Anyone ever built a bike from parts and not off the shelf?

[Mushroomgodmat]

So...bought a hybrid bike 6 months back, and now I'm looking to kinda upgrade, but I don't really want to buy a new bike. I'm thinking I might by the parts from eBay and put the thing together myself.

Obviously this is something iv never done, and it's something of a pipe dream currently (a small project if you like), but I was wondering if anyone had any advice - are there mistakes, or correct plans of action I need to look out for?

My needs are pretty simple....

Less gears - kinda find the 20+ gears I currently have mostly useless. Would be happy with 3-6

Light - my current bike is pretty heavy

Simple - my current bike (though nice) has disc brakes and front suspension...I just want something more simple.


Is it madness to think I could do this myself, should I just go and buy a new bike, has anyone bought a frame from eBay and them bought the remaining components ?

 

[barnesy]

Im planning to buy a carbon frame from ebay and build it up with the groupset from my current bike.

For 3-6 gears you could look at a hub gear, it will be light enough and definitely very simple to run and clean.

I have an alfine 8 speed hub bike and it took me round france on all sorts of terrain so they give a good range

 

[smokeysmoo]

I built a fixed gear conversion out of an 80's Peugeot I bought off ebay. You can do it for not many pennies, or you can do it the way I did

There is something extremely satisfying from standing back and thinking, I built that

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I built my girlfriend's first tourer - which we've still got - out of a Claud Butler MTB frame I found in a wheelie bin and some stuff out of my bits box. It's easy, you just need a bit of mechanical nouse and a good selection of bits.
Simplest way to get "3-6 gears" is just to have a single chainring on the front. That's what I did with my commuter. It might be worth keeping the front derailleur, just to keep the chain from jumping off when you move the rear derailleur.

 

[tyred]

Definitely. Virtually all my bikes have come in kit form.

Ideally, you would start with a frame from an old steel racer. Reynolds tubing is best but I wouldn't turn my nose up at a cheaper hi-ten frame if it's nice condition and the right size for you. My Peugeot UO-8 isn't exactly light but rides very well. Parts and frames can be bought quite cheaply on ebay sometimes if you have the patience or look for something incorrectly listed. Just don't get carried away, something else will come along!

If you only want 3-6 gears, Sturmey Archer hub gears are worth considering and very practical. It would add expense though as finding an AW hub built into a 27" rim is rare and finding one built into a 700c rim is even rarer so you would probably need to have a new wheel built.

My advice would be to buy a complete bike that has spent 20 years lying unused in someones garage rather than just a bare frame. You'd be surprised at what can be re-used with a bit of TLC and that keeps costs down considerably. Just be aware of potential problems with the bottom bracket on very old Raleigh frames (non standard thread and wider than usual) and also old French bikes can throw up odd components but the bottom bracket in an old French bike can be replaced with a threadless bottom bracket.

Just keep an eye out as you go about your daily business. Potentially nice bikes have a habit of popping up in strange places - charity shops, junk shops, skips, wheelie bins, dumps, car boot sales, car scrap yards, small adds on supermarket notice boards, local papers, etc.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Yeah. It is a highly involving, engaging and enjoyable experience interspersed with bouts of depression, frustration, anger and tool buying depending on your choice of frame....

You can go two ways; a fairly current frame, or and old skool retro frame. The former is easy as you can walk into just about any LBS and get parts to fit. The later needs a bit more thought and patience. The simplest bike of all is the ordinary but we will assume you don't want to build one of those (chortle) so in daimond frame world the simplest is the fixed; one gear one front brake, then the single speed; one gear with a freewheel and two brakes, then a two speed bike with a kickback hub (no shifters and a coaster rear brake), then a three speed hub, and then onwards and upwards...

the retrobike forum has loads of stuff and wisdom if old(er) bikes are your thing and there are multiple websites selling fixed/singlespeed conversion bits with loads of advice on them (charlie the bikemonger and velosolo spring to mind if the ultimate in simplicity is your goal)

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I bought an old 70s 531c frame from Hilary Stone when he was flogging stuff on ebay, good price too for a nice hand-made one. I then treated it to a new Campagnolo groupset which I bought piecemeal as I wanted all silver and the trend was grays and black. Quest lightweight wheel and trad handlebars with quill stem. Could have bought a new bike cheaper but I enjoyed putting it all together. Be prepared to swear a lot though, or is that f*cking just me!

 

[palinurus]

My last commute bike was a bits box build from a eBay frame (£35). I even time-trialled on it a few times.

My 'cross bike was built from a frame I bought on this forum, but I used mostly new parts for that. Wasn't so cheap that way, obviously, but a little cheaper than new.

 

[Chrisz]

I bought my current ride as a frameset (Orbea Onix '09) and then built it up with my choice of components - a mix of Campag SR11, TRP carbon brakes, Fulcrum RRS chainset, Cinelli Ram integrated bars/stem, ebay carbon/Ti seatpost & Fizik saddle. Finished off with a set of Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLR wheels - unique and rides like a dream

I found it great fun getting everythig together and fitting it all and it means the bike is exactly to my spec (now looking to save for a new frame!).

 

[armedwiththeword]

I have built two 29ers from the frame up buying parts on ebay. I find it very enjoyable and satisfying having a machine you built yourself. It may cost more than an off the shelf bike, but worth it to get exactly what you want. Just make sure all the parts are compatible.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I much prefer stuff which exists against all the odds, if you see what I mean. I've built bikes from bits I've had lying around, guitars the same way and I even once put one good car together from the bits of two scrappers. I find things like this infinitely more interesting than shiny new bicycles, no matter what the quality.

 

[PpPete]

Just make sure all the parts are compatible.

Easier said than done !
It all used to be so simple - all British bikes were mutually compatible (except Raleigh which sometimes had some different threads)
When I started as CC member it took 6 months of learning all the new stuff that's come along since "indexed" gears at the end of the 1980s, before I was confident enough to start buying parts off ebay to gradually upgrade a bike that was already in working order.

For a simple and maintainable system with a limited spread of gears I'd go for a single chain ring and an 8 speed cassette, (probably have to spread the rear triangle of an old steel frame to accommodate a modern wheel) but that's just me. An old 6 speed freewheel & derailleur is another option - or some form of hub gear as others have mentioned.

Just don't assume it will be cheaper than a new bike, unless you already have or can borrow the tools and are prepared to be very patient waiting for the right bargains to come up on ebay - or on CC Classifieds.

Fascinating & enjoyable - yes, cheap - no..... and beware it is addictive !

 

[XC26]

So...bought a hybrid bike 6 months back, and now I'm looking to kinda upgrade, but I don't really want to buy a new bike. I'm thinking I might by the parts from eBay and put the thing together myself.

Obviously this is something iv never done, and it's something of a pipe dream currently (a small project if you like), but I was wondering if anyone had any advice - are there mistakes, or correct plans of action I need to look out for?

My needs are pretty simple....

Less gears - kinda find the 20+ gears I currently have mostly useless. Would be happy with 3-6

Light - my current bike is pretty heavy

Simple - my current bike (though nice) has disc brakes and front suspension...I just want something more simple.


Is it madness to think I could do this myself, should I just go and buy a new bike, has anyone bought a frame from eBay and them bought the remaining components ?

Most of the bikes in my family are done this way. As I was finding it too much to maintain 5 derailleur bikes, in use daily throughout the year, I decided to convert the family fleet to hub gears. This meant obtaining bikes with horizontal dropouts, either new single speeds or old bikes on ebay. I built the wheels using hub gears and drum brakes from SJS cycles, rims from old bikes (if they were in good condition and had correct number of spoke holes) and spokes from chain reaction cycles.

 

[HJ]

I was given a frame from a Genesis Croix de Fer (2009 model) and built up from there (the story starts here), it is a very satisfying thing to do...

 

[biggs682]

its good fun , just dont get carried away