HawkeyeCubs34

Assuming you have the ability, what are the pros and cons of buying a while new custom bike vs. building it on your own, piece by piece? Is it more cost effective to build your own? I am considering the latter, as I am currently taking "be your own bike mechanic" classes.

tekhna

There's not as much financial upside to building your own as it might appear, unless you want to learn/are already adept. I've done it a couple times and it's enjoyable but it doesn't end up saving you money. You might end up with a slightly better bike for the money though, for example getting the entire groupset instead of getting all 105 except for the brakes and crank.

cale

Pound for pound and component for component you can almost always get more value buying a built-up bike. But building your own lets you choose how you spend your money. For example, most road bikes come with so-so wheels. I'd rather ride 10-speed, instead of 11-speed, if making that choice lets me ride better wheels.

obed7

want a quality bike exactly the way you want it... then build it
want a quality bike and spend a bit less money, then buy it.

rpenmanparker 

Unless you are adept at scouring the internet for the best deal on every single part, the built-up STOCK bike is your cheapest option for the same performance level. Buying a full bike from a custom builder may net you some savings on the whole package, but most likely the cost penalty on the frame will still eat you up. Buying a custom frame and building it up yourself is likely to be the worst plan. Buying stock frame and building it up yourself can be advantageous, but only as I said above, if you are really good at hunting for deals. Building the bike up yourself is by far the more gratifying approach however.

Rustle

There are no cons in building your own bike. Actually the pleasure of riding the bike you build yourself with components you pick is very satisfying. There are so many variables in sizing and fit that there is little to non a chance that a prefab bike can or should fit you. So by all means go ahead and find a frame that you like and fits you and hang your equipment on it.

milkbaby

It's conventional wisdom that buying a complete bike is less expensive than building one new. You'd have to get good deals on the frame and parts to match what the bike companies can do for you. They get a huge volume deal on parts that you can't get as an individual.

You could buy a complete bike, hunt for deals on the parts you want to replace on it and sell the take offs. That might be slightly quicker than trying to get a deal on everything you need to put it together, AND you could still ride the bike as you are picking up the parts if you're willing to take a little hit on selling slightly used take offs versus brand new.

The last two bikes road bikes I've bought were used compete bikes. It's such a good deal buying used that unless I get a custom bike in the future or come into a fortune, I will probably do that again next time I want another road bike. You can get what was originally a $10000 bike for $3000-5000, and a lot of them seem to have been ridden lightly or have low mileage.

Hiro11

IMO, it only makes sense to build your own bike if you already have parts from other bikes that you're planning on using in the new build. If you're buying your first road bike, not swapping things over or going in a new direction with a bike (new style, electronic from manual, disc brakes from rim etc) just go buy a complete bike. Even if you use Ebay prices, generic frames and no-name parts, you can only rarely beat complete bike prices.

rpenmanparker 

Yes, and the donor bike approach can also be very effective. You buy a dirt cheap bike from Bikes Direct say, one with a great parts list. You get the whole bike discount and more that way. Then you sell the frame and move the parts over to your custom or other preferred frame. You also upgrade the odds and ends that you don't like from the donor bike and sell the inferior ones. VERY cost effective.

merlinextraligh

Horse Hockey. Vast majority of people fit on a standard frame size, with standard geometry.

From there it's only a matter of getting the right stem length and rise, and the right number of spacers.

At worst, you need to swap out a stem, and more rarely a seatpost, for the right amount of set back.

Any decent bike shop will swap components like stems, seatposts, and saddles when you buy a new bike to get it to fit you.

Rustle

There is no such thing as a standard frame size and standard frame geometry now a days. Besides how about handlbar width? Handlebar reach and drop. How about the sit? Handlebar tape? Do the bike shops swap out wheels and tires at no cost too? How about crank arms and crank sets? It is true that you can get by with what a prefab bike can offer but they all seem to leave something to be desired.

Reynolds 

A complete bike would probably be less expensive, unless you can pick all the best bargain offers on groups, wheels, frames, etc., but I'd rather build my own bikes because I enjoy it.

merlinextraligh

Your point was that you have to build a bike yourself to get it to fit, and that's simply not true.

Wheels and tires have nothing to do with fit.

Handlebar tape has nothing to do with fit.

As for handle bar reach and drop, most people do fine with what the manufacturer spec'd, and if you did have a specific preference, its not hard to swap that out at point of sale.

As for cranksets, the only fit issue here would be crank arm length, and again manufacturers typically do a pretty good job of matching crank arm length to frame size in a way that works for most people.

Obviously, building a bike up yourself, you can spec exactly what you want, but its absurd to say you have to spec a bike frame up to get one that fits you.

Thousands of people buy "prefabricated bikes" every day and do quite nicely fitting on them. I'd be willing to bet you that 95% plus of cyclists are riding bikes they bought already built up, and the majority of those people fit fine on them.

Sullalto

At no cost, probably not. At the difference of stock compared to what you want? Yeah, my LBS was totally willing to do that.


My next bike will be built, but I want campy without mortaging my soul, so...

TrojanHorse

I always build my own because I can't stomach the thought of paying $5,000 all at once for a bike. I can fool myself by doing it a grand or two at a time though. I tend to upgrade parts rather than the whole bike...
2009 - new groupset on a project bike, new wheels
2011 - project frame never really fit right so I bought a new frame
2012 - new crank
2013 - new frame again + braze on FD, new chainrings, new wheels
2014 - new RD (wifli!) and a new crank, again
2015 - new wheels again.

I think the only thing that's still on the bike from the project bike I started with are the shifters and the brakes. if you like doing things that way, build your own bike. It's not that hard. If you like having a nice shiny new bike all at once, well... the bike shop is your friend.

velociraptor

Buying a complete bike:

Pros

• Usually the most cost effective for the latest & greatest parts
• The least amount of effort & time investment to purchase
• Usually will include a professional fit and lifetime LBS support for tune-ups & problem resolution

Cons

• The bike manufacturers' marketing guys decide which parts your bike will have
• In order to control price, they will almost always come with undesirable wheelsets on bikes less than $5k
• In order to control price, they will almost always have mixed-level groupset components

Building your own bike:

Pros

• You get exactly the bike you want, with exactly the components you want
• The deep satisfaction and sense of accomplishment of riding your own creation
• If you shop smartly (buy NOS or source parts from overseas) you will never spend more than a comparable complete bike – and may actually end up saving between 10-25%

Cons

• If you don't have basic mechanic & problem solving skills you're screwed
• Sourcing parts for the best price can be very time consuming
• The tool tax – If you don't already have the necessary bike-specific tools, you will spend a few hundred dollars more buying them
• If you run into a problem you can't fix, you have to pay someone else

Building your own bike is a commitment towards a lifestyle change. You are making a conscious decision to be challenged, learn new things, and overcome problems largely on your own without assistance.

If you're the type of personality that gets off on that, then you should totally go for it. It will be extremely rewarding.

However, if you're just doing it to try and save a few bucks – and have no interest in learning the nuance – then you'll just get frustrated.

For me, it's like a whole other hobby. I thoroughly enjoy fussing over every detail on my bikes; tuning them regularly; trying out new parts; breaking them down every season and then rebuilding. It's one of the aspects of cycling that I very much look forward to.

Stucky

So true! I got my Venge- a $4300 bike, with about $800+ worth of upgrades, for $1800- only a year old, and with maybe 600 miles on it.

I like the idea of building bikes- but the only way I think it makes sense, is if one gets a bunch of good deals on used parts and frame- and even then, it's often hard to beat just buying a complete used bike. Some people are fussy and want very specific components...but really, can they tell what hubs are under them, or what brand gear rigns they're spinning, when they're riding?

HawkeyeCubs34

THIS! This is the response I am looking for. As mentioned, I am taking a class to be independent from the mechanic (free through my local club). I also have all the tools I need, with the exception of a truing stand, which I plan to get regardless.

Cost saving is sort of secondary, but I do think it would be a lot of fun to build something on my own. I do also think it will help my overall mechanical skills.

StanSeven

Most good shops allow customers to make no cost switches on things like stem, cranks, and handlebars. They also allow swaps of things like saddles, wheels, and maybe even bar tape and adjust the price up or down.

Rustle

Even if that is applicable, you are still limited to what the shop carries or has in stock.

ColnagoC40

I hate to differ with most here, but I build all my own bikes and the latest was completed about a month ago. It cost me about 45% less than the best possible deal from a US retailer. In fact, the few used bikes on ebay of this new 2015 model sells for more than it cost me to build up the bike. Also, I got exactly what I wanted in terms of frame, wheels, group set and other components.

It possibly depends of the range of equipment and components. If one looks at $2000 - $4000, yes there are deals out there for a complete bike which are impossible to match. For top of the range, it is a different story though.

Also, if one shops around, some parts are way cheaper by buying overseas and having it shipped to the US.

sced

If you want a higher-end bike, I say definitely build your own bike if you want something special without breaking the bank for it and learn a lot in the process. Buying vgc used parts off of Ebay can save you 50-90%. A lot of parts sold under different brand names are actually the same and not buying the bling brand is a great way to save. Buying a nos or slightly used frameset, maybe one or two models ago, can save you a thousand bucks, and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference ride wise or cosmetically. A lot of people take this approach. For me it adds a lot to the fun.

DXchulo

It seems like it's getting cheaper and cheaper lately to buy groupsets, so the price difference between building your own and buying a stock bike is getting lower. I tend to build because there's so much stuff I want to change, especially on the cheaper bikes. Stock saddles and tires tend to be junk, so you're buying those new anyway. Good luck unloading that stuff on eBay. I like 38cm handlebars and most bikes my size come with 40 or 42. I'm also a little picky when it comes to seatposts, so I don't like a lot of the stock ones. There's a good chance I'll want different wheels, too. Little things start to add up.

daveed

"For me, it's like a whole other hobby. I thoroughly enjoy fussing over every detail on my bikes; tuning them regularly; trying out new parts; breaking them down every season and then rebuilding. It's one of the aspects of cycling that I very much look forward to."

Ditto! Plus, I have the advantage of belonging to a good bike co-op that stocks thousands of components. Not all are high-end; most, in fact, are not. But I earn the ability to pay for them with volunteer hours. I only recently replaced a vintage SunTour barend shifters on my Soma Double-Cross, which I built up with a mishmosh of parts. So perhaps there is a similar group in your neck of the woods where both expertise and parts reside essentially for free.

merlinextraligh

Which means your point is building from the frame up allows you to spec what you want.

It doesn't mean it's necessary to get a good fit for the vast majority.