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This seems like a good forum for this topic: how do you cope during the weeks and months it can take to get your custom frame? It seems that the 29er board would have more than its fair share of people who got custom frames, given the nature of 29ers.
Here is may sad story. I built a Pugsley (a pseudo 29er, to be sure), fell in love, sold it off in a fit of retail brilliance/madness, and ordered a custom Fatbike/DeSalvo replacement. Now some schmuck in Alaska is a couple thousand miles from here putting my former steed through its paces in sub zero temps with a big frozen grin on his face. Putting aside, for the moment, the widsom of selling the Pugs, I am stuck in a sort of classic waiting zone between the time when I plunk down my chunk o' change, and the time when my dream machine is actually in my sweaty little palms.
Having never done this before, I was unprepared the the anxiety involved. Sure, I had heard of it before. I had talked to people who have ordered a custom frame and have had to wait for it to arrive. I yawned at their stories. I was completely unsympathetic. How bad could it be, I reasoned, having to pass the time for a few months while you waited for your hedonistic indulgence to arrive. Hard to dredge up a lot of heartfelt concern over that. Hmph. Even the stories I have read on this forum failed to move me, I admit. I sold off the object of my lust presuming that I would be strong and able to withstand this. After all, I am in the business. I get pretty much whatever I want and if it does not work out I sell it off and break even. No big. I should be a jaded, grizzled, cynical consumer when it comes to stuff like this.
But all I can say at this point is: ARRRGGGHHHH!!!! Cant...take...it...much...longer. Must....talk...like...this.... OMG, I have become the worst kind of customer there is. I feel like bugging the frame maker every day. I want to call the paint shop and talk about color schemes. I want to get pictures of bikes and draw funny patterns on them to help me decide how it should look. I change my mind about paint and components about three times a day. One day while I was deep in thought considering the merits of various color schemes, my wife poked me on the shoulder...
"Hun?", she said, patiently.
"Wah - huh?", I replied.
"You just drove past the exit for our house."
"Huh, yeah. Hey, why didn't you warn me!"
Yeah, its a personal problem. It is called obsessive-compulsive behavior. I have a great excuse. My gene pool is full of it. Get me in a room with my brothers when each of us is behind on our bills, or buying a new Harley, or marrying off a son, or whatever. We can talk all day, and not one single remark will be made in response to any other remark anyone else makes, and at the end of the day, none of us will remember what the others said. We can never say our Dad never gave us anything.
So, my question is this. Have other custom frame buyers experienced similar stress and distraction? Am I going mad? How did you deal with it? Is it possible to cope? Should I take up needlepoint? Does running down the street stark naked screaming like a lunatic help?
And, oh yeah, what do you think of an all polished/silver components scheme? I mean, everyone is going with all black components now, it is getting so cliche. Anodized colors like red and blue fade unevenly, and scratches show up so bad on black. Silver is very practical, and looks classy, I think, but maybe it is going overboard to go all silver, may just a few black bits would be OK, besides, the rims I want are only available in black, so maybe I would be better off mixing or not worrying about it so much........
Here is may sad story. I built a Pugsley (a pseudo 29er, to be sure), fell in love, sold it off in a fit of retail brilliance/madness, and ordered a custom Fatbike/DeSalvo replacement. Now some schmuck in Alaska is a couple thousand miles from here putting my former steed through its paces in sub zero temps with a big frozen grin on his face. Putting aside, for the moment, the widsom of selling the Pugs, I am stuck in a sort of classic waiting zone between the time when I plunk down my chunk o' change, and the time when my dream machine is actually in my sweaty little palms.
Having never done this before, I was unprepared the the anxiety involved. Sure, I had heard of it before. I had talked to people who have ordered a custom frame and have had to wait for it to arrive. I yawned at their stories. I was completely unsympathetic. How bad could it be, I reasoned, having to pass the time for a few months while you waited for your hedonistic indulgence to arrive. Hard to dredge up a lot of heartfelt concern over that. Hmph. Even the stories I have read on this forum failed to move me, I admit. I sold off the object of my lust presuming that I would be strong and able to withstand this. After all, I am in the business. I get pretty much whatever I want and if it does not work out I sell it off and break even. No big. I should be a jaded, grizzled, cynical consumer when it comes to stuff like this.
But all I can say at this point is: ARRRGGGHHHH!!!! Cant...take...it...much...longer. Must....talk...like...this.... OMG, I have become the worst kind of customer there is. I feel like bugging the frame maker every day. I want to call the paint shop and talk about color schemes. I want to get pictures of bikes and draw funny patterns on them to help me decide how it should look. I change my mind about paint and components about three times a day. One day while I was deep in thought considering the merits of various color schemes, my wife poked me on the shoulder...
"Hun?", she said, patiently.
"Wah - huh?", I replied.
"You just drove past the exit for our house."
"Huh, yeah. Hey, why didn't you warn me!"
Yeah, its a personal problem. It is called obsessive-compulsive behavior. I have a great excuse. My gene pool is full of it. Get me in a room with my brothers when each of us is behind on our bills, or buying a new Harley, or marrying off a son, or whatever. We can talk all day, and not one single remark will be made in response to any other remark anyone else makes, and at the end of the day, none of us will remember what the others said. We can never say our Dad never gave us anything.
So, my question is this. Have other custom frame buyers experienced similar stress and distraction? Am I going mad? How did you deal with it? Is it possible to cope? Should I take up needlepoint? Does running down the street stark naked screaming like a lunatic help?
And, oh yeah, what do you think of an all polished/silver components scheme? I mean, everyone is going with all black components now, it is getting so cliche. Anodized colors like red and blue fade unevenly, and scratches show up so bad on black. Silver is very practical, and looks classy, I think, but maybe it is going overboard to go all silver, may just a few black bits would be OK, besides, the rims I want are only available in black, so maybe I would be better off mixing or not worrying about it so much........
