rousseau

The other day I realized that I have enough spare components kicking around to put on a spare frame I have kicking around. So I threw a seat post, saddle, handlebar and a wheelset on the frame, and then sat there and stared at it for a while. This is what I got so far:



I've also got a new Campy cable-housing set kicking around. I've got new bar tape kicking around. This is how I get my kicks.

But I'm going to sell this puppy. That's right, someone out there in Kijiji/Craigslist-land is going to end up with a very beautiful and very unique bike at a very reasonable price. I'm not a collector. I'm really enjoying the process of putting something together to offer up to the public.

As a middle-aged guy, I wonder if I should give up my day job and transition into a second career as a freelance seller of cool used bikes? I think I'd be happy sitting in my shed reconditioning used parts and frames to produce whole bike packages for cyclists who don't have the wherewithal to do it themselves. I'm close to Toronto, so there's a massive market out there. Maybe I should go for it? Do people ever do this kind of thing, I wonder?

Because building bikes is fun. You learn lotsa things as you go along. Fer instance, I've got a nice Park cutting tool for cutting housing, but what I do is take a pick tool like this...



...and ream it into the end of the housing to make the opening nice and round. It really makes a difference with how the cable slides through the housing. There are lots of little tricks you pick up. Great fun, it is.

SevenTwentyNine

Yes, building bikes is indeed fun.

55/Rad

Careful. It can have a snowball effect leading to a houseful of collectibles and a divorce. Not that I would know...

rpenmanparker 

A very good tool choice. BTW, for those who lack such a tool, a ball-point pen point works just as well.

Campag4life

My preference if using a dremmel cut off wheel to get the housing end nice and square which tends to melt the inner lining shut...is use a very small drill bit in a 18V battery drill. To me this clears out the lining end the best. A dremmel for squaring the end of a housing gets it the most square...especially on wound housings when you cut them off with Park cable cutters and a burr results...hard to avoid on wound brake versus longitudinal strand derailleur cables. Some may not know that Jagwire cable housing are the easiest to install because they don't use a wound brake housing (needed for higher compression) and longitudinal strand housings are much easier to cut off square with cable cutters and why Jagwire housings are my favorite.

rpenmanparker 

I agree with everything you said, especially about Jagwire. I'm a little surprised you don't just leave the drill in the tool box and use the Dremel with the tiny bit to ream out the outer liner. But if you are going to have to make multiple cuts to get the length just right, going back and forth between the cutting wheel and the drill bit could be a PITA. I can see that.

Campag4life

Don't quite understand. Having two power tools...dremmel with cut off wheel and drill with small diameter drill bit is easier than re-chucking the dremmel with both cut off wheel and drill bit. Yes, there is typically tuning of cable housing length if fussy about builds...iterative...which can require multiple cuts and test fitments. Also there are several cables on a bike which need cutting.
Jagwire housings be it brake or derailleur can be cut relatively square with simply Park cable cutters. I still like to reem the cable end to debur it...best to use a drill. Using a probe or pronned tool shown, pushes lining into the ID of the housing. Reeming/cutting the liner with a drill is better for unimpeded cable travel.

OldsCOOL

I sure get a kick out of it.

Blue Belly

Tell us more about that Bianchi frame?
Building stuff is what I'm all about. Whether it be cars, guitars, structures, bicycles, etc. Making a living at it, is a whole nuther' animal. Bicycles can be a finicky market. Building up junk bikes & selling them to college kids might be worth a few dollars. Sourcing the pieces, for next to nothing, might be the important part. Selling nice vintage frames into bikes might be tough. Most people want them with 100% factory parts or they want them cheap, so they can build them up to their specs(thats me). collector vs enthusiast

JohnDThompson 

Or a nail. Or a sharpened spoke.

modelmartin

As someone who has run my own business based on my passions I would ask you if you have basic business skills. If you don't already know how to run a business keep it as a hobby. There is a ton of competition in the bike world and you better really know what you are doing. Do you have a written business plan and a marketing plan? Not having business skills is the downfall of so many enterprises.

Carbon Unit

I built my bike from a combination of used parts and discounted parts parts off of Ebay. I got exactly what I want doing and think I got a better bike or at least one that I like more. However, I could have got a good bike buying new but how fun is that?

rousseau

1995 Bianchi Thron. As established in this thread: Bianchi ID help. I rode it for a while in the fall, and while I like it, I've started to "transition" from steel frames to aluminum frames. I've ridden steel frames for the last ten years since getting back into cycling, but lately have wanted to go a bit more modern, so I now have a 2004 ML3.



It's probably just a pipe dream. But while I currently am in a career I really enjoy, building up my bikes (and this Bianchi Thron, in particular) brings back wistful memories of the carpentry work I did in my early twenties, building custom patio decks. You came, you built, and at the end you could stand back and admire the tangible result of your labour. You got paid, but you also got compliments from appreciative homeowners, many of whom openly expressed their admiration and even envy at your skills.

Building things can be really satisfying.

rousseau

Yep, that's how I do it. Though I like picking things up in person, too. I live two hours outside of Toronto, and many's the time I've driven in expressly to pick up a part I found on Kijiji or Craigslist. It's like a little adventure.

Blue Belly

no doubt, it's fun! & rewarding. Finding a market for your product can also be. Hope you can have all.

Bradleykd

I've been enjoying building my last two bikes. The problem I have is that I get attached to them! I'd hate to part with something I put so much work into!

I have thought about it though. The bike market is growing big time where I live and I think I could do OK selling projects, but I'm not sure. After I'm finished with this one, I may keep an eye out for another frame and build it from leftover parts and see what I can do as far as selling it. The work is what I enjoy most. I love riding, but being a mechanic is my true passion and maybe I'll find more enjoyment in building and selling bikes than I think.

I guess I could give it a shot and if I like what I build better than what I already own, I could sell what I have ridden for a while and keep the fresh build. hmmmmm.....