How Hard can it be? (bike build?)

[raleighnut]

To those of you alluding to older frames being a little more difficult - I hear ya loud and clear. I'm a horrendous googler with such matters.

That Gios isn't that old, my 'mystery maker (no badges or frame no) Reynolds 653 frame is around the same age and modern stuff slipped on a treat although if I did it now I would have gone Ultegra/Dura-ace with it rather than Campagnolo (it had a Campy head set and seat post when I got it)
Carbon frames are good but steel frames like that do not come up that often and have much more 'exclustivity' and are so much more 'eclectic' than any 'plastic frame' ever could be. If I had the money and the space I'd buy it.
Shame the seller 'parted it' for bits instead of selling it complete as it nearly made it to 'bike porn' for me.

 

[mythste]

The cutting tools for facing, reaming & tapping the BB shell, seat tube, head tube and fork crown are too expensive for the home mechanic.
If you are buying a new frame, you should always check that it is or will be prepared for building up, and pay for preparation if necessary.

This is interesting. I presumed that most new frames would be ready to be "bolted together" and then just fettled and adjusted as necessary. What in particular are the buzzwords I should be looking for/avoiding for that kind of thing?

 

[Bodhbh]

It's not that hard. You just need the right fitting tools and a bit of a googling around the compatability issues. That said, I normally find there's *something* that comes up that stops you mid-build - nothing that can't be worked around - but don't have the expectation to have a pile of bike bits in the morning and be riding it about in it's final state by the afternoon. Also don't expect to save any money doing it.

Vintage bikes are a headache in themselves, with compatability issues, different set of tools required and the need to go bending and hacking at things you would have prefered to leave well alone. I've found that out the hard way of late.