Custom road bike

Hi! I stumbled across this forum a few days ago~ it's awesome! What a wealth of information!
I just started road biking a couple of years ago and have fallen in love with it. I currently ride a Specialized Dolce Elite, and while I've been very pleased with it, I want to have a custom bike built for me within the next year or so. It seems like there are a ton of bike builders so I want to start researching it now so that when I'm ready to pull the trigger I'll know exactly what I want and who to go to.
So........who are some of your favorite builders and why? What should I expect to shell out~ $3000~$5000?
Thanks for your time!
Teresa

Ps~ I'm Italian so I *may* be partial to Italian bikes.......;)

I have a Waterford (made in Wisconsin, not Italy, sorry!). They are all custom. They are very well known and have a very good reputation.
I bought mine used, so can't discuss custom fit, etc. Waterford has great customer support, they've answered questions for me about my 10 year old "new" bike. They have a message board for Waterford owners, too. www.waterfordbikes.com

Several women on here have Rivendell bikes. They have a production line made in Japan and a custom line made in the US. I think they use Waterford tubing. I've seen quite a few custom frame sites proudly declare they use Waterford tubing, so that's something to keep an eye out for. www.rivbike.com

My boss has a custom ti Seven. She researches things down to the last detail.

So, those are the three I know anything about more than just the web: Waterford, Rivendell, Seven.

3weight "Ps~ I'm Italian so I *may* be partial to Italian bikes.......;)"

then you'll want what I have, this:

http://www.torelli.com/mondonico/mndnico.html

Trek420

this is very very cool, thanks for turning me on to Mondonico bikes!!

If you're interested in custom steel, a few builders that come to mind are Carl Strong, Dave Kirk, Richard Sachs, Vanilla, Independent Fabrications, Landshark, Curtlo, Heron, Rivendell, Pegoretti, Rock Lobster, Spectrum Cycle, the list goes on and on......

I'd recommend looking into a custom build sooner rather than later since some of these companies have long wait lists. For instance, I think the wait for a Vanilla is 22 months and for Sachs it's over five years.

I have two Lunas---a road (Eclipse) and a 'cross (Orbit). Steel beauties who ride like a dream. My 'cross is all decked out in Campy Chorus components, too.

Hey everyone~ thanks so much for all the replies! I'm glad I've started to look into this now, rather than later. I'm thinking steel, but I'm not for certain.
If I decide on a Waterford, might be fun to roadtrip up to WI to their shop to be fit and choose colors, components, etc..
So it sounds like $3000~$5000 is about right?
Teresa :)

mimitabby "Trek420 this is very very cool, thanks for turning me on to Mondonico bikes!!"

you're welcome. Most people who have one know someone else who loves the bike.

I've got a custom Landshark that I've been riding for the last 10 years. Fits me like a glove and you won't find a more awesome paint job. It's really a work of art. I understand John does carbon bikes now too.

If you go through the expense of have a custom bike made, I would recommend having a custom fit done.

Davidson bicycles are well thought of around here--

http://www.davidsonbicycles.com/html/frames.shtml

Once again, thanks for all your help!
So I guess if there's a dealer nearby I can try some specific bikes out. But what, for example, about Davidson bikes? There are no dealers nearby~ how do I buy a bike without having at least a bit of a feel for how they build them and how they ride?

What you can do is ask the manufaturer if any shops near you have those bikes on display. At least, that's what I did when wanted to see a specific bikeframe.

Personally I would prefer a bikeframe which factory is not that far away. I saw people who had to loose their italian frame for 2-3 months when it had to be returned to the factory (for only a simpel repaint).

I had a look into the option for steel, since I am driving that now. And in the netherlands there is only one factory still making those, and that be Duell. Great looking strong bikes (almost look like alu frames) but also expensive and almost 50% 'heavier' compared to carbon or alu.

And for $3000-5000 you can get one hell of a bike, so why not take to option of the latest technologies like carbon?

I ride a serotta. the range of prices goes really high, but their fitting is great. I ended up, in the end, paying in the mid $3000 range for their "stock" frame - the Fierte - which is titanium and carbon. It fits like a dream and they had one without having to go the "full" custom.

Very cool! Roark is in Indianapolis, very nice custom TI stuff. Seven is maybe one of the larger all custom builders. Co-motion also makes nice custom single bikes - not just tandems. If you can be sized with some of the WSD bikes, you can get a very nice full carbon off the shelf bike in that price range. With an awesome ride, light weight, and top shelf components. However, a custom bike would be really cool.

Thanks once again for all the responses. Definitely a lot to think about......LOADS of options, too.
I have a few thoughts on carbon vs. steel, but what do you all think in terms of ride comfort, speed, etc.?
Cheers!
Teresa

I've only ridden all-carbon once. so I really have no basis to speak. (Except to say I didn't like it, but it could've been the geometry, not the carbon)

The biggest advantage of carbon is the weight ... that's more or less it.
Steel, Ti and/or alu frames have more strength as a whole. Meaning if you would drop your bike chances are more likely a steel bike would show only paint scratches and carbon could have serious damage to the carbon. Carbon is only strong is the direction it was designed to be and steel (alu) is strong as a whole.

Imho it would be wiser for your first bike to go for steel, ti or alu frames.