[Steady Grind]

So, I'm jonesing for a Gary Fisher Superfly hardtail 29er. It seems to be the perfect bike for my area. I'm only about 3 years into mountain biking and am still learning. So, my question is this:

In a perfect world, I'd just walk in to the bike shop and buy the bike already assembled and ready to roll. But with a $4,399 price tag on the '09's I'd have to save for a few years!! Has anyone had any experience with buying a frame and building off of it as opposed to just buying outright from the shop?

Does anyone have any rough ideas about how much $$ a person can save by buying the frame and components seperately and assembling them yourself to have an identical end product in comparison to what you'd walk out of the bike shop with?

Here is a link to the components that this bike comes with from the bike shop if it will help you to answer this question: http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/superfly/fullspecs

Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[lyndonchen]

Imo: if you're looking in the $4400 range, I'd build. You can score good deals on components on mtbr and ebay. If you can forgo the really expensive parts (X.0) and be flexible on the exact component list I'm sure you can build a similar bike up for much much less.

How much does the frame cost, and how set on it are you?

 

[CupOfJava]

edited

 

[CupOfJava]

edited

 

[Steady Grind]

Lyndonchen: Ya, I'd definitely be flexible on the components....as for the frame, I can't find it anywhere (yet)...I'm not sure what the cost would be on that. So far all I can find is the whole bike, not the frame alone. I am kinda set on that specific frame though (so far).

CupofJava Those prices you posted are much more manageable than $4400! I'm wondering what those set-ups would cost as a single unit out of a bike shop though? Any guesses???

 

[CupOfJava]

Lyndonchen: Ya, I'd definitely be flexible on the components....as for the frame, I can't find it anywhere (yet)...I'm not sure what the cost would be on that. So far all I can find is the whole bike, not the frame alone. I am kinda set on that specific frame though (so far).

CupofJava Those prices you posted are much more manageable than $4400! I'm wondering what those set-ups would cost as a single unit out of a bike shop though? Any guesses???

Each of the bikes I posted would be in the $4000-$5000 range at most bike shops. The difference would be in the warranty and service which you wouldn't get when you build a bike up from the ground like I have. But I'm not too worried about that because I'd like to think I know myself around a bike well enough not to need the extra attention some other's would need from a bike shop. And if I were to ever break a frame, I have saved enough to justify buying another frame without losing out because of not having a warranty.

 

[agabriel]

All of the online vendors seems to bring a solid pricepoint to something. If you look around and keep track of what you want with a spreadsheet I think you will find constant savings. Thats what I have been doing with my build, and I'm saving lots of money with it.

I'm purchasing mainly XT level parts

Anthony

 

[Steady Grind]

CupOfJava, thanks for the advice....while I'm not 100% confident in my bike assembling abilities, fortunately I have enough friends who I have confidence in that can help me out!

Sounds like buying seperate components and building myself is the way to go. Now all I need to do is find out where I can find a GF Superfly 29er frame as a stand alone! Any ideas?? (I've checked e-bay and done google searches with no success so far)

 

[lyndonchen]

Sounds like buying seperate components and building myself is the way to go. Now all I need to do is find out where I can find a GF Superfly 29er frame as a stand alone! Any ideas?? (I've checked e-bay and done google searches with no success so far)

Post in the 29er forum, maybe someone has a source there.

 

[CupOfJava]

CupOfJava, thanks for the advice....while I'm not 100% confident in my bike assembling abilities, fortunately I have enough friends who I have confidence in that can help me out!

Sounds like buying seperate components and building myself is the way to go. Now all I need to do is find out where I can find a GF Superfly 29er frame as a stand alone! Any ideas?? (I've checked e-bay and done google searches with no success so far)

If you're searching on ebay I have a few tips. Don't narrow yourself to just one frame. Be open to a couple different brands that you like. Just in case a good deal comes up. You can usually find a good "buy it now" deal but you'll have to be one of the first people to see it to get it. So search often. I usually keep a book mark of each of my searches and periodically look a few times a day. If you're going to bid, bid within 24 hours of the end of the auction. Don't bid when it's more time, you'll limit your options if another deal comes up before then. I recommend bidding your max bid once and leave it at that. If you get beat oh well there's always next time. There is no benefit to waiting until there's 30 seconds or less left to bid.

You can try craigslist or the MTBR classifieds also. The GF Superfly isn't a very popular frame build so I wouldn't expect to see to many on ebay. If you find one I would expect those to go for anywhere from $400-600 depending on the condition. $500 for a nice one in mint condition. $600 for a brand new one. You could probably do a complete XT build for under $1500.

 

[Steady Grind]

Thanks for all the advice everyone!!

 

[cycljunkie]

My $0.02 worth. If you buy a complete bike there always seems to be 1 or 2 components in the build that are kind of lame (no matter what price point). You end up spending more money to swap those out. Spec. the bike yourself and build it up yourself.

1. You end up with exactly what you want.
2. You can shop online for the best deals.
3. Building a bike is half the fun of owning a new one.