Custom bike building

[Biciclista]

I had a custom frame made for me at my LBS. I got almost all the parts for it myself and brought them into the shop in a box. They put it all together.

[Crankin]

Last summer, in the course of giving me an "exchange" frame for the one that was too big, I realized that I was indeed, more knowledgeable about some women specific issues than my LBS. I had them transfer over all of the components, but I wanted different, short reach brifters and a short reach, shallow drop bar. I had to do all of the research myself. I found that it was cheaper for the LBS to order the brifters; I could not find anyplace that would give me a better price than they could get. However, I was on my own for the bars. I did the on line research and bought them at a larger LBS. I was happy to pay for the labor.

I am figuring that my graduation present for myself in 2 years is going to be a custom bike. I have a lot of biomechanical issues that have fallen on deaf ears. While my husband could and has built up bikes for my son, I will most likely go to Seven, since they are close by. I am not mechanical enough to do anything myself and I am happy to do it the way Lisa did, as a package.

[Cataboo]

I haven't actually gotten a custom frame, but I've bought frames, bought all the parts, and then built it all up myself. Most of the pieces came from online or ebay, but some things were just bought at local bike shops - chains, cables, things like that.

I never priced it out how much it would have been if I'd gone to a bike shop, but I'm assuming a lot more expensive and then I wouldn't have had as much "fun"

[lunacycles]

Bike shops that sell frames to the customer make very little on the frames (usually around 30%). They only offer this service (selling frame only) because they hope to make a bit more money off of the build. If you appreciate having the option to buy a frame through your LBS and do a custom build, you may consider having your shop do the build and sell you the parts, as it makes that service sustainable for them. Unless you or your friend are very skilled and experienced with complete bike builds, they also tend to have a much better chance of getting it right the first time, and of honoring the work they did.

If you are getting a "custom" frame, as Eden and Lisa implied, many framebuilders offer a "complete bike option," and usually the price is reasonable. There is very little overlap between actual custom framebuilders and bike shops these days. The reasons are mostly financial--in general, a true custom builder cannot afford a wholesale structure, and must sell direct to the consumer to have a decent chance to make a living.

Companies like Seven and Serotta are not considered custom framebuilders, but low-volume manufacturers. (That's another story for another thread)