Building Your First Bike

[hairingtons]

Coming back to road riding after about 10 years out of it (bar the short ride to work) and I've decided to build myself a bike. Just wondering if anyone has any good guides or tips. Anything I should leave to the local bike shop? Try it all myself?

I've bought a Bianchi aluminium frame and will be slowly buying bits as and when I can find what I want.

 

[Hacienda71]

I would get your LBS to fit your Fork crown race and star nut unless you have the tools yourself (you don't get them in a standard bike tool kit). Other than that it depends how competant you feel and if you have the appropriate tools for the job.

 

[rh100]

Plus one to the above, most other stuff should be doable if your willing to learn, your lbs can always be a fall back if you get stuck.

 

[hairingtons]

I used to be fairly competent but out of practice these day. Was thinking headset/forks and bottom bracket would be worth getting done by LBS.

I see a few people from Manchester here, any recommendations on bike shops for 2nd hand parts. I'm in South Manc, work in city centre.

 

[Andy_R]

You can make the tools to install headset, fork crown race, and star nut yourself. 8mm threaded bar for headset, 6mm for star nut, suitable sized washers and repair plates, capnuts etc. works exactly the same way that professionally manufatured tools do at a fraction of the cost.

Homemade headset press

Starnut installation

(for the star nut I found that an old sparkplug socket with a large repair washer worked perfectly as a centering bush instead of the blue thing in the video)

 

[Hacienda71]

I used to be fairly competent but out of practice these day. Was thinking headset/forks and bottom bracket would be worth getting done by LBS.

I see a few people from Manchester here, any recommendations on bike shops for 2nd hand parts. I'm in South Manc, work in city centre.

Rick Greens in Handforth on Wilmslow Road are a friendly knowledgable family run LBS

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Plus one to the above, most other stuff should be doable if your willing to learn, your lbs can always be a fall back if you get stuck.

What he said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^