Yes, perhaps, brand bikes are overpriced, but not everyone has the knowledge of frame design and construction to build up from. Everyone knows the component names and quality, but buying these piecemeal is usually a very expensive proposition.Originally Posted by hughfrancis
okay lol so first off fyi the hyundai u r talking about is an xg350 ...so well built that other companies actually paid hyundai NOT to build it anymore so that model lasted i think 3 years total lol....second...and i say this quietly....anyone who actually still lives in the 1990s and rhinks u cant build up a bike yourself thats actually of hugely better quality then a bikeshop bike for a fraction of the cost is just living in the past lol.....i built up my ride for about 1700 bucks...sram red carbo 10k frame...zipp wheels ....most carbon intergrated bars and seatpost etc etc.....and whenever i take it to my local bikeshop the owner himself as well as rhe staff drool all over it cause they think its priced double anything they sell lmao ....and as for how it rides...i am 190 lbs....put over 8000 kms on it already and not a twitch or issue....besides whats a bike brand anyway...lets see...a carbo frame built in asia with groupset of a different brand then the bike frame branding with different wheels tires etc.....so if u can actually name me one part on a bike brand thats not made by someone elae then u may have an arguement.....modern truth is branded bikes mark up are at the ridiculous mark up and to waste money on an "original" is plain and simple...a joke
Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Quote by Jimbo:
"building one is not a huge challenge."
True that.
A modern bicycle is only slightly more complicated than a can opener.
Common sense and just a few simple hand tools (yeah...some folks can break an anvil with a rubber hammer and these are the people that NEED to go to the LBS to get their cables adjusted...). No, a $200 calibrated torque wrench is not required. Careful use of force is, however.
Does anyone really think the 18-year old dropout in the back room of the bike shop is smarter than you?
A little experience goes a long way and there's a YouTube video to guide those willing to learn through just about every build, maintenance and adjustment necessary.
That's a good looking Spesh, m3ta1head.
I now use a torque wrench when tightening any connection to a carbon component. I bought one from a mechanic at my LBS for 50 bucks as he was getting a new one free. While I agree that careful use of force is necessary, after buying the torque wrench and checking my bike, I found that on most bolts I was tightening them quite a bit more than what the manufacturer's specify. I'd rather be safe than end up with a cracked seat tube or steerer.Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
No, a $200 calibrated torque wrench is not required. Careful use of force is, however.
I just picked up a torque wrench and started using it with the delicate 3mm allen head bolts on my Ritchey WCS 260 stem. I've had the stem for a couple years and uninstalled, adjusted, re-adjusted, and installed a number of times by "feel". Well what do you know when using the torque wrench recently stripped one of the bolt heads. Go figure. Interestingly the forums abound with this exact problem and I have one of the first gen stems indicating 5nm max. When tightening using the new wrench to spec I was like "jeez this feels too tight!". Ritchey has apparently (and cost effectively) fixed the problem by stamping "4nm" on the newer versions.Originally Posted by Jimbo S
I now use a torque wrench when tightening any connection to a carbon component. I bought one from a mechanic at my LBS for 50 bucks as he was getting a new one free. While I agree that careful use of force is necessary, after buying the torque wrench and checking my bike, I found that on most bolts I was tightening them quite a bit more than what the manufacturer's specify. I'd rather be safe than end up with a cracked seat tube or steerer.
A girlfriend of mine would get annoyed at me hovering over her when cooking pasta (I do it perfect) cause it always came out a little too soft or a little too 'al dente'. I learned it was better just to stay out of the kitchen completely if I wasn't cooking the dinner, and live with it. Fast forward to my arrival to my LBS and catching the lug head in the mechanic station chopping down the carbon steerer on my new Columbus fork, holding it down on the bench with one hand and sawing away like Paul Bunyan felling a redwood with the other! I'm fine with the occasional plate of crunchy pasta but prefer to do as much work on the bike as my humble toolset will allow.Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
I have watched shop rats do just that and I cringe when I see that wrench handle swing.
Oh boy. Incompetent mechanics are the norm. Most consumers will not watch their mechanics performing the service, and don't know much if anything about proper repairs and service anyway, which is great for keeping unethical and incompetent, sometimes grossly incompetent, car and bicycle shops in business.Originally Posted by danfoz
A girlfriend of mine would get annoyed at me hovering over her when cooking pasta (I do it perfect) cause it always came out a little too soft or a little too 'al dente'. I learned it was better just to stay out of the kitchen completely if I wasn't cooking the dinner, and live with it. Fast forward to my arrival to my LBS and catching the lug head in the mechanic station chopping down the carbon steerer on my new Columbus fork, holding it down on the bench with one hand and sawing away like Paul Bunyan felling a redwood with the other! I'm fine with the occasional plate of crunchy pasta but prefer to do as much work on the bike as my humble toolset will allow.
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