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Building A Bike Up From The Frame

Old 06-08-15, 03:03 PM
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king_solom0n
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Lightbulb Building A Bike Up From The Frame

Just curious to see if anyone has done it and what their experience was like. I'm thinking about doing one for the learning experience. I've seen a lot road and mountain bike builds but a tiny amount of hybrids. Seems like it'll probably cost more than buying a pre-made bike but was the effort worth it to build with one's own hands?
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Old 06-08-15, 03:42 PM
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I haven't built a hybrid; however, I have built my road bike and highly modified 3 other hybrids.

That being said, I would say go for it.....with caution. If you're just wanting to go buy a bunch of parts and hope they go together, you will have frustration. Start with a noted or mental blueprint of the bike you want. Know what frame, wheels, tires, component set, handlebars, crankset and pedals, shifters, etc. and especially WHY you want those exact parts.

Could I have purchased a factory built Surly Pacer?...Yes. Was it what I wanted?...No. So I built it. At the time, the Pacers came with all 2x9 Tiagra drivetrain. I wanted, at a minimum, 105 components so I chose to build it myself and go with a 3x9 set up. It took longer to buy each individual piece but it truly is the exact bike I had envisioned. Other work on hybrids have been changing shifters, derailiers, brakesets, etc. For me, it's all relatively low cost, instant satisfaction work that can make a good machine a little better.
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Old 06-08-15, 03:46 PM
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How much are you looking to spend? IMO, the problem I see with such a project is, unless you have a huge collection of parts laying around, you could wind up spending way more on such a project than you would just buying a new or used hybrid and upgrading a couple of parts.
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Old 06-08-15, 04:39 PM
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Originally Posted by clarkbre
I haven't built a hybrid; however, I have built my road bike and highly modified 3 other hybrids.

That being said, I would say go for it.....with caution. If you're just wanting to go buy a bunch of parts and hope they go together, you will have frustration. Start with a noted or mental blueprint of the bike you want. Know what frame, wheels, tires, component set, handlebars, crankset and pedals, shifters, etc. and especially WHY you want those exact parts.

Could I have purchased a factory built Surly Pacer?...Yes. Was it what I wanted?...No. So I built it. At the time, the Pacers came with all 2x9 Tiagra drivetrain. I wanted, at a minimum, 105 components so I chose to build it myself and go with a 3x9 set up. It took longer to buy each individual piece but it truly is the exact bike I had envisioned. Other work on hybrids have been changing shifters, derailiers, brakesets, etc. For me, it's all relatively low cost, instant satisfaction work that can make a good machine a little better.
Thanks for the advice. With hybrids you've modified, have you used road bike or mountain drivetrains/components?

Originally Posted by MRT2
How much are you looking to spend? IMO, the problem I see with such a project is, unless you have a huge collection of parts laying around, you could wind up spending way more on such a project than you would just buying a new or used hybrid and upgrading a couple of parts.
It really isn't about the money for me. Just looking at wheels and groupsets lets me know that it will definitely be more expensive. I'm really more interested in learning about building and repairing. My long term goal is to be able to build up a carbon fiber road bike and maintain it myself. But I do like the idea of upgrading a used hybrid to start out with.
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Old 06-08-15, 04:43 PM
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Originally Posted by king_solom0n
Thanks for the advice. With hybrids you've modified, have you used road bike or mountain drivetrains/components?



It really isn't about the money for me. Just looking at wheels and groupsets lets me know that it will definitely be more expensive. I'm really more interested in learning about building and repairing. My long term goal is to be able to build up a carbon fiber road bike and maintain it myself. But I do like the idea of upgrading a used hybrid to start out with.
So, what is your budget for the project?
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Old 06-08-15, 04:45 PM
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Around $800 but can spend a little more as needed.
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Old 06-08-15, 05:07 PM
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Originally Posted by king_solom0n
Around $800 but can spend a little more as needed.
I did it with my 12 Trek 8.5 DS and would do it again given the chance. Keep in mind it can get expensive and depending on the level of parts you go with your $800.00 budget can go real fast. Just to give you an idea the Shimano XT/SLX group I used on my bike cost $330.00, my Bontrager seat was another $100.00, the FSA carbon seat post another $100.00, and that doesn't include the tires, stem or handlebars.

Even so I'd love to get my hands on a quality carbon fiber disc road frame and build that up. It's a lot of fun and so much more satisfying when you see the finished product.
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Old 06-09-15, 10:07 AM
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Originally Posted by king_solom0n
Thanks for the advice. With hybrids you've modified, have you used road bike or mountain drivetrains/components?
I've used both road and mountain parts with success. My hybrid came stock with a 7spd 11/28 cassette, long cage derailier canti brakes , and grip shifters. For modifications I used a 7spd 12/21 road cassette, Tiagra mid-length derailier, v-brakes, and switched the grip shifters for a 3x7 Shimano EF51 shifter/brake combo. All have worked flawlessly together and made the bike much more enjoyable to ride.
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Old 06-12-15, 12:13 PM
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I'd say its easy if your bike is disc. My bike is considered a hybrid and bought complete using an MTB frame, with 700c / 29er rims,
which clears the frame designed for 26" rims, as long as I run no bigger than 32 mm tyres. All my components are MTB.

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Old 06-12-15, 05:17 PM
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Originally Posted by giantcfr1
I'd say its easy if your bike is disc. My bike is considered a hybrid and bought complete using an MTB frame, with 700c / 29er rims,
which clears the frame designed for 26" rims, as long as I run no bigger than 32 mm tyres. All my components are MTB.
That's a very nice bike. Can you specify the frame that you used?
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Old 06-13-15, 09:45 AM
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The frame is a 2007 Cannondale Badboy Rigid frame not the headshock frame.
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Old 06-14-15, 09:30 AM
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I've done it. It took me about 8 months of saving, acquiring parts, research but for me it was fun. I did it more because I enjoy this sort of thing. I love figuring out what parts will go with what. I have a mix of DA, XTR, and Ultegra parts for the drivetrain. I'll caution that it gets expensive though. Just when you think you're done, you'll remember that you need another part. Make a list of all the parts on a spreadsheet and then check them off as you acquire them. I could have bought a bike that was already built for the cost that I did it. And I'm sure it would have ridden as well, but it wouldn't have been "mine".
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Old 06-14-15, 05:51 PM
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I bought a couple of $40-50 mountain bikes on Craigslist and pawn shops and then just started tearing them apart and overhauling them, one part at a time. I would watch videos, buy the tool(s) I needed and then ask questions here in the mechanics sub-forum. Some things are really easy and some take some practice. You'll probably need to invest about $100 in tools but it's very satisfying. I'm very unlikely to ever buy a complete bike because I have very specific tastes in what I want, component wise.
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Old 06-15-15, 10:49 PM
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I was riding with a friend and I let her use my Motobecane Elite Sport. While she was riding, the bike was making a sound like it's shifting when it was not. So I want to perform some upgrades on it so it rides better and people enjoy it more.

As a way of getting my feet wet with working on bikes, I want to replace the crankset/cassette from 3x7 to 3x9 although I'm not sure if the bike can actually handle 3x9. As such, I'll need to replace the front and rear derailleurs. I don't want to spend too much on this in case I mess up.

So I've been looking at Microshift's mtb groupsets but there aren't too many reviews. Any opinion on going with Microshift instead of Shimano? I can't imagine them being any worse than the Tourney and Altus combo I currently have.

Thanks again for all the help.
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Old 06-16-15, 05:09 PM
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I have built a hybrid from the frame up. Unfortunately, my wheelset alone exceeded your budget. Lol!

https://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bic...rbon-disc.html
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Old 06-19-15, 06:56 PM
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i got the nos miele 300 frame and fork from ebay a few years back. i see there are still nos miele frames listed on ebay. rides just fine.
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Old 06-19-15, 07:43 PM
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its great fun building a your own bike just keep in mind you may have to buy some tools every now and then. I had to buy bottom bracket tools, brake and shifting housing cutters, as well as wrenches. Overall I've learned a lot and never have to take my bikes for a tune up now that I know my way around a bike. Good luck!
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Old 06-19-15, 08:05 PM
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Originally Posted by king_solom0n
It really isn't about the money for me. Just looking at wheels and groupsets lets me know that it will definitely be more expensive. I'm really more interested in learning about building and repairing. My long term goal is to be able to build up a carbon fiber road bike and maintain it myself. But I do like the idea of upgrading a used hybrid to start out with.
If your goal is to make a CF road bike.
Why not put the $800 towards a nice road bike?

There are quite a few cheap CF frames out there if you hunt around a bit.

For the hybrid, I suppose it depends on what you wish to end up with. With a lot of things, one can do much better with buying a "donor bike" for most of the parts you'll need. But then again, I'm quite familiar with the shortcomings of the Dept store bikes that are all so common in the hybrid market.

For $800, however, you could do a very nice Cyclocross to flat bar conversion if that is what you desire.
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Old 06-27-15, 06:52 PM
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Originally Posted by king_solom0n
I was riding with a friend and I let her use my Motobecane Elite Sport. While she was riding, the bike was making a sound like it's shifting when it was not. So I want to perform some upgrades on it so it rides better and people enjoy it more.

As a way of getting my feet wet with working on bikes, I want to replace the crankset/cassette from 3x7 to 3x9 although I'm not sure if the bike can actually handle 3x9. As such, I'll need to replace the front and rear derailleurs. I don't want to spend too much on this in case I mess up.

So I've been looking at Microshift's mtb groupsets but there aren't too many reviews. Any opinion on going with Microshift instead of Shimano? I can't imagine them being any worse than the Tourney and Altus combo I currently have.

Thanks again for all the help.
Dont know enough to comment on whether or not the upgrade you're considering is possible as I'm not sure if you have a freewheel or freehub. I can say that building a bike from the frame up is one of the most rewarding things you can do if you enjoy riding. I just posted a frame up build of my hybrid bike here. I have upgraded quite a few bikes and built a handful the biggest thing you have to do is research, lots and lots of research especially if it's a first build so you know that the parts youare going to acquire will work with your frame and plan. The actual building or upgrading is not difficult at all as there are plenty of you tube videos to show you how. Go for it, you won't be sorry.
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