Who's bought a custom bike "long distance"?

[Triskeliongirl]

I too was referring to working with someone locally, not just trying to do the whole thing yourself over the internet. I thought she was asking about those places where you fill in a chart with body and bike measurements, and send them in and they build you a bike. I also think any local person you work with has to be a really good fitter, which you may or may not have in your area. Indeed that same fellow that has a Crumptom bike he loves, also got a Tom Kellog bike before that, but in that case he did fly out to visit Tom for a personal fitting. In my opinion, I also think its best to take out the middleman and work directly with the builder, if at all possible, but again it depends on your local options, if the 'middleman' knows you, your bikes, your riding style really well, maybe that is the best way to go.

[SadieKate]

Triskeliongirl, you know I'd normally agree with you about cutting out the middleman, but, besides the obvious "no builders in my area" problem for a lot of folks, there is a huge increase in the number of new builders who haven't put in a lot of time doing fittings. They may be able to turn out a great bike, but I'd want to see their credentials and if they're being mentored by anyone.

A superb welder does not mean a good bike designer or a good fitter. But s/he can still set themselves up as a custom builder.

I've been looking lately at some newbie builders but I'm also looking at where and with whom they apprenticed.

[bikerz]

I'll chime in and reinforce what SadieKate and IFJane said.

(And IFJane's point is good too - in my case the "middleman" knew me and my riding history and goals well, and was an excellent interpreter between me and the builder.)

I had a great experience with my custom Seven - my regular LBS guy is a very experienced Seven fitter and dealer out here in California*, and had been helping me tweak my old bike for 2 years before I started the custom process. He had a clear idea of what had worked and what had not worked for me with my old bike, and understood very well what my near and long term cycling goals were. I test rode a couple of steel and Ti Sevens he had in the shop that were more or less my size, with my saddles, pedals and wheels, and another Ti bike, and then Chris and I talked about how each bike felt to me.

He spent a long time with me on the Serrotta fit cycle and taking other measurements. One of the nice things about working with an experienced Seven dealer was that I didn't have to do the whole 20 page Seven questionnaire myself (well, not really 20 pages). I don't have a ton of cycling experience, and a lot of those questions were over my head, or addressed aspects of cycling that I felt I didn't have the expertise or discrimination to understand and address. Also, Chris does so many Sevens that he can bypass the "standard" process with Seven, and submit CAD drawings and measurements directly to the builders, which made the whole process very quick.

And the proof is in the bike - I love, love, love my Seven, I feel totally at ease on it, no more scootching around constantly to get comfortable. And it just GOES, snappy and responsive yet smooth. Plus it is beautiful!

* Chris Robinson at Robinson Wheelworks in San Leandro

[tulip]

Bad Juju, if you can get a stock bike that fits you well, it's alot less hassle than going custom. There are alot of very good stock bikes out there, and they may be more appropriate than a custom bike. Having a good fitter is just as important for choosing a stock bike, too.

If I the pre-built Luna that I bought had not fit me, I would have worked with my local shop, which is a Luna dealer and the owner of which is a fantastic fitter, to get a custom Luna. Margo of Luna is an experienced fitter, and she worked with me to tweak the pre-built, although it didn't need much tweaking. I would not have bought the pre-built Luna without going out to New Mexico to ride it and have Margo fit it to me. Luckily, I just happened to be there for another reason and decided to take advantage of the opportunity.

I know what I like in a bike after riding them for 25+ years, including a few racing years. I felt comfortable getting the Bike Friday remotely; I also didn't just send it the form, I talked to them alot.

[Triskeliongirl]

Tulip, I am so glad that got your PRP right the first time! I too know what I want in a bike, and even though I also talked with them a lot, and spec'd in writing a specific top tube length, the bike arrived with a top tube that was 2 cm longer per their 'formula', although to give them credit they did remake the bike correctly, and my understanding is have since changed the formula to better consider women's bodies.

You guys have made a a lot of good points that not all builders are good fitters. But I think the consensus is that you need both good fitters and good builders involved in the process (and sometimes they are the same person and sometimes they are not), and even for a stock bike a good fitter. All of that is difficult when you simply submit measurements on a website and a bike appears.

[7rider]

What BikerZ said.
My custom Seven, I suppose you could say, was bought "long distance" - they are in Massachusetts and I am in Maryland. I worked with a very knowledgeable rep at my LBS who knows me, knows my riding habits, my goals, and my cycling needs/wants. He knew my pet peeves about my old bike (also a Seven, and blissfully, those peeves were pretty minor and were all because of my health and not the bike at all).
It was fantastic to have a local rep working with me on the build...interpreting things I did not "get" and helping me to vocalize what I needed and wanted. It was like having a ringer beside me, making sure the bike turned out just the way I wanted. And, sure enough, it did. I'm very happy with my bike, and if I had a windfall of cash, I'd buy a custom Seven 'cross bike as my ultimate commuter!

[emily_in_nc]

Tulip, I am so glad that got your PRP right the first time! I too know what I want in a bike, and even though I also talked with them a lot, and spec'd in writing a specific top tube length, the bike arrived with a top tube that was 2 cm longer per their 'formula', although to give them credit they did remake the bike correctly, and my understanding is have since changed the formula to better consider women's bodies.

+1

My Bike Friday also arrived with too long a top tube -- I had specified an effective top tube measurement I wanted, and they just didn't do it. Even the redo, which they did do for free (and covered shipping both ways) was a little longer than I spec'd, and as a result, the stem is a little shorter than ideal. I still love the bike, but at the time I got mine (2004), they just couldn't believe anyone with my measurements would require a 19" top tube, but I knew it from my two other road bikes. I emailed and talked with them a lot both before and after the fact. I hope they "get it" better now!

Emily

[tulip]

+1

My Bike Friday also arrived with too long a top tube -- I had specified an effective top tube measurement I wanted, and they just didn't do it. Even the redo, which they did do for free (and covered shipping both ways) was a little longer than I spec'd, and as a result, the stem is a little shorter than ideal. I still love the bike, but at the time I got mine (2004), they just couldn't believe anyone with my measurements would require a 19" top tube, but I knew it from my two other road bikes. I emailed and talked with them a lot both before and after the fact. I hope they "get it" better now!

Emily

b

Maybe you ladies may have helped them get it right, and I thank you for that. My BF is quite comfortable and feels like the same setup as the bike on which the measurements are based. Granted, I've only ridden it twice, once for 30 minutes and once for an hour. This weekend I'll be taking it out for a 2-3 hour ride. I won't be surprised if I need to make little adjustments here and there, so I'll bring my wrenches with me.

[Bad JuJu]

Wow, what helpful responses--as I know we can always count on here at TE. I've got lots more to think about now, but that's a good thing.

I've got enough riding experience to know what I want in a bike as far as geometry and construction, and I haven't been able to find it in a stock bike. Though this does remind me that about 15 years ago I had a Terry that I loved and was the soul of comfort, but I lost her in a hurricane. Should've replaced her immediately, but didn't. The bike I did get--a pre-built Waterford that someone else had ordered then didn't buy for some reason, wasn't quite right then, but was OK. A couple of years ago I got a gently used Bianchi Veloce--great deal, but again, not quite right fit-wise.

Due to my short torso and short reach, I have always needed a mighty short top tube to be comfy. Another part of the problem is that as I've gotten older, I've experienced some neck and back issues that require a slightly more upright position. And...I want a steel frame. Hmmm, thinking this all through--with the help of all of your excellent advice--makes me think I ought to take another look at Terry bikes. I think Terry still uses steel.

But first, I'm going to get my fitting and continue to work on strengthening the core. Thanks a zillion to everyone for your thoughtful responses!

[Triskeliongirl]

The only stock bikes I can be fit on are terrys and I absolutely love them. This year they are making Isis in steel in the waterford factory, it doesn't get much better than that. If I didn't already have one steel and one titanium isis, I would take a very serious look at them. They also now use two 650cc wheels on the 19" and larger models. For me what works about the terry geometry is not just the short top tube, but the slack seat tube, since I have a long femur. You can also order Isis configured with two very different kinds of gearing. Isis also accepts a rear rack and tires up to 28c, so its easy to configure for light touring or go fast riding depending on the tiress and gearing you choose. Also, they usually do a guarantee where they will ship to the bike shop of your choice, and you have 30 days to ride and return it if you aren't happy (or something like that, check for exact specs). I also found if you ring them up they are flexible about componenet substitutions within a range (i.e. it needs to be something they stock), like if you need a diff. size bar or stem than is spec'd they'll ship to your specs within the same component group.

[7rider]

You are an ideal candidate for a Seven, in my humble opinion.
You're well versed in bikes...you know what you've had, what you have, what worked, what didn't, and why. You know what you like about bikes, and what you don't like. You have a shape that would be well served with a custom bike. Lastly, you are committed enough to cycling to make such a purchase a worthwhile investment in yourself.
If you are set on steel - a custom Axiom (road) or Vacanza (touring) could be your ticket. But don't discount ti, especially in your area (that derned salt air). The ride is totally customizable and made to your desires.
The only FLA dealers, sadly, are in Largo and Palm Beach, and I don't believe any of those are near you. Check out their locator for a nearby dealer: http://www.sevencycles.com/Webdata/retailer_search.php
My $0.02

[roadie gal]

I had great luck with my Sampson. I thought I was going to have to go custom. I got on the phone and had about an hour conversation with Eric Sampson. He felt that a stock bike would fit me. He coached me through the measurements, asked what kind of riding I do, and on what kinds of roads. Then he put the bike together. When I got it out of the box I saw that he had upgraded the wheels and handlebar without charging me. The bike fit perfectly. A few years later I got my tri bike from his as well. I had to swap the stem and changed to a compact crankset. He didn't charge me for the swapout. His bikes run less than a lot of the others of the same quality. Check it out: www.sampsonsports.com

[Kathi]

I'm another custom bike owner and love my Serotta. The problem for me is not a short torso but short arms. In order to get my handlebars high enough I needed a longer headtube than normal on stock frames.

I worked with a Serotta dealer in Boulder, I was lucky, he trains Serotta fitters. The bike came out so perfect that we didn't make any changes.

One thing that helped us is I had my old bike refitted before I went custom and had ridden about 5,000 miles on it. I was able to tell exactly what was good and bad with my old bike. It wasn't fit or comfort, it was the way the bike handled.

You need to really trust the fitter. At the time I was recovering from acl surgery and I'm sure my position on the bike wasn't perfect but the fitter knew how to work around the limitations and bike turned out wonderful.

After struggling for years with stock frames I finally had a bike that fit and handled well.

One thing no one has mentioned is the wait time. Some of the top builders have a 1-2 year waiting list. Companies like Serotta and Seven are more like 4-6 mos.

[Kathi]

Serotta is well know for their steel frames. If you have a Serotta dealer in your area, try out a Fierte. They come in steel, ti and ti/carbon. They are really nice bikes and fit me. However, I chose to go custom and get the more expensive Ottrott.

[bikerz]

One thing no one has mentioned is the wait time. Some of the top builders have a 1-2 year waiting list. Companies like Serotta and Seven are more like 4-6 mos.

That's true, although it's also where a good fitter/dealer can make a difference - my Seven frame was at the LBS about 4 weeks after the order went in, and I was riding my bike weeks earlier than I expected.

Ace (who doesn't post much here these days) has a custom steel Serotta which is very light and quite beautiful - painted that Harlequin blue/purple/bronze color.

What a fun process, whatever you end up deciding!