REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

Who here Built there Bike

2240 Views 28 Replies 24 Participants Last post by SteveUK, Jul 10, 2006

ironbike1

Discussion Starter · Jul 8, 2006

I have a couple friends that think I am crazy to buy a new bike & replace it's compnents for top quality parts. I bought an Ironhorse Warrior team se & started to replace different things on it that I didn't like. The frame felt great & the bike it's self had a great feel for me so I bought it, mainly for the frame as a base to build from. Since I have uprgraded to the clipless pedals, rear derailleur to Shimano XT & installed a new Easton EA50 Stem as well as having a race face evolve handlebar on order. I dont think I am crazy I think I am just enjoying having a good time building up the bike. I spent $400 on the frame & have spent another $125 on upgrades:thumbsup:
On their behalf I guess I can say they spent top $$$ on bikes so that they didn't have to replace/upgrade however I couldn't find anyone bike that I liked everything on it. The ones that did were out of my price range.

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cbc

· #2 · Jul 8, 2006

I built my bike recently too. Yeah, my wife espically thinks I'm crazy. I spent about $500 total (not counting costs of parts from old bike) on a Santa Cruz Bullit

Got the frame from one guy, a Marzocchi Z1 MCR fork from another guy, new chain, and just threw the rest of my old parts on it. It's a great bike, and fits me well- something you can't really get from an off the shelf bike, you know?

Clay

BShow

· #3 · Jul 8, 2006

I bought my Stumpjumper in 1998. Along the way, I've bought lots new upgraded parts. If something broke, it got upgraded. If I found a good deal on a great part, I bought it. Right now, I've very happy with the way my bike is set up. It fits me perfectly, and performs just about flawlessly(although, I do need a new rear wheel) I have to save some cash for that one. I'm rambling.

My point being, I think what you are doing is great. By gradually improving the components on your bike, you will be able to feel the subtle differences from one part to another. You will be more "in touch" with your bike. You'll know it better, and subsequently you will become a better rider. More importantly, you will have more or less a custom ride that fits you the way YOU want it to fit, not the way Iron horse wants it to fit.

nativeson

· #4 · Jul 8, 2006

bikes/parts buying becomes an addiction

Critking

· #5 · Jul 8, 2006

I have built 3 bikes in the past two years. It is nice to hand pick each and every component that goes on a frame. You can sit there and compare weights and prices and make solid decisions. The only drawback is that it is always more expensive.

ironbike1

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 9, 2006

BShow: I agree with you, I know my bike very well & I like making it fit me correctly so that I can ride it comfortably & make it perform for me.

Als it is an addiction

And finally I forgot to mention, CBC my wife thinks I am crazy aswell.:thumbsup:

Hecubus

· #7 · Jul 9, 2006

I have always built my own bikes for the last 7 or so years. Preassembled bikes for me are a waste since I will never find one that has anywhere near all the components I like. I will hardly even consider anything that isn't sold as a frameset only. Just buy my own group of parts, exactly what I want and that is what gets carried over from frame to frame until it wears, breaks, or gets swapped for something else.

G-VegasMTBiker

· #8 · Jul 9, 2006

nativeson said:
bikes/parts buying becomes an addiction

I definetly agree, just had the talk with my Gf......she's right for most part

....but i do plan on cutting back

Rollin'in'Zona

· #9 · Jul 9, 2006

Hecubus said:
I have always built my own bikes for the last 7 or so years... Preassembled bikes for me are a waste since I will never find one that has anywhere near all the components I like. I will hardly even consider anything that isn't sold as a frameset only. Just buy my own group of parts, exactly what I want and that is what gets carried over from frame to frame until it wears, breaks, or gets swapped for something else.

Ditto. :thumbsup:

Sideknob

· #10 · Jul 9, 2006

I've yet to own a bike where I haven't changed things. Even my first crappy 18 speed cast iron MTB got upgraded with different bar, stem and rubber.

I'm doing a Tomac Taos at the moment and loving every minute of it. When it's finished I'm gonna sing the old Marine rifle song as I first hit the dirt:

"This is my bike, there are many LIKE it, but this one is MINE!"

Call_me_Clyde

· #11 · Jul 9, 2006

1 from scratch, 1 customized

I built my Leader 626S full suspension rig from scratch and upgraded my Ibex B-24 RSR to the point now that the only original part on the bike is the frame. If you have the patience and know how it's a greta way to go. As for your upgrades, it's a very common practice. We all have our preferences, and it's very hard to find a bike that we like 100% right out of the box.

Bob

Eric Hoefer

· #12 · Jul 9, 2006

I built my last two hardtails from the frame up, it was a great time and its just nice knowing that I know how to properly fix things when they break.

tootsjofus

· #13 · Jul 9, 2006

This should be in the passion section. I love building them almost as much as I love riding them. I have built 3 so far. One roadie, one hardtail and the latest is below. On this last one I even built the wheels. I couldn't even imagine getting a bike off the rack anymore.

https://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i155/edossin4/97a7ba24.jpg

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psunuc

· #14 · Jul 9, 2006

I built my first bike (HT) and I recently just built up my first FS. I find it cheaper and you will also have a better understanding of the parts and how to fine tune them. If you aren't mechanically inclined it may become difficult....especially when that front derailleur is not cooperating.

sonyisdope

· #15 · Jul 9, 2006

Yeah, parts buying is definetly an addiction. Fortunately, my wife is addicted too. I've found that for under $1000, you can't go wrong with a pre-built bike. Once you get above $1000, you can start to really pick and choose what you want on a good hardtail, above $1500, you can get into some nice full suspension bikes where you pick and choose your parts. Beyond that, the sky's the limit!

RIDE OR DIE

· #16 · Jul 9, 2006 (Edited)

2

I Love To Build!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These are my two lastest, I figured I didn't want the Trek (nice street bike but not for the rigors of the trail) so I sold it and the proceeds enabled me to build my KLEIN. You aren't kidding about learning about the ins and outs of bike building. It's challenging as well as rewarding. AND YOU CAN'T BLAME THE BIKE SHOP WHEN YOU DID SOMETHING WRONG!!!!!!!!!! LOL Nothing like the hunt for quality parts at discount prices, I will go to the far ends of the earth instead of having my LBS charge me 2hrs of labor for 15mins of work, they are as bad as car dealerships. Total componentes on the Trek SU200 ran me about $600.00(new) on my own as compared to $1150.00(minus labor) at the LBS. and for the Klein about $1200.00 on my own as compared to $1975.00 at the LBS.

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scrublover

· #17 · Jul 9, 2006

the last bike i bought that wasn't built by myself was way back in 1992. every one since then has been assembled by me; wouldn't have it any other way. other than having my wheels built up by someone else.

DeeEight

· #18 · Jul 9, 2006

The last time I bought a bike and used it as it left the store was in 1992. Ever since I've built them from the frame up. Sometimes I'll buy a complete bike just to strip it down to the frame and change everything, including in the case of my Giant Warp a few years ago, the original rear shock.

Heck, I'm such a tinkerer for bikes that I'll pull stuff out of the trash behind a bike store to make some usage out of it. Got a frame the other day that some previous owner had gotten the seatpost stuck in, cut it down, then tried hammering the stuck post remains down into the frame. Guess he thought he could just pound it down like 8" and stick a new post into it. Anyways, It was a chromoly frame with an alloy post in it, so between drilling the BB shell to get a steel rod into it from the bottom (to hammer the post out with) and using a propane torch to heat the seattube and expand it, then rapid-quench with water to shock the alloy post loose, and guess what? It worked. So once I repaint the seattube it'll make a decent frame for making a ubercheap commuter or something out of.

And before anyone goes... "won't the torching and quenching weaken the frame" I'll point out that it wasn't a heat-treated chromoly frame to begin with, that plain old 4130 chromoly in its annealed and rapid-quenched state is still extremely strong stuff (like around 80,000psi tensile and yeild strength, that's double what a heat-treated aluminium like 6061 or 7005 used in bike frames is), and that a small propane torch can't get hot enough to do anything to the joint filler (it was fillet brazed using brass filler and the aluminium post would have turned completely liquid 300 degrees sooner than the brass would have, and just flowed out of the tube, which it never came close to doing).

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ironbike1

Discussion Starter · #19 · Jul 9, 2006

I had a feeling more people actually put there own bikes together. I am very happy so far with all the upgrades I have done to my bike. I just need a better handlebar & lighter seatpost next.

grawbass

· #20 · Jul 9, 2006

Hecubus said:
I have always built my own bikes for the last 7 or so years. Preassembled bikes for me are a waste since I will never find one that has anywhere near all the components I like. I will hardly even consider anything that isn't sold as a frameset only. Just buy my own group of parts, exactly what I want and that is what gets carried over from frame to frame until it wears, breaks, or gets swapped for something else.

Pretty much word for word how I feel about my bikes.

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