building a road bike

[mr Mag00]

should i build up a bike from sale and last years parts am i going to save money and learn about building at the same time? should also include some tools to complete the build?

any experience of doing this out there?


cheers

 

[kyuss]

I built my own a few years back. LBS wanted £100 for a frame swap and I thought bugger that. £40 on tools and the help of the Park Tools site and everything was off the old bike and on the new frame within an afternoon. There's now nothing I can't do in the way of maintenance (except build wheels) and I've since built a couple more.

Couldn't say if it would save you money (I didn't), but it's fun, very satisfying and by far the best way to learn about bikes.

 

[Night Train]

Building up bikes, especially if doing a frame change, is an easy way to learn what things do, how they go together and what can go wrong. Building from scratch requires a bit more knowledge in working out what you need and how it goes together but even that can be great fun to research.

Wheel building is fiddly the first few times. I practised lots before I even got close to getting a good wheel. I used to photograph a wheel before rebuilding it to make sure I was doing it right.

Ultimately it is worth doing if you are going to enjoy the process.

 

[gbb]

90% of its easy MrMagoo...i couldnt believe how easy most of it was.
My work is on the tools, so i dont have any worries there, and i could strip and rebuild a freewheel sprocket at 13...but until last year, i'd never built a whole bike.
The ony tools i really needed were a cassette remover ( IIRC, that will do the BB as well), crankarm tool, pedal spanners ( i used normal spanners and ground them thinner with an angle grinder) and all the normal tools....didnt need a chainwhip. I have large spanners that would do a threaded headset...you might need the proper ones.
BB replacement ( old style cups and axle to a new style sealed unit )...easy
Strip or replace a headset...easy.
Setting up the front derailleur...quite tricky. Took me a few goes to get it set right.
Rear mech..easy'ish. Use youtube...there are a few videos there showing you what to do. Its easy when you know how.
The knack is to anayse things as you strip them, remember how it goes back together. I used a digital camera to record it in different stages..like the headset for instance.

You get enormous satisfaction from doing it.

 

[fossyant]

My road bikes were built up by me - had the wheels hand built by the LBS, but everything else was put together...mine wasn't a cost saving thing - you just didn't get off the shelf bikes then..... !

Bikes are easy to build - don't rush it, get the tools (yep it will cost - but you will use them if you intend to be a cyclist all your life - not a passing fad)....

They are easy to maintain - little and often, with a few major services every 6-12 months.

 

[P.H]

If you find exactly what you want off the peg, it will probably work out cheaper.
If you find something close to what you want, then start replacing stuff before it's worn out it'll probably be dearer.
The only way I've ever managed to get exactly what I want is to spec every part, if I'm doing that I may as well put it together.

 

[robbarker]

There's now nothing I can't do in the way of maintenance (except build wheels) and I've since built a couple more.

Couldn't say if it would save you money (I didn't), but it's fun, very satisfying and by far the best way to learn about bikes.

The more I've learned about bike mechanics, the more I have realised that there is always more to learn. Assembling bikes from new components that are designed to work together is great fun and very educational, but ultimately easy. (Also very easy to do incorrectly or lazily)

Most people move on to wheel building next. After this you tend to find out about problem diagnosis and repair. This is when you get into bending frames back into alignment, facing and tapping bottom brackets, facing and reaming head tubes (things you should be doing when assembling a new bike but don't know about the first time round!), drilling and tapping damaged threads, angle-grinding and cutting seized components to remove them from a frame that is going to be reused and so on.

Mountain bikes open another pandora's box of mechanical knowledge, with suspension systems and hydraulic brakes that need to be mastered.

Just when you think you're there, the manufacturers come out with something new - electronic shifting anyone?

There is always more to learn..

 

[Destry]

I just completed a build and found it hugely satisfying. It was the first time I've tried it and the only setback I had was a rear gear cable unravelling when I tried to feed it through, which ruined the cable and of course it happened on a Sunday when the LBS was closed!

I don't think I saved any money, probably the reverse, because who can resist paying a little extra for that bit of bike bling you've always promised yourself? And my guess is that bike manufacturers pay 30-40% of retail when buying componentry, whereas you will probably average 20% off if you shop around. I bought quite a lot of good quality second hand stuff on ebay - the very best components seem to last really well, and I have some ten-year-old parts that work beautifully.

Getting the headset in was a bit nerve-wracking as if you bang it in at the wrong angle it will deform rather than straighten itself out. I spent an awful lot of time winding the BB in and out to make absolutely sure I didn't have any grit in there and wasn't going to damage the threads, which is easily done when using heavy tools.

Everything else is fiddly rather than difficult. Like all these things, the real problems arise when dealing with damaged or seized parts.

Go for it!

Tom

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

Can never have too many tools and there is a lot of satisfaction in building it yourself - and you will probably do as good a job as you will be careful about it.

Get a chain whip, cassette spanner, cheap torque wrench, cable cutters and a tool for the BB. I'll take it as read that you have a socket set, spanners and allen keys. Don't necessarily need a stand but they do make things easier but they aren't cheap.

I would get the headset fitted professionally though.

 

[mr Mag00]

my main reason for doing so was to buy older frame and components and save money with sales gear. i think i have the technical knowhow with a road bike i wouldn't even look at an mtb just yet i still get that serviced when i get it serviced

 

[fossyant]

Any off the shelf bike I've ever bought, being decent, or a cheapie for my family, has been striped where needed and re-assembled..... but that's my OCD.............

 

[bobg]

The more I've learned about bike mechanics, the more I have realised that there is always more to learn. Assembling bikes from new components that are designed to work together is great fun and very educational, but ultimately easy. (Also very easy to do incorrectly or lazily)
..

Trouble is, trying to assemble bikes from second hand bits that arent can be a bit of a pain in the arse.. but I still love it ...

 

[yenrod]

Trouble is, trying to assemble bikes from second hand bits that arent can be a bit of a pain in the arse.. but I still love it ...

'Bodging things' is a good way of doing things...in an emergency...

Serves you well to be inventive to get the bike on the road if you cant get to a good bike shop...

Cycle maintenance is easy: most things are just allen key'd on or off nowadays and there aint much grease involved too as most stuff is fit and forget.

I go 15yrs out of a shimano BB: yeah even I was amazed. - The only deal with these is the weight: but the longevity...