to custom or not to custom?
- Thread starter Chaim
- Start date
No need to spend $7K for a custom bike....my custom cost less than 1/2 of that.Chaim said:
Working with a local builder, getting to pick the components and color were the only "justifications" I needed. I was close to buying a Trek, but just didn't care for all the decals. Believe I got at least as much bike for the money, maybe more.
there is no reason to justify your toys. I went custom on my bikes since i wanted a certain fit and geometry that i could not find in an off the shelf bike. A year later we had another custom bike made for my wife.Chaim said:
Check around and i am sure you can find a custom builder that will get you a bike for less than $7k.. we spent between $3500-4000 on our last couple custum bikes.
OK. Let me some additional information.
The kind of riding I do is 3-4 times a week, each ride 35-105 miles, some hilly rides some "friendley" racing (18-20 mph). A typical serious biker.
My body proportions are equal.
and I am not interested in steel. I am looking at carbon/TI with Ultegra.
If people can not come up with good reasons for a custom bike, YOU ARE ANSWERING MY QUESTION...
Bike stores are pushing the custom for some reason (margins?). They sound very convincing with all the fine tuning you can do with the frame to support 100 point of interests they ask in a detailed questioner.
Thanks for the replies.
The kind of riding I do is 3-4 times a week, each ride 35-105 miles, some hilly rides some "friendley" racing (18-20 mph). A typical serious biker.
My body proportions are equal.
and I am not interested in steel. I am looking at carbon/TI with Ultegra.
If people can not come up with good reasons for a custom bike, YOU ARE ANSWERING MY QUESTION...
Bike stores are pushing the custom for some reason (margins?). They sound very convincing with all the fine tuning you can do with the frame to support 100 point of interests they ask in a detailed questioner.
Thanks for the replies.
Well, my reasons were good enough for me. Same price or less as the Trek, and I got to talk to the builder, equip it and paint it the color I wanted.Chaim said:
I certainly wouldn't pay $3K more for a custom bike just to have it say "Seven" or "Serotta", or any of the other high-priced prestige names. They are certainly pretty bikes, but to me they aren't worth the money.
A custom-measured frame isn't magic at all. Stock dimension frames fit the great majority of us just fine. Besides, starting with an expensive Litespeed, Pinarello, Colnago or any number of off-the-shelf frames, you can get to a $7K bike if you just go crazy on the component and wheel selection.
Unless you want it just purely for the heck of it, I think it has been well proven by the likes of Giant, Trek and mannnny other manufacturers that a standard frame size can easily be adapted using the many modern components that are available. There are now stems, cranks, bars, etc. to suit all comers, and unless you have a _truly_ unusual physique, you should be able to set up a stock frame to perfection.
Now, some East End wideboy is gonna chime in, well, yeah sure you betcha but this is all wrong because your weight distribution won't be spot on unless you get a custom. And I'll bat that one out of the air by noting that we all ride our bikes in so many different positions that the weight moves all over the place anyway. No one can seriously argue that moving the front wheel up or back one cm relative to the rider is going to make any serious difference in handling in all of these positions.
I say, starting at the BB spindle, get your saddle where it should be and get your bars where they should be, try for a 12-13cm stem, depending on bar reach etc., put on good components, and unless you're a top 1 or 2 you can quickly forget about the bike as the critical link in the chain.
Now, some East End wideboy is gonna chime in, well, yeah sure you betcha but this is all wrong because your weight distribution won't be spot on unless you get a custom. And I'll bat that one out of the air by noting that we all ride our bikes in so many different positions that the weight moves all over the place anyway. No one can seriously argue that moving the front wheel up or back one cm relative to the rider is going to make any serious difference in handling in all of these positions.
I say, starting at the BB spindle, get your saddle where it should be and get your bars where they should be, try for a 12-13cm stem, depending on bar reach etc., put on good components, and unless you're a top 1 or 2 you can quickly forget about the bike as the critical link in the chain.
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