much money in it to bring it back to life. I used to have a tough time buying a decent small bike just for parts but after seeing so many really nice tall bikes cannibalized I'm getting over it LOL. Some of the "skeletons in my closet".........










Only the Diamondback at the top has been completed so far, I keep buying other complete bikes. It and some of the others have had all the parts purchased then used on something else more than once. This is NOT what I had in mind when I bought this frame, it just kind of drifted in this direction and love or hate the way it looks it rides SWEET!

non-fixie 

I can see how that happened. That frameset - unicrown, black & white - sort of asks for a modern build. I like it. That French fit looks comfy.

RobbieTunes

I was recently described as an "enthusiast."

As such, it is my duty to be a model of poor restraint. It would be remiiss not to encourage others likewise.

Some will talk you off the ledge. In my world, you just need a little push.

References available upon request.

3alarmer 

.
...yeah. What in hell is a "budget" ?

SurferRosa

You know, like when satan tells beelzebub to replace the toilet valve, 'cause he can't afford the bill on the running lava.

3alarmer 

.
...I just now realized that none of my project bikes have come in "on time" either. 0 for 2

cs1

I agree, you can’t put a value on your hobby. I do it for relaxation.

Slightspeed

Yeah, I am guilty of overspending too. My '73 Super Course has been on here many times, but since you asked. Bro-in-law found a frame in a pile of scrap bikes a guy was throwing out in an alley. He's a mtn biker with no use use for road bikes. I've been riding the same '64 Legnano Roma since I received it new as a junior racer. I have a couple of modern carbon bikes and didn't really need a project. One look at the fancy Capella lugs, and the relatively light 531 frame sealed the deal. I discovered BikeForums and started researching what I had in that old abused frame. I lurked here for close to a year, learning what worked, not concerned too much with mechanical originality, but wanting to build a versatile, responsive Eroica bike. I just didn't want to modify the Legnano, which wasn't appropriate for the Eroica hills and a 68 year old rider. This was my first ever build, and I went into it slowly. A friend donated a cool set of Campy high flange hubs laced to Mavic MA40s. With a free frame and free wheels I was on the way to cheap. The drivetrain bits, all Suntour, with a Sugino AT triple crank were very little $$$, thanks to swap meet luck, and Ebay. The previous frame abuser had ground off all the cable giudes in a demented attempt to create a fixie from a perfectly good bicycle. The fork was wrong, and the seat post was big time stuck. Anyway, I got it apart and back together, chemically stripped the ugly green paint, and assembled it as a rideable rat rod to check out fit, and mechanical operation. The ride was amazing. I was so proud that my first build was a great riding bike. I rode it for 3 months "naked", then started thinking about paint and decals. Let the cost escalation begin. I had Evan Lightner at The Bicycle Stand in Long Beach re-braze the missing cable giudes, add one set of water bottle bosses (should have done two) and do the painting. I chose a Toyota custom paint, kind of British Racing Green, with a little gold flake. Repro decals and gold outlined lugs completed the look. All in, I ended up with a $1000 Super Course that might be worth $400 on a good day. Its worth every dollar to me. I rode it in Eroica last year, several club gravel rides and everywhere I take it people seem to enjoy looking at the common bike with the uncommon restoration. It's only money. Enjoy the ride.

Free frame, as found...blank canvas for first ever build.

Chemical strip, seat stays needed re-braze and cleanup.

Love the lugs.

Rat rod drivetrain.

Ready to ride "naked". Temporary pedals and saddle "placement".

Back from paint shop. The rear chrome survived as original, and the fork is NOS from Ebay

They did a great job!

Finished ride.

Good times on Eroica!

Last month's club gravel ride.

RobbieTunes

The aforementions are all great rationalizations for what is contentment. And I'm good with that.

The Golden Boy 

Funny! To me those are both good bikes- with the 700 qualifying as a 'really nice bike.' The 700 is a bike that I'd consider to be worthy of what ever money you throw at it.

My prettiest bike is my 86 Trek 400 Elance. A bike that set like 2nd from the bottom of Trek's lineup at the time- but it has a butted 531 main frame and CrMo fork and stays... that says "good bike" to me. The paint is in great shape and it's got this magnificent metallic blue that gleams in the sun. Even with the stock components, it's always been a very nice riding bike. I've spend a WHOLE lot of money and effort making that bike as awesome as I want it to be! Tricolor brakes and levers (I got a set of dual pivots in the front and single pivot in the rear), Suntour Command Shifters, XC Pro FD, XC Comp RD (with Bullseye pulleys), Superbe Pro seat post, Avocet triple with drilled RINO rings and a Matrix Titan 27" rims with Maillard 600 sealed rear hub and Maillard 700 front hub.

1986 Trek 400 Elance by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

1986 Trek 400 Elance by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr



But really, "budget" hasn't really come to mind about my builds...