MassiveD

When I make a nice bike, I put on all the candy, and I use top end parts. These days, though, I am looking at 4 chicks who need bikes of various types. When I look at Nashbar I see bikes for less than I can build them for, at least if the shipping to Canada, was the same as the shipping to Georgia. So where does one go to get build packages at rock bottom prices?

Andrew R Stewart 

If you're a legit business you can open an OEM account with many suppliers, or a resale (retail shop) account. But you need to be real and not a garage/hobby guy. Andy.

ksisler

Appologies up front, but I had a temp brain freeze. Now back to business; Took a quick look at Nashbar offerings and they look good and well priced for built bikes. Would also recommend www.bikesdirect.com to compare against. I don't know first hand which is better. Over the years I have bought from both without issues. Regarding your implied conclusion that you can buy a bike cheaper than you can build one. That is entirely correct... a consumer at or near the end of the retail buying chain can not compete with a wholesale outlet selling/operating at or near the manufacturing site/level.
It is also reasonable to expect that if you buy a component group packaged for retail sell you will be getting the same parts you would find on a build bike having the same line items. However I suspect the components on the built bike will have a bit lower quality fit and finish as the OEM supplying the build factory's in volume are competing by offering their OEM bulk production. This conclusion is based on examining the backsides of cranksarms, etc., on build bikes such as a full Campy Bianchi SR and seeing just a bit less quality. But nothing that would affect quality of the ride. That I bought the bikes without the slightly lower fit/finish essentially validates the OEM's decisions.

fietsbob

Cannot Haggle with an Add to Cart online seller , where you are faceless.

Have you talked to any retail shops about a package deal price ?

Given it is now into the slow season, (till approaching Xmas)
they would be accessible about some income, vs nil..

unterhausen

my lbs helps me out, but we talked about build kits and they really didn't have any ideas

iconicflux

QBP has a program where if you're buying all the parts for your bike through them they highly discount the grouppo. It's like 50% off if I recall correctly.

MassiveD

Nashbar is an interesting example. They sell built bikes at "fabulous" prices, they sell frames at "fabulous" prices. They don't seem to sell build kits for the frames... So sure, it is going to cost more to build from scratch, and part of the reason is economic, and part of the reason is when you buy piece by piece, one tends to put on stuff like CK headsets, a part any bundler is going to pay 5 bucks for. But it still seems as though there is a missing piece out there in build kits for lower end frames. I was hoping I was missing something.

PBQ is another interesting example, they sell frames, the Surly brand being one example prior to their shift to finished bikes a few years back. Do they do build kits?

I think this is an adjunct to the where is my 10 dollar tubeset thread... The guy who started NAHBS, claimed on this site, that in asia you can get a tubeset for 10 bucks, I think that was the guy and the number. He went on to try and showcase custom bikes though NAHBS. Meanwhile, I am still fixated on the 10 dollar tubeset...

MassiveD

Oh I should probably say these are my daughers, etc... not commercial. I would not refer to members of the public as "chicks". My original plan was that as they transitioned from small bikes, I would make them up a quality build kit based on 20" wheels, and as they grew I would make frames that started as normally proportioned bikes and would end up as folders as they went to University. That did not prove necessary as hand me down bikes, often like new, have always shown up even before we needed them.

unterhausen

I'm sure you can get a $10 tubeset. Fork blades are what, $25 minimum? Crown and dropouts and steerer gets you up to $75 or so. I've seen cromo forks, painted, retail for $25. Granted, the crown is pressed steel that you can't buy, but you get the idea. The way I calculate things, they have less than $3 in that fork when it leaves the factory. Similar calculations on the aluminum frames that Nashbar sells, you can import those for $25.

squirtdad

The key thing is that when a manufacturer talks to a component supplier they are not talking kits, the they are talking about buying thousands of parts. And in many cases the bike manufacturer will not alwasy use full groups, but will mix and match to a) hit a price point and b) take advantage of any over supply the component guys have.



Once in a while you see post where people buy bikes direct bikes just to get the components as the whole bike is cheaper than buying a group.