Quote Originally Posted by tulip View Post
Custom bikes are nice because they are, well, custom and not exactly like any other bike on the road. There are plenty of very nice stock bikes, too. Need vs. Want is something only you can decide, as is your budget. I would say, though, that just because you start going down the custom road does not mean that you give up all limits. You can get amazing custom bikes without having to pay $10k.

I have ridden bikes for 30 years, all stock until I got my Luna. It's handmade but it's not custom built for me. I bought it from the builder already made, but she said that it's very close to what she would have made for me. It's a dream to ride (it's steel with carbon fork and seat stay). My other bike is a Bike Friday that was built based on my Luna's measurements. My other bikes are stock bikes and they are great. My next bike will be a stock bike, likely a cyclocross bike. Lunas aren't made anymore; if they were, I'd definitely get another one without a second thought

Can't say anything about electronic shifting as I've never tried it.

Ride as many bikes as you can and learn what you like. I think a Seven in titanium would be delightful, but that's just me. Only you can decide what is best for you at this time.

ETA: on second thought, it sounds like you might need some more experience riding before you go all out. Once you ride more, you can decide what's important to you in a bike. Then you'll have more of an idea of what to get in a custom bike.
You hit my dilemma on the nose, Tulip - I realize that I need more experience to know what is my perfect fit, but I don't want to get a suboptimal ride in the meantime... I want to enjoy my weekend rides. I don't want to get some $2000 (which is a lot of money-- ridiculous that $2k now seems like it is suboptimal even before I've bought anything) bike and approach my weekend rides without joy at the prospect of jumping on and tackling the hills. It's a catch-22. I buy a less than optimal bike for my recreational use but then sacrifice on my enjoyment because I feel like I'm struggling up hills/ less smoother / lighter roll than I know I've had on better bikes, and then I have to sell this bike that is supposed to help me develop my understanding of riding. I guess it's all a part of growing as a rider - something we all have to figure out on our own. I just have to figure out how I want to balance my learning curve against my pocket book. Thanks for your astute advice.