My new ride

sparknote_s said:

I just finished going on my first ride with the bike that I just built up from the raw frame. It's got ultegra derailleurs, 105 shifters, 105 crank, ultegra cassette. It rides SO smoooooth and nice. I just love riding that thing. I just wanted to share my joy in successfully building a bike that fits and rides great. For what its worth, so far I would definitely recommend the Performance Titan wheels, which I have. So far they're awesome. The Scattante XRL frame/fork from www.supergo.com is also fantastic so far. It's lightweight, and the carbon fork takes bumps nicely. Man, it's so smooth. You know on TdF when they are real close to the bikes, and you hear that nice "zzzzzzzzzz" sound? Man, it sounds just like that. Woo! Just wanted to share!

PS I'll post pics soon

Sweet! Can't wait to see the pics. I just finished putting my bike together too; using some of your pointers. Once I finally get the derailluers tuned and get it test ridden I'll put up some pics of my own. 🙂

sparknote_s said:

For what its worth, so far I would definitely recommend the Performance Titan wheels, which I have. So far they're awesome.

I just returned a set of those, because they got noisy over time. Make sure you keep an eye on the spoke tension. Mine lost tension and the rear wheel started making a horrible racket.

sparknote_s said:

The Scattante XRL frame/fork from www.supergo.com is also fantastic so far. It's lightweight, and the carbon fork takes bumps nicely. Man, it's so smooth.

I just ordered one of those, and it arrived a few days ago (I got the red one in 57cm). In fact I have to go pick it up from the bike shop because they've installed the headset for me. The bike probably won't see many road miles. I'm building it up with my old Dura Ace group, and it will be sitting on my fluid trainer so I don't have to lug my road bike up and down the stairs.

sparknote_s said:

I just finished going on my first ride with the bike that I just built up from the raw frame. It's got ultegra derailleurs, 105 shifters, 105 crank, ultegra cassette. It rides SO smoooooth and nice. I just love riding that thing. I just wanted to share my joy in successfully building a bike that fits and rides great. For what its worth, so far I would definitely recommend the Performance Titan wheels, which I have. So far they're awesome. The Scattante XRL frame/fork from www.supergo.com is also fantastic so far. It's lightweight, and the carbon fork takes bumps nicely. Man, it's so smooth. You know on TdF when they are real close to the bikes, and you hear that nice "zzzzzzzzzz" sound? Man, it sounds just like that. Woo! Just wanted to share!

PS I'll post pics soon

I'm really interested in seeing pics of this bike. Is if cheaper to build one up on your own or to just buy a complete bike? What kind of frame do you have and what did you spend on the bike?

willk24 said:

I'm really interested in seeing pics of this bike. Is if cheaper to build one up on your own or to just buy a complete bike?

It's almost always cheaper to buy a complete bike. The manufacturers get a HUGE price cut on the components, so it's really, really tough to come close to their price. The reason you build a bike usually isn't because it's cheaper. You build up from a frame if 1) you already have many of the components (as in my case) or 2) you want a special set-up that you can't find on an existing bike (as was the case for my current road bike). Of course there's always 3) because you can, and it's cool. 😎

willk24 said:

What kind of frame do you have and what did you spend on the bike?

I know the frame he and I ordered is on sale from Supergo for $199. That includes the frame, a carbon fork, and a headset.

cydewaze said:

It's almost always cheaper to buy a complete bike. The manufacturers get a HUGE price cut on the components, so it's really, really tough to come close to their price. The reason you build a bike usually isn't because it's cheaper. You build up from a frame if 1) you already have many of the components (as in my case) or 2) you want a special set-up that you can't find on an existing bike (as was the case for my current road bike). Of course there's always 3) because you can, and it's cool. 😎

I know the frame he and I ordered is on sale from Supergo for $199. That includes the frame, a carbon fork, and a headset.

I would like a bike with the component level of a Giant ORC 1 or Specialized Allez Elite. I thought I could get parts from Supergo/Performance/eBay and build it up for cheaper than retail? Maybe I'm wrong.

willk24 said:

I would like a bike with the component level of a Giant ORC 1 or Specialized Allez Elite. I thought I could get parts from Supergo/Performance/eBay and build it up for cheaper than retail? Maybe I'm wrong.

Well, let's do some math and see how it compares.

That Specialized you mentioned is around $1000 (Correct me if I'm wrong. I just googled it).

Now, let's build one.

The cheapest way is to get a build kit. This includes a component group, saddle, handlebars, everything except for the frame, fork, and pedals. Now, I've searched my butt off to find a 105 build kit, but everyone seems to start at Ultegra. An Ultegra kit from pricepoint.com is $1000.

Then we need pedals. A good set of pedals is going to probably be at least $100, unless you grab something that's on clearance. I'm fairly particular about pedals, so only certain ones will do for me.

Now we're up to $1100, although we're using better components. But we don't have a frame yet. Using the Supergo $199 frame, we've got a $1300-ish bike, so if the 105 group is $300 less than the Ultegra (possible) then we've broken even. But you still have to assemble it, and you're without a full warranty on the bike. Also, I haven't figured in shipping, but a full bike will have sales tax, so it's probably a wash.

Plus, you have know real way of knowing exactly how it fits or rides until you're done. With the Specialized, you can test ride it. So, it's up to you. Does the fun of building one outweigh that other stuff? Maybe, maybe not. 😉

Well, here's what I bought, and the grand total was around $900 with shipping, and that includes aerobars:

Scattante XRL Frame/fork - $199 (www.supergo.com)
Handlebar/stem combo - $45 (www.performancebike.com)
Performance Titan Wheelset - $180 (performancebike)
Tubes $5 each, tires $10 each (nashbar)
105 Crank - $90
Ultegra FD - $30
Ultegra RD - $50
Ultegra Cassette - $50
105 Shifters - $140
Skewers - $10
Rim tape - $6
Bar tape - $8
Aerobars - $60

That comes to $899

Shipping was from nashbar, performance, and supergo

+ 10 + 10 + $35 (35 is for the wheels)

So like $955 but then...

Performancebike had an online webcoupon for 20% off your whole order. Sign up for team performance is an extra 10% off. Nashbar had a 10% off whole order web coupon. So that took a huge bite out of the total.

So that's hwo I did it

For those components, I think $900 is a good deal. On the Giant OCR 1, the shifters are Ultegra, on mine I used 105. The OCR1 has a 105 FD, I used ultegra. I'm not sure how good the OCR1 wheels are.

So in summary: I'd say this is the same value as getting a Giant OCR1 equipped with aerobars, for $900, plus learning how each part of the bike works, which is very valuable. The OCR1 retails for about $1000 I think, so I'd say I saved money. I mixed and matched on components, used web coupons to save money.

EDIT: Oh, and the seatpost and seat I already had. Brake calipers were sora, $40, chain was $20. So add that on, and we're still under $900. Oh and I already had pedals and shoes as well.

Yep, if you already have some components, you can come out ahead. Performance has a full 105 bike with a carbon fork for something like $849 w/ pedals. Then you get 10% back for being a Team Performance member, so that puts it under $800, before sales tax (Performances are local to my state).

I put my gf on one, and she said the handling was very twitchy. It could have just been the fact that the bike in her size had a microscopically short stem.

sparknote: Make sure you keep an eye on those Titans like I mentioned above.

sparknote_s said:

Well, here's what I bought, and the grand total was around $900 with shipping, and that includes aerobars:

Scattante XRL Frame/fork - $199 (www.supergo.com)
Handlebar/stem combo - $45 (www.performancebike.com)
Performance Titan Wheelset - $180 (performancebike)
Tubes $5 each, tires $10 each (nashbar)
105 Crank - $90
Ultegra FD - $30
Ultegra RD - $50
Ultegra Cassette - $50
105 Shifters - $140
Skewers - $10
Rim tape - $6
Bar tape - $8
Aerobars - $60

That comes to $899

Shipping was from nashbar, performance, and supergo

+ 10 + 10 + $35 (35 is for the wheels)

So like $955 but then...

Performancebike had an online webcoupon for 20% off your whole order. Sign up for team performance is an extra 10% off. Nashbar had a 10% off whole order web coupon. So that took a huge bite out of the total.

So that's hwo I did it

For those components, I think $900 is a good deal. On the Giant OCR 1, the shifters are Ultegra, on mine I used 105. The OCR1 has a 105 FD, I used ultegra. I'm not sure how good the OCR1 wheels are.

So in summary: I'd say this is the same value as getting a Giant OCR1 equipped with aerobars, for $900, plus learning how each part of the bike works, which is very valuable. The OCR1 retails for about $1000 I think, so I'd say I saved money. I mixed and matched on components, used web coupons to save money.

EDIT: Oh, and the seatpost and seat I already had. Brake calipers were sora, $40, chain was $20. So add that on, and we're still under $900. Oh and I already had pedals and shoes as well.

Really, I thought it would have been cheaper to build. So your bike compares to a Giant ORC 1 at the same cost. Giant has a warranty....and I could test ride one before. Maybe I'll have to rethink...

The frame comes with a 5-year warranty.

Performancebike has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so if anything goes wrong you can send whatever went wrong for a new one.

The only downside is the fit thing, you won't be absolute sure about the fit.

EDIT: Oh, and the OCR1 retail is $1000, so it's a little more expensive than I spent. And I bought aerobars remember.

sparknote_s said:

The frame comes with a 5-year warranty.

Performancebike has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so if anything goes wrong you can send whatever went wrong for a new one.

The only downside is the fit thing, you won't be absolute sure about the fit.

EDIT: Oh, and the OCR1 retail is $1000, so it's a little more expensive than I spent. And I bought aerobars remember.

Well, yes and no. Building up a bike costs more than buying an equivalent bike already built, but that assumes that you build a bike that's identical to an off the shelf example, and don't change out any components in the near future. If you're just starting out, and don't know a bottom bracket from Adam, buying an off the shelf bike is cheaper - you won't be changing out any components any time soon.

But, if you know your components and like working on your bike, then you will eventually build your own bike, either piecemeal by replacing components over a long period of time, or just going for it all at once. Incessant tinkerers will save money by just buying the frame they want, and putting on the components they want.

Besides, it's just plain fun to watch your creation coming to life in front of you, and take it for that first ride, when everything is out of adjustment, cables are stretching, parts are coming loose, but it's your bike and no one else has one just like it, so it's beautiful. And after a week or two, and everything is tightened down and adjusted, you find that you built a pretty decent bike after all.

Cycling is a very personal activity. Building your own bike makes it even more personal.

JohnO said:

Well, yes and no. Building up a bike costs more than buying an equivalent bike already built, but that assumes that you build a bike that's identical to an off the shelf example, and don't change out any components in the near future. If you're just starting out, and don't know a bottom bracket from Adam, buying an off the shelf bike is cheaper - you won't be changing out any components any time soon.

But, if you know your components and like working on your bike, then you will eventually build your own bike, either piecemeal by replacing components over a long period of time, or just going for it all at once. Incessant tinkerers will save money by just buying the frame they want, and putting on the components they want.

Besides, it's just plain fun to watch your creation coming to life in front of you, and take it for that first ride, when everything is out of adjustment, cables are stretching, parts are coming loose, but it's your bike and no one else has one just like it, so it's beautiful. And after a week or two, and everything is tightened down and adjusted, you find that you built a pretty decent bike after all.

Cycling is a very personal activity. Building your own bike makes it even more personal.

Very well said heh. In the future, all I'm going to need to replace is:

Crank and shifters --> ultegra
Wheels --> expensive ones
frame --> carbon frame

This will be way down the line in the future (years), and when that happens the bike should be pretty kick-[censored], and I get to handpick what I want on it.