jamesdak 

Yep, like others are saying. Many of us start with a part or parts and progress to a final build that is so awesome.

PhilFo 

Latest fantasy is building a race bike using this Superbe Pro group I have laying around. Too bad I don't have the spare cash for a frameset laying around!
Phil

Strawbunyan

Well, it seems like I am in good company.I love what you have all built around a random part.Glad i am not crazy...or maybe i am and we all are, and thats okay.

This was my thought process, I figured as long as everything was 7400 it would match each other and if I get the hive mind together, someone should know if the frame I find will fit the components before I actually purchase it.

the problem with a donor machine is...if it fits me, i will have just bought a bike to take apart, clean up, and reassemble.
if it doesnt fit me, ill have a frame I cant use and that will just cause anxiety...unless it fits my daughter, in which case I will have to buy replacement components to build that frame up, and possibly end up with another donor machine and I am back at phase 1 in a never ending loop with no where to store it all.
my wife is cool but we already have 8 bikes in the house(one for everyone in the family and my kids broken huffy i stripped and halfway reassembled)and im not gonna get away with much more of this before she kills me.

I was thinking along these lines for sure. I have plenty of shelf space for components...more bikes and frames, not so much.

Thank you all. The "I's" have it. I'm going for it.

Please continue to post your awesome "for the love of a part" stories and pics.

Strawbunyan

This is the specific component I want to build the bike around

I know not everyone is into "brifters" and even that word alone makes a few people gag but i grew up in the 90s and early 00s so it is what it is.....im feeding nostalgia.

I also didn't mention, but some of you will know, this entire build will be "Made in Japan"

Kontact

I recently build a Douglas Ti frame with a silver Speedlight, Mavic, Modolo, Sram and Simplex. Love those cranks.

genejockey 

I already had the parts, mostly, but this is what I'm currently doing, on this thread.

Strawbunyan

it appears we have the same starting line with the same "bring back the 90s" goal. We even need the same size frame. It will be interesting to see how far the two bikes vere off in the end. I will say that mine is going to be "bright". I really want to try my hand and spraying a frame. I used to do finish work in a wood shop and did a lot of custom stuff, I worked next door to a body shop and the guy that ran it always told me that if I can spray wood as well as I do, I would be able to work with metal no problem, I dont know if it was true, or if he was tooting my horn, but I never tried. Now is the time

Robvolz 

I found a DeRosa pantographed seat post on a donated Schwinn one day. I kept it thinking someday I might own a DeRosa someday.

Then I found a stem

Later, some brake levers, all panto'd.

My friend Aaron went to L'eroica Italy and I asked him to look for a brake set.



3 years later I found the frame.

It starts with this (one day)

jdawginsc 

Haha. I was referring to jdawginsc Dave...!

masi61

Looks good, are the 7400 shifters new old stock or used? Just curious. Also, there was a fair amount of parts evolution in the 7400 series which started as 7 speed with down tube levers and the original 7400 7-speed Uniglide hubs. The 7402 were the 8-speed Uniglide rear hub or the later UG/HG compatible 7403 which is more versatile unless you have a stash of 7402 Uniglide hubs laying around.

Just curious too: how many hills do you plan to do on this bike? The reason I ask this is because your all 7400 bike is going to be limited to 2x8 gearing and your low gear will be limited to a 39x26 gear (maybe 39X28 low with stock 7400 ((7402?) rear derailleur. Also in the Dura Ace ecosystem from this era the original 7403 dual pivots are really great - they are a bit heavy by modern standards but man they are powerful stoppers. What is your preference for crankset? The original 7400 with its classic flat arms or the more low profile, sculpted 7410?

And don’t forget in your parts search to track down a Dura Ace headset, seatpost and stem if you want all Dura Ace everything for your build. Curious to hear back what you come up with.

BTinNYC 

Building a bike from the frame up is great fun.

The 'collector' itch is scratched as the just right parts are found, the time spent planning and dreaming is a salve to the nonsense of modern life, and I really enjoy the simple metalwork and wrenching.

To be sure, it's not economical way get a bike but compared to the hobbies of many of my retired friends, it's a steal.

delbiker1 

When it comes to building a bike with what you want, how you go about, and what you pay acquiring the needed components, does not have to make sense.
If you are totally committed to specific, very good condition, matching components, patience is necessary. But, in a way, that makes it a less decisive, less complicated procedure. Along with having a willingness to "pay to play". As others have stated, plans change when opportunities arise.
A few years ago, I was trying to put together full 6600 ice gray group set. I could have accomplished that fairly easily if I had been willing to spend considerably more money. I wound up with 6600 calipers, and deraileurs, but 4600 levers and 6750 black crankset. Those 2 things cost under 1/3 of what new or barely used 6600 items would have cost. They work perfectly fine, and only someone that knows what they are looking at, from less than 10 feet, would notice the difference.
I still look for 6600 ice grey stuff, but the odds of finding a really nice item, at a cost I would pay, are rather slim. I recently saw a set of silver 6600 levers, NOS, asking price of $495 shipped. I stuck with the 4600 that cost 1/5 of that.

Strawbunyan

I don't actually have the levers yet(or any of the parts at all for that matter) i just stole that photo for reference. I was pondering the project and since i knew i wanted shifterbreaks, i started researching the older models and found that these levers checked all my boxes. They are a first gen of a new type of tech, Japanese, and cool looking.
I have not gotten as far as considering the specific model numbers of any of the other parts for the build yet, hubs, etc. I would like it all to suit the era of the levers, obviously. where the gearing is concerned I am not sweating it too hard. I do have some high grade short hills I like to challenge myself on and want to continue my journey to becoming a climber, my current setup is a 53/42X11-24(6 speed rear) and I have been doing just fine. So any extra gears or larger cogs will just be icing, I dont like to spin and subscribe to the "when the going gets tough...just pedal harder" montra. I was hoping to set it all up on a racing frame when I do finally get a frame.

I had not considered the headset, seatpost and stem. It is not ultra important to me that those be dura ace as long as they are made in Japan but now that you mention it I would be a fan of the extra hunting challenge of an all matching dura ace setup so I will keep this in mind.
thank you.

Strawbunyan

and all from a seatpost...fantastic inspiration...that bike belongs in a museum.

Kabuki12

I have built a couple from the frame up and added parts. Usually using up parts from my bins. Never from the parts first direction. Most of my bikes are seventies tech so it is fairly simple to build . One of the last ones I built was a ‘78 Raleigh Professional frame I got with headset and BB . I ended up with a donor bike to get the wheels! It was a custom built frame donor that had some real nice parts on it , all for $100. I just wanted the wheels but ended up keeping most of the parts and giving the frame to a friend. So much for using up the bin parts!

Trakhak

In the past, people have occasionally posted here that they bought, e.g., a Bikes Direct complete bike to strip the components and transfer them to some ostensibly more desirable frame.

Often the components were taken from, e.g., a fairly high-end frame such as a rebadged Fuji aluminum frame. In those cases, my thought has been, you may think you traded up to a better frame, but maybe not.

PromptCritical 

Could be a cost effective way to get a good groupset and/or wheels

Strawbunyan

Is this right? Am I crazy or are they? Did I dream a dream too big?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/28502974462...IaApv4EALw_wcB

noglider 

It's your money, and building a bike this way is rarely economical, but you get what you want. As you now know, many of us have done this, sometimes more than once. I can't even remember how many times I've done it. I lean towards an economical approach, and I have a lot of parts lying around already, so that helps. Patience has saved me money. I wait until something is selling for less than typical price. It's a time/money tradeoff. Some things can't be gotten cheap so I have to pay what they sell for.

I think the most I've spent to build a bike is around $1,200, so that's not bad, compared with what some people spend, even on new bikes.

merziac

Yikes!

For that $$$$$$ it should be NOS, not gonna happen and I get it, not a fan but H**Y CRAP!

At that price, somebody here probably has an actual nice set they would let go of.

Like Tom said, its your money, but ......

icemilkcoffee 

It's always better to gather parts and complete your groupsets before you have a frame to hang it on. Same with saddles and stems. It's time consuming to wait for the right part to pop up. Once you get a frame you tend to get impatient to get it done and get the show on the road, and that's when you overpay for parts out of desperation.

merziac

And compromise/stray from the vision only to have the program become lackluster, lose its way, etc.

Strawbunyan

I was searching for NOS when those popped up, just wanted to see what a set of unused ones would cost.
I was really hoping that they are listed way above what they are worth cause I'm not paying that LOL. I'll wait till I find some on the side of the road before I got that deep LOL. I justed wanted to see if that price seemed right....it looks like it doesn't, thank goodness.

genejockey 

That's too much. I mean, don't kid yourself that you're gonna get away with spending less than $500 for the whole groupset, but $414 for a beat up set of STIs and derailleurs? Feh. Check Ebay's Sold listings. The STIs will be the most expensive parts, but you should be able to get FD-7400 and RD-7402 for under $50 each in good condition. BR-7403, the pair for less than $70. FC-7400s for <100. FC-7410 for >100.

Ebay's sold listings are your best friend here. They'll tell you what people have been paying for things in what condition. They can help you figure out what to offer, if the seller is taking offers. And sometimes, if you just look at a listing, without even adding it to your watchlist, you'll get an offer from the seller. But in your place, I'd spend a couple hours on the sold listings, and figure out how much you're willing to pay for each part. And don't forget shipping - sometimes it's ridiculously high, on a listing that looks cheap otherwise!

Ironfish653

Depends on the frame. When I was building my Cannondale 3.0, many of the prospective donors I considered were, ironically, newer Cannondales (CAAD-8/9 and a Synapse) so it wouldn’t have made much sense to just build an “older” version of the same bike. Now, had I found a Trek or Felt or one of those BD brands in the spec I was looking for, I’d have had no problem stripping it for parts.

Now the ~2010 Mercier that I used to upgrade my 1997 SoftRide was probably more “advanced” (modern Aluminum vs 90s CroMo) but SoftRide frames are unique, so in that case, it was worthwhile to upgrade the 3x7 RSX and box-section hybrid wheels for 2x9 Tiagra/105 and proper sporting road wheels.

In another twist, while I was shopping parts for the 3.0, I came across parts that I’d wanted to add to my other bikes, so the “old” parts ended up on the cannondale. The only major components I bought specifically for that build were the wheels, shifters and saddle/seatpost. The rest came from other bikes or the parts stash.