it all depends on the quality and level of parts youre willing to accept, and what types of deals you can find on used parts on ebay/craigslist/mtbr classifieds..

the price can go anywhere from 1000-4000 depending how common some of the parts youre using...

if you want to get an accurate number pick an online retailer and start gathering parts in your shopping cart.....

 

Building up a frame from new parts costs much more than simply buying a complete bike. 2x-3x the cost is what I've heard before. Just putting that out there.

 

There are many good reasons to build up a frame rather than buying a complete bike.

Cost is definitely NOT one of them.

If you are starting from scratch, buying complete is going to be cheaper. Significantly.

As others have said, you're always going to end up spending more in the long run for a custom build then you would on a complete bike.

The last time I bought a complete bike was in 1998. Yes, as others have stated it is cheaper to buy a complete bike, but...and this is a big BUT: You get exactly what you want and one does not end up spending $$$ on upgrades. Which BTW can end up costing more than having gone custom to start with in the long run-something I discovered early on. An example-my 2008 Superlight. Custom XT build done five years ago. Upgrades since then: basically none. My build cost $400 more than what Santa Cruz was offering in an XT build. However, I didn't care for their choice of saddle, headset, tires, brakes, handlebar (I prefer flat), seatpost, stem, grips and who knows what kind of job is done on housing length.

Build custom. It's fun and you end up with exactly what you want.

Also by buying "last years" components you can $ave a lot.

 

You would save a lot of money buying a clearance 13 model bike from a shop. Here's a quick rundown ,frame say 500 , fork 300 , wheels 300, build kit 500.

 

You ride one of these? Mine's still going quite strong after pivot servicing this year and a new rear derailleur late last year after those parts just wore out after many years of service.

Building up a new one gets up there.

A couple years ago, I built up a SS commuter with a pretty inexpensive frameset and budget parts most of the way around. I did get nicer wheels - spent about $450 there. Total build cost was about $1600 for a fully rigid 4130 CrMo steel SS road bike. I am upgrading the frame on that now and turning it into a 1x10. Retail on the upgrades would probably be about another $600-$800. Thankfully I took a shop job over the summer to fund my bike habit. When the upgrades are done, I'll be in this bike for at or just about $2,000. Still steel. That kind of dough could get me a full carbon 105 road bike if that was what I wanted.

Talking about a mtb, you could do a budget "custom" build and stay around $1,000 if you bought used parts and stayed as simple as you could (hardtail, maybe fully rigid, maybe singlespeed). If you want a full suspension bike, you're going to be looking at close to $1,000 and up for a frame and rear shock worth a custom build. Maybe as low as $600-$800 if you weren't picky and shopped closeouts and discount brands with cheaper frames.

But I find a pretty nice sweet spot in wheel quality around $500. Not the best stuff, but still pretty good. Probably looking at $500-$1000 for something like an SLX drivetrain. Maybe as low as $100-$150 if you saved some bucks and went with a BB7 brakeset, but probably at least twice that if you wanted some nicer hydros.

Then you've got the smaller bits and pieces like saddle, seatpost, stem, bars, headset, tires, and cables. Those things can add up, but you can bargain hunt here, too.

If you're building up a frame, you can't forget that there's going to be some shop labor involved unless you've got a FULL shop and all the tools at your disposal, along with the skill to use them properly. At minimum, you'll need to have a shop do frame prep for you (facing and reaming head tube and bb, facing disc tabs) unless you spend more on the frame and get one from a company that ships the frame already prepped. Possibly headset install, bb install. Possibly cutting your fork's steerer tube, setting the crown race, and setting the star nut. Possibly even doing the whole build or redoing the build after you've started and got stuck/messed something up (any shop mech will be able to cite examples of this happening).

I enjoy the process. It can teach you a lot about bikes, but if you're not experienced with the process yet, you should SERIOUSLY take your time to avoid messing something up. And especially take your time to make sure you're buying the correct components from the beginning. There are a lot of competing standards on bottom brackets, headsets, axles, and seat posts and a handful of little things to pay attention to (like front derailleur cable routing/cable pull).

And finally (but not least), you've gotta pay attention to fit issues. Chances are, you'll have to mess around with fit through stems, handlebars, saddles, and stuff once you get the other components installed. I did on my commute bike build and since I'm changing it up, I'm going to have to go through that process again.

 

View attachment 829157
You ride one of these? Mine's still going quite strong after pivot servicing this year

Not to derail but where did you get this done? I have an 04 enduro and its pivot bolts are pretty much stripped. Was told getting them is impossible by Sporting Life (specialized dealer near me) :/

 

There are many good reasons to build up a frame rather than buying a complete bike.

Cost is definitely NOT one of them.

If you are starting from scratch, buying complete is going to be cheaper. Significantly.

 

As others have said, you're always going to end up spending more in the long run for a custom build then you would on a complete bike. With the last few bikes that I built, I used some parts from a previous bike and bought a new frame, fork and other items to complete the build. I don't really have a definite budget when I get into a build project, I know what I want and I get what I want and I don't add up the dollar amount when the bike is complete because I don't really want to know how much I spent. :eekster:

 

Am I the only one here that can piece together a sweet ride for cheaper than complete?

I built my Salsa Mamasita in 2009. I took my time and cherry picked the best deals I could find.
Some shop back east had a frame on the wall they were excited to finally sell. Big savings there.
Found a sweet deal at a local shop on a take off Fox F29 fork.
Hubs and a bunch of other parts from Chain Reaction when the exchange rate was favorable and shipping was free.
Cash deal with LBS for rims, spokes and wheel building.
Nickel and dimed remaining parts from online retailers and Ebay when I found sales on the parts I wanted.
All complete, I had a 29r Ht with Hope hubs, Stan's Arches, SRAM XO derailleurs, XO twisties, XT brakes, Fox fork, XTR cranks, Easton carbon bars, Thompson seat post, etc., for $2400. It took over six months to build, but it was well worth it.

 

Am I the only one here that can piece together a sweet ride for cheaper than complete?

Most could probably pull that off if they were told to take 6mo to do it.

 

Bear in mind that bikes often require specific tools. That can add to the cost of the build.

 

Thanks for the replies. A lot to think about.

On the plus side I've got a contact at a local shop who will build the bike while I help/learn for about $150.

I'm pretty savvy for online deal hunting and the Toronto Fall show is coming up. Travel to the US quite a bit so duty and taxes are a savings.

The biggest issue is I don't know enough to pick my parts. For example, if I go to the Fall show I need 3 options for the big expenses: frame, front fork, drive train, and brakes.

I'll also have to get properly fitted for a bike which is an additional $80 unless you buy from the store.

6 months to complete the task isn't so crazy. Can ride out SJ for the season and have winter to build.

What's worse is I'm not even set on fs or ht, 29 or 659b.

 

Thanks for the replies. A lot to think about.

On the plus side I've got a contact at a local shop who will build the bike while I help/learn for about $150.

Excellent! The knowledge you will gain will be priceless. What took me five years to learn will be shown to you in 3 to 5 hours. Take notes and ask questions.

 

Had to get another MTB since my 2011 Commencal SX was stolen. Bought a used 2009 Giant Revel for $170, complete. Numbers ran, not stolen. A $415 MSRP. It was all stock when I got it. I've done a Purdy's Derailleur Tweak, replaced the BB, had the wheels trued, rehauld the back hub and freewheel, placed grips and all cables. It runs really well for how cheap I got it, have even taken it on some descents with the crap Suntour XCM v2 forks and V-brakes, was not scarey, but didn't give confidence.

I currently have a box of parts I'm gathering till I have everything I want, than I'll assemble. Everything bought new through sales unless stated otherwise; (m786)XT Shadow+ 10spd for $70, SLX 10spd cassette for $55, XT M770 shifter pair(3x10) $80(currently being delivered), SLX M660 10spd Triple Crankset $112 with coupon, Avid BB7_MTB pair: bought separately, $79 and $64(damaged box with missing bolt and sticker). Avid Speed Dial 7's pair $24, XT/SunRingle Inferno31 hand built wheelset $320.

Still need; chain, preferred color housing, stem, handlebars, seatpost, pedals, tires, less than $400 front suspension and some other little parts. After I have all of it together I'll put it on the bike, and then save up for a FS frame.

**** is not cheap, because I like to descend on the bike, which kills clothing, I buy most my clothing second hand and keep track of sales instead of impulse shopping. I also own most all the tools one would need for repairs, this is because shops costing a lot for minor issues I can fix whenever I want/need to.

 

I like to descend on the bike, which kills clothing, I buy most my clothing second hand and keep track of sales instead of impulse shopping.

You must go REALLY fast for it to do damage to clothing.

 

On thing to say about building custom frame up is that yes, it will most likely be more expensive in the long run, but if you are on a tight budget and don't want to drop a large chunk of change at one time, you can build piece by piece over a few months...if you are patient. A couple hundred here and a couple hundred there is usually more manageable.

 

I take personal pride in building up frames to my own specs. I know every piece on the bike was assembled correctly and with love. 29er SS Hardtails are my ride of choice and it's not overly complicated to outfit and assemble your own sweet custom. With the area and riding you describe you do, a 29" SS may be a decent choice for you. I'm 6'3, 220, and 45. Sure it costs a bit more but in my sick little mind it's worth it. Shop around for deals and don't be afraid to buy gently used parts. Buy decent tools and they'll last you. Specialty tools would be 2 torque wrenches (lower and upper range), BB socket, freewheel socket, some cone and hex wrenches. You can make your own headset press from some threaded stock and large washers, Crown race tool from a piece of PVC, headset removal tool from a section of copper pipe. The only thing I don't have the patience for is shock rebuilds and wheel building - I'll gladly pay somebody to do those!

 

building you own bike is fun....maybe not the least expensive way to go, but you learn a ton and when you ride a bike you built yourself you know you handpicked every single part....
of course you can't blame the mechanic when stuff goes wrong

 

Going to Toronto Fall show to see what's around but I'm leaning towards a built bike. Realistically I'm lucky to get the amount of riding I do, let alone build a frame up. Would be a great experience but I should probably put the time to better riding technique.

Thanks for the replies. Have a good one.

 

One thing is guaranteed, it will be more expensive than buying a complete bike on a similar close out. It can be a good way to go if you're picky about exactly what you want though.

 

Built my own

I built out a Lurcher single speed. End result was about 21 lbs but strong enough to support my 210 lbs
Beside the frame, which was $500, the other expensive items were:

Wheels Stans Notube Arch $539.95
Fork RockShox Reba Air $425.00
Brakes XT Icetech $ 99.98/ea

I bought nothing off ebay and used no used parts. The LBS charged $125 to assist in the assembly as I did not have tools for the BB or crown race. They also "educated" me on some of my minor mistakes as this was my first build. It took 4 months to find all of the parts, wait for a sale (in some cases) and build the bike. I could have saved about 10% more if I stretched it out to 6+ months, maybe more by buying some parts off ebay.

I was not the cheapest single speed. I could have built the frame out for $500 less and added 4-5 lbs, but in this case I got what I wanted.

The end price was $2011.