Build my own bike?

[Blueberry]

In my world of consulting that doesn't even cover 2 hours.

It's .9 hours in my world (law). Less for a partner

$200 seems reasonable to me, for bringing all parts. I think I'd expect either a good price on parts/a small labor discount if I bought all parts there.

[BeeLady]

I rode over to my LBS and even though the regular fellow there had never visited the xtracyle web site or heard of the Big Dummy, he did look over the list of components I gave him and the BD frame on Surly. He thinks he can build the same bike sold by xtracycle for the same price.

His shop has built several Surly's but no longtails or Xtracycles. He told me how he had to carry in a bike frame on his bike this morning and while we were looking at the Xtracylce web page there was a photo of a BD with an actual bike rack attached to it and a bike being carried on it!

The other good news is, I can watch while my bike is assembled (and they won't charge me extra). So maybe I can learn something by watching.

Now I'm looking forward to my Big Dummy on the road in just a couple of weeks.

[Triskeliongirl]

The two bike shops I worked with in SAT only charged me ~$100 to build a bike (both Joe's Pro Bikes and Brittons).

[tulip]

Hey BeeLady, maybe you'll inspire your LBS to start carrying Xtracycles and/or Big Dummies. Good work!

[xeney]

It's .9 hours in my world (law). Less for a partner.

2.1 in mine! That's what I get for going into public interest law. (On the other hand, I am working right now in my pajamas, and I'll be done for the day by the time my daughter finishes her morning nap.)

On topic: my bike shop charges a pretty big markup on parts, even when they give me a "discount" and I pay them to do the build. It is always a trade off for me as to whether I want to give them the business to thank them for all the advice and help they've given us over the years, or whether I want to save money and have my husband do the work. He can do almost anything except for a few things where he doesn't have the right tools -- removing some bottom brackets, installing headsets, and a few small things where it's not worth buying a special tool.

With the bike I'm having built up now, I am afraid it's going to cost me an extra $500 or so to have the shop buy the parts and build it rather than doing it ourselves, and I am having a few regrets about that decision, but I guess we'll see how it works out.