Hello everyone:
For all you bicycle enthusist, has anyone of you ever built a bicycle by purchasing parts and putting it together? I am just wondering people who ride bikes alot build their own bikes or do they have an old bicycle and replace or upgrade the bike to their use. I am not planning on getting a bike but in the future if I decide to get another bike, I wanted to know if it made sense to build a bike or purchase a bike and upgrade from their. The reason I added touring to the title is because most likely I would a bike for commuting and touring bikes seem to be the bikes to have. I also saw a frame called the Long Haul Trucking by Surling and thought it was a cool frame to have to do commuting on. With only a modicum of mechanical skills and tools you can build your own bike. There are a couple of operations that require specialized tools and skills that you'll want to get your shop's help with:
- reaming and facing the headtube
- pressing the headset
- reaming and facing the bottom bracket
- installing the bottom bracket
Otherwise, building up a bike isn't that difficult. In fact, most bicycle assembly operations don't require much beyond a 5mm hex key and a bit of knowledge. I'd recommend getting a torque wrench than measures in inch pounds, especially if you build up a carbon bike or put carbon components on your bike.
If you decide to pursue this route, I suggest you get and read a book like: "Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair." This book does a great job of outlining all step necessary to assemble and keep a bike in good repair.
Regarding Surley, steel frame lovers, love Surly. The Long Haul Trucker has all the eyelets you could ever want for racks, etc. If you want a lighter bike, you might also want to consider some aluminum frame bikes like Trek's Portland, or perhaps some cyclocross bikes like the Redline Conquest.
The great drawback to building a bike is the cost of components. If you buy everything new, you'll spend way more building your own bike than buying an off the rack machine. Bike manufacturers get tremendous discounts by buying in bulk. Paying retail, Joe Consumer, will spend much more on all the pieces and parts it takes to build a bike. Thus, unless you already have a garage full of parts or you need and want some very esoteric components, it doesn't usually pay to build your own. Buying a bike and upgrading over time doesn't usually pay either. Given the discounts a manufacturer gets, you are usually best off buying a bike with the grade of components you ultimately want to have.
Hope this helps. economically speaking, it's cheaper to get a bike pre-spec'd from the manufacturer. buying frame, wheelset, groupo, etc will cost >2X what a similarly pre-spec'd bike would run you. still, sometimes you can't get the components you want on the frame you want.. instructables.com search bicylces The Long Haul Trucker is a most excellent frame. I have a Surly Steamroller myself, and I've seen a couple of Long Haul Truckers come through the shop. It's a good choice for the application you have in mind.
Now, on one hand, it's an interesting process to pick out all of the parts and then assemble everything. I've rebuilt two old bikes myself, took them down to nothing and put them back together.
There are two major reasons to consider NOT doing this, though. One is cost of parts. You will get a better deal on the total cost of parts if you buy a complete bike through Surly. Buying parts separately is going to be like buying car parts separately. The completed car will cost you far, far more if you build it from parts. The other major reason is tools. There are tools dedicated to the bottom bracket and other parts. Are you willing to invest in all of those? And in the commensurate knowledge of using them?
I got into wheel building about a year and a half ago. Wonderful experience. However, I also dropped a few hundred dollars on equipment for a wheel I could have replaced for a hundred dollars. I've had a good time building some good wheels, so it has been worth it for me, but it costs.
If you consider this to be a journey of discovery, by all means, go for it. But doing your own build is not always easy or smooth, and unless you get a lot of good deals on parts, it's not the cheapest or quickest route either.
Sorry if I am acting like a wet blanket. But I want to advise you of the realities of a build.
I hope you enjoy your new ride, however you choose to do it. It is important to note that it will be far more expensive to build your bike piece-by-piece, but if you want the ultimate thats what you'll have to do. There are NO manufacturers that have a really good touring bike.
With tourers you want a bike that is fitted just to you, not based on what someone else decides will fit you. The premier touring frame builder today is Bob Jackson Cycles of Leeds England. They will construct a frame based on your needs and measurements, usually for less than you could buy a production frame from someone else- and you can even pick your paint scheme.
For any touring you'll want to make sure that you keep things simple. Not every shop can fix some of the exotic things, and some parts are too uncommon to stock.
At the mid range I would recommend Shimano Ultegra with an 8 or 9 speed rear and a crank with a square spindle. Despite the strides made recently, the square taper spindle is still most common. At the higher end, Edco or Phil Wood hubs with carefully selected Shimano tidbits would be the best option.
As far as outfitting, locate the best racks you can get. My preference is Blackburn but there are others out there. Don't skimp. Don't forget proper tools, panniers, extra tubes and tires, and at least a gallon of water.
In all, expect to spend about $4000 for a solid "day tourer" and about $7000 for a loaded cross country rig. |
