mstateglfr 

Privileged complaints, I get it.

I bought a mid-90s Cannondale CAAD3 frame on ebay as I thought it would be fun to build something from the 90s and old round aluminum. The frame is yellow and pics were taken with a bunch of white background and high lighting, so I figured the frame had more cosmetic issues than what I could see since the pics were designed to not let me see much. Yup, that was confirmed as there is a lot of paint corrosion around the brazeons. No issue- I want to try some Montana Gold paint with 2k clear so I will add paint stripping and painting to the list.

It needs a 1" fork and is a 66cm frame(really 63ish) and no decently priced steel forks match for threaded or threadless, so I take a chance on this carbon blade aluminum steerer fork with 350mm of steerer to fit the frame. That and a headset are somewhere over the Atlantic.
I decided I want under the tape shift housing, so its either modern Shimano or...Microshift Centos 11. Well that isnt used much, so lets try that. A gently used Ultegra RD off this site plus an extra chain and cassette I already have means I just need another 11sp FD to complete the drivetrain. Oh, and wheels. Probably some cheapish 11sp wheels since this will be neither my main road bike nor by backup road bike and I really didnt want to spend a bunch on the project. Hey, tires too- even though I have some gently used 25mm tires, American Classic as a brand is back and selling some tanwall road tires for $30 per that are supposed to be pretty good quality so of course I should try them! I already have everything for the cockpit- bars, stem, saddle, seatpost, bar tape. And then there is a crankset- I am tapped out on cranksets designed to handle modern, so maybe a lowly FSA Vero square taper since it handles 11sp fine?...gonna search a bit for something cheaper.


So paint, wheels and tires, crankset and shifters...and a new fork. Looks like I failed at keeping costs down on the winter project.

daverup 

I have similar problems.
Good luck!

bikemig 

You know what they say about old yachts, it's a hole in the water surrounded by wood that you pour money down.

I figure old bikes are just a poor man's version of a yacht,

Wildwood 

New fork, new paint, new crankset, 11 speed wheels….


it’s a new bike.
I hear new bikes are expensive.

mstateglfr 

True. My other winter project is single speeding a newly acquired '81 Nishiki Gran Touring- centerpull brakes, 35mm tires, and all parts coming from spares in random drawers and shelves. This winter is one of extreme differences for bike building.

nlerner

Yeah, new forks can push the price up in a hurry, particularly when they cost more than what one might have paid for the frame! I seem to have amassed a variety of forks, potentially useful for future builds. I actually just bought one from someone on one of the bike lists that doesn't fit anything I currently have, but I figure I might need to build a bike around it at some point.

non-fixie 

We have a local proverb that loosely translates into "it's better to have what you don't need, than to need what you don't have". It is a very useful proverb.

nlerner

Somehow I'm reminded of the contrasting adage from when my kids were in pre-school: "You get what you get and you don't get upset."

Wildwood 

Look for the bare necessities,
those simple bare necessities…..

RiddleOfSteel

A la carte builds always fail at keeping prices as low as they can be. I know this full well. Order the combo meal instead of the burger, fries, and drink separately. Times a bunch. I think your main perpetrator is paint. Works that way for cars, too, except much worse. Best if you plan to keep it. More justifiable if you categorize it as "learning" or "R&D", which can be, to you, "of no cost" as it is education and not intended solely for selling/reselling purposes. New fork is a big no-help as well. We are tall fellows, so looking for something at the 350mm+ steerer range is fraught with either nothing available or exorbitant cost.

I don't know the Des Moines market for bikes, but $100 gets one a solid wheelset at a LBS over in embarrassment-of-riches Seattle. 11-speed wheels? That's more money, naturally. Claris, Sora, Tiagra for current generation Shimano under-the-tape shift cable action. Claris and Sora for the normal/traditional 6-10-speed Shimano RD compatibility. Look great, work great, aren't a million dollars. May work more favorably with long-arm FDs, but that's the price to pay.

My current winter projects involve potentially parts swapping things from a Grail Bike to a super huge Fuji, as well as contemplating taking bougie Dura-Ace from one 620 to a "lowly" (but great!) race bike with which to troll the MAMILs and carbon bike bros. Right after I repaint it, hopefully myself..........

We're in the same boat, lol.

randyjawa 

Last winter's project - a free Torpado that ended up costing me over $400.00 CND (paint, decals, tires, cables and a better transmission)...


Went from Extra to Velox...

CliffordK

It is always best to NOT count the costs associated with your fun projects.

jdawginsc 

The “collectors” motto!

...Better than being called a hoarder!

BFisher

Wow! Could that be a universal pre-K lesson? My kids' teacher used that line.

Famous words to be eaten (I'm as guilty as the rest): "You know, I think I'm gonna do this build on the cheap. I only need a few things..."

jdawginsc 

I have had Thanksgiving feasts on those words...for ANY and ALL projects...

genejockey 

This is the very reason I never source all the parts from the same vendor, or at least not all at once. That way, I have to actually do math to figure out the cost.

Mad Honk 

Pm incoming for a replacement fork for you. Smiles, MH

justcynn

I hope to complete 2-3 major builds this winter and sell at least 2-3 of my less favorite in the spring to offset the cost . I call it layaway or 90 days same as cash. 😬

i agree with riddle of steel- a la carte is expensive! I have been buying trek oclv carbon complete bikes. USPS themed all the better. and strip everything. Sell the frame for what I paid for the bike on eBay . And wala. Have high end components and wheel sets galore available to my steel builds. Or something to sell or barter to offset the cost of what I want.

sbrudno

Late fall to early winter project: I have been doing the same with an old Motobecane frame that I picked up for a song, knowing full well that that it would end up being the least expensive component with the others were all summed up. The wheels were rebuilds that I had with Campy hubs, the derailleurs and seat post were Campy Record, Motobecane center-pull brakes, stem and stem shifter, and the down tube cable mounts and pedals Campy. I have configured it into an upright stance with riser handlebars and appropriate brake handles, PRUNUS Bike Grips Rubber Ergonomic Antislip Handlebar Grips (very comfy and adjustable), handlebar mount mirror and a cute bell. The saddle is memory foam and color matched to the frame. Each component was around $20-35 except the wheels and seat post but they all really add up. I could have bought a comparable bike off eBay for less but it has been blast sourcing, buying and assembling all the parts together. One more tiny piece to go and my ship will sail!!!

Kabuki12

Hunt and peck your way through, don’t be in a hurry. My experience is that the right solution happens in time .