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building a bicycle

howard

howard

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Nov 18, 2002
2,017
4
I've been thinking about building/customizing my own bike and I'm looking for some info online or otherwise on how to start the project, where to get the equipment etc. I'm hoping I can save money by doing this, have fun, and have a fully customized bike.
 
What type of bike? How serious of a rider are you? I have been on/off mountain biking for about 3-4 years. It is a task, building a bike that is. I think the main thing that will be of your concern is the tools. You can knock off most of the bike with basic household tools, but there is always a few things that you need specially made bike tools for. Websites are endless. I have always been a big fan of pricepoint.com for basic stuff, but I doubt that would serve all your needs...Give some info. Are you building mountain or BMX? Are you planning on buying everything new, used, or are using some parts you have already. Look around, there are always things on online retailers like packages, called "build kits" that include brakes, cables, deraileurs (sp?), cranks, pedals, rims/wheels, and so on...Plan on spending money, is all I can say, if you want a custom bike that are you serious about.
 
I'm interested in a hybrid, not quite a street not quite a mountain bike.

I'm also interested in simplicity. I don't need nice materials, I don't need lots of gears or shocks. I'm looking for a frame with handle bars, wheels, and brakes basically, the kind you see bike messengers riding in major cities, with the thin frames. Usually they have 1 gear, I think i'll want more than that, but I don't need 18 or 21 speed.
 
my advice would be to spend you money on the frame. if you get a good frame that is what will last you the longest and give you more bang for your buck. since you are thinking hybrid, i would go with the following option. get a mountain bike and buy and extra set of rims and road tires. when you are riding trails, switch to mtb tires, on road, switch to the road tires.
 
don't waste your time/money...

sounds like you want a track bike... with brakes...

keep an eye out for a used one on craigslist.com or a local bike shop
 
If you are going to build yourself a trackbike with brakes, you might as well use good components--light and strong. Get yourself a good frame, even if it is a steel frame (which I actually prefer). Good hubs and crankset and headset and you are all set. For not that much money, you can have a real gem, and you will feel the difference significantly. Biking is wonderful, but for the road, a great road bike is an exquisite experience.
 
I thought you actually meant building one a'la some tubing, a beginners guide to welding book and a TIG welder. heh.

I say... buy one of these ;)
 
hmm, this is getting expensive...

i sorta have a dilemma and i'm trying to work this out. My bike now, the front tire is bent and un-rideable, damn vandals... and i want a working bike now... if i were to build a bike who knows when It will be finished for me to ride. So, I'm wondering first, if I get new wheels for this current bike if i can use them on my next one. The problem is my current bike is 18", and its to small. my next bike will probably be at least 20"... is it possible to get wheels that fit both?

as you can see I'm just learning about bike parts. I love biking and I bike quite a bit, but i haven't gotten into building/customizing part.

I'm trying to save as much money as I can, otherwise I'd just get wheels that work now and wheels for my next bike.
 
iGav said:
I thought you actually meant building one a'la some tubing, a beginners guide to welding book and a TIG welder. heh.

I say... buy one of these ;)
Click to expand...

that thing is flipping sweet, but a little out of my price range at the current moment...
 
howard said:
The problem is my current bike is 18", and its to small. my next bike will probably be at least 20"... is it possible to get wheels that fit both?
Click to expand...

You shouldn't have any issues, your wheels will likely be 26", and 20" frame will likely use the same (though they could use 24" or 29" ones).
 
You could always try and find a cheap used road bike, and fix it up a bit. I found a beat up old Fuji from the 70's for $30 that I cleaned up, repainted, and stuck new wheels and whatnot on, and now it's great. That way you won't have to worry about learning how to put more complicated parts together, and can build it up as you learn.
 
mkrishnan said:
On the road, good Italian steel is a thing of true beauty, and very underrated. :)
Click to expand...

I ride a Bianchi Mega Pro XL in Boron Steel. Riding it is just an incredible experience. Bought her 2nd hand. Had never been ridden. Amazing how the value falls when a bike is two years out of date.
 
howard said:
iGav, you inadvertently found me my dream bike...

http://www.biomega.dk/biomega.aspx

click on bikes then coppenhagen... i don't think i can link directly

drooooolllll

this is everything i would look for in a bike...
Click to expand...

You're not tempted by the Brooklyn then? Looks like it would be snappy aroundf town. :p If a little bouncy...
 
Lau said:
You're not tempted by the Brooklyn then? Looks like it would be snappy aroundf town. :p If a little bouncy...
Click to expand...

ha... yeah, not quite my style

so about the kidneys... how much they giving out these days?
 
how much are you looking to spend. it's usually cheaper to buy a complete bike than to build your own. especially when you factor in tools. also you sound confused as to what you really want, first you mention a hybrid and then you talk about track bikes (which is what messengers use.) I'd suggest going to a shop to see what is available and try a few bikes out to see what you really want and will be comfortable on. also size is a very important part of buying a bike and you'll want to be fitted.

good luck, keep us informed on what you end up with or if you get closer to making a decision.
 
i'm still not 100% of what is out there, so what I want might change, i just know that I will be riding it around town and I want it to be as simple as possible.

I just looked up a local bike shop that is very reputable and has a good variety... we'll see what I can find out.
 
so, I went to the local bike shop the other day, and again today, and I got a new bike!

There were quite a few change of events, I was looking at trading in my old one for a Giant Cypress, a hybrid. But then I test road a bunch of bikes today and I felt that a road bike was for me. I ended up with a giant FCR 3, or actually, the funny thing is I think it is an FCR 2.

Its kinda peculiar actually. It says FCR 3 on the bike, however if you look at the specs:

http://www.giant-bicycle.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?model=11328
http://www.giant-bicycle.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?model=11329

the FCR 2 matches perfectly with what my bike has. Strange isn't it. The original price was the same as the FCR 2 as well. And it is in a tan-ish color, which the fcr3 does not come in. I wonder why it says fcr3 on the side??

Either way, i'm incredibly happy with it. I just got done with a quick 10 mile ride and it took me about 15 minutes less than it used to!


[edit] well I just found out why its and fcr3. I was looking at the 2006 models, and I got a 2005 which is kinda the same as the fcr2 2006, for the fcr3 2006 they downgraded some of the parts and made them cheaper. fine with me cause i got a sweet deal on it! [/edit]

[edit2] heres the fcr3 2005 version that I have:

http://www.giant-bicycle.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?year=2005&model=11030
 
It looks really nice, howard. I slightly regret getting a hybrid rather than a road bike with flat bars like that, but, then again, I needed the mountain bike gearing round here. But those road bikes look great. I bet it's fantastic to ride.
 
howard said:
[edit] well I just found out why its and fcr3. I was looking at the 2006 models, and I got a 2005 which is kinda the same as the fcr2 2006, for the fcr3 2006 they downgraded some of the parts and made them cheaper. fine with me cause i got a sweet deal on it! [/edit]
Click to expand...
I was in a similar situation when I bought my bike. I had a choice of a then-brand-new Schwinn Moab 2, or a 2000 Moab 1 for about the same price. The Moab 1 had better parts, but the Moab 2 had an updated frame. Since it's easier to upgrade parts than the frame, I went for the newer bike.
 
I like the idea of the shaft drive bike above, I might consider it over this hub gear when/if I get round to getting a new bike. $999 sounds like a good price if it's a decent ride. The 14 spd hub linked to is more than that alone!

Note: I just Googled '14spd hub gear' for the link to the hub above and noticed that one of the top hits was a post on MR by me in October last year, like I said when/if, I'm a lazy bugger.
 
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