To go Custom or not...do today's mass-produced OTS bikes allow good enough geometry?

[SFLiz]

And remember that there's not only one right answer. There are plenty of bikes out there that will be just fine, not just one. Just go ride some. Fight the analysis paralysis.

Haa haa, nailed it. Do you know me? I am totally a "paralysis by analysis" type of gal, unfortunately. I'm embarrassed to admit that I have a four page excel spreadsheet on bike component research alone, although I haven't updated it last month. Need to do a brain download again. It's bad.

[tulip]

It's a dangerous trap. Just go ride. That will give you more benefit than your ever expanding spreadsheet. Remember, perfection is a way of not doing things behind the mask of doing things right. That's simply foolish. Ask me how I know. Just get a bike (yes, a decent and comfortable bike--a Seven if that's what you want) and go ride.

-tulip (who is constantly fighting her own perfectionist tendencies)

[GLC1968]

Haa haa, nailed it. Do you know me? I am totally a "paralysis by analysis" type of gal, unfortunately. I'm embarrassed to admit that I have a four page excel spreadsheet on bike component research alone, although I haven't updated it last month. Need to do a brain download again. It's bad.

Ha! I had that same spreadsheet and I'm sure it's still tucked away on a computer somewhere in my possession!

You are right in that it is very hard to know what is right until you've kind of ridden 'wrong'. In fact, as much as I wish I didn't have to have gone through my first two bikes, I'm glad I rode both of them for the experience. I was kind of like you in that I'd been riding a mountain bike and I was already fit, so really all the road bikes I tried felt so good that it was hard to tell. My first bike felt a tiny bit too big from the get-go, but it was still such a great improvement over the mountain bike that I didn't really think about it too much. I still rode it for my first year and about 3000 miles before moving on. Then I had a bike that was fit to me and ordered special and it was a huge improvement over the first bike. But I found that I couldn't stop shopping around. Honestly, I thought that was normal and just part of the territory of road biking...you are always lusting over the next thing! Turns out, I was wrong.

But you are 100% right in that it's extremely hard to just 'know' without the experience to base it on. So my advice is to just do the best you can now and accept that as you grow as a cyclist, your needs may change and that's ok. Bikes can be resold, so don't feel like this HAS to be the last bike you ever buy (as much as you may want it to be!). In fact, that may be a really good reason to not go with custom right out of the gate. It might be easier to re-sell a not custom bike if you do change your mind (and why not save a few pennies?).

Whatever you decide, best of luck with it! And welcome to the fold!

[Crankin]

I wanted to add more to my thoughts, now that I am not typing on my I Phone.

It is true that I had to have 2+ bikes that were wrong before I knew what was right. Because of what I learned here, I was able to do a lot of after the fact changing of components on my current carbon bike to make it fit well. My first 2 road bikes were bought when my DH was in a more "hard core" almost racer phase and we both have learned from my experience. My custom bike was built and purchased with a specific purpose in mind. I made some decisions that the shop owner didn't like, but the builder did it all. I still want to change my bars, but after an initial getting used to period, I am riding each of my bikes about an equal amount of time.
I am not one to freak over the prices you quoted. My non custom carbon bike cost 5K, 6 years ago, and my custom ti bike cost, well, more than that. Close to the range you were quoted but not quite as high. But, I never would have spent that amount of money after only riding for 1-2 years. My first road bike cost $1500 and the second cost about 3K. I've been riding for 12 years, I do a lot of hill riding, I'm short (5' 1"), and I would never spend the money for electronic shifters. Unless you have an issue with your hands that makes it physically difficult to push the lever, it's a crazy added expense. "Clunky" shifting sometimes is a result of user inexperience, although it can be crappy components. But really, shifting is an art and eventually, it becomes intuitive.
Personally, I would go for the stock bike, in your position, and really think about the extra added expense of the electronic shifters and the expensive wheels. My personal opinion is that unless you are racing, you don't need either right now. Ride for a couple more years and think about what you really need in a custom bike before you buy it.

[emily_in_nc]

Personally, I would go for the stock bike, in your position, and really think about the extra added expense of the electronic shifters and the expensive wheels. My personal opinion is that unless you are racing, you don't need either right now. Ride for a couple more years and think about what you really need in a custom bike before you buy it.

I totally agree. Also, before laying down that kind of coin, I'd want to be really sure that cycling was going to "stick" as an activity/sport of choice. There are a lot of really nice bikes hanging in people's garages because they were more into the idea of cycling than the cycling itself. In you situation, I'd go with a stock bike in the less than $2K price range from a good LBS that can help with fitting, and see how much you really love cycling. If, after a year or so, you want to upgrade, then you could keep the first bike as a trainer/bad weather bike and go custom or higher-end stock. By then you'll know what works for you, what doesn't, any oddball fit issues you might have, and the like.

And I also agree with others here that you don't need the electronic shifters. I've ridden in many hilly areas, and the shifting just takes a bit of practice; it is not rocket science at all. Sure, you may want it, but you don't need it.

Just get a good-enough bike and go ride. Lots!

[SFLiz]

I've read each and every response several times. I'm floored over the excellent advice you have all offered me and I've really taken it all to heart.

I understand the reasoning behind many of the opinions that I'm not at the stage to be riding an expensive bike because I don't know what I don't know yet. I do know that, in the past three years I've been riding a MTB, FlatBar and folding bike, I love going on rides averaging in the 40-50 mile range on a weekend day. I really have taken to cycling and don't foresee losing interest. I tend to keep with a hobby sport. I've been a semi-serious runner since I was 15yo until about 5 years ago when I decided I had to break from the activity due to my knees. I took up golfing ten years ago as a break from the monotony of grad school and it stuck. I still enjoy getting out and playing. In fact, my adoption of that sport parallels my current situation. When I first started learning golf, I had to get a set of clubs. I've always been someone who only buys something after somewhat intense consideration of options and then staying with what I have. (Cars especially.) At the time I picked up golf, I thought about buying a cheap starter type set like AMF to get me going. Without boring you with the details, I decided to buy some nice Callaway VFTs of which at the time I was unworthy at my level (complete beginner). I'll spare you from my decision-making justifications. Point is, I still play with these clubs; have never considered upgrading. Still love the feel of my clubs because neither time nor technology has changed the fact that they are quality clubs. Yeah, I've changed my swing slightly as I've developed as a golfer, but the clubs are forgiving enough that I'm happy with them 10 years later.

Another example is piano. I learned to play starting at around age 11 or so. To this day, I play the same piano my mom could afford when I was a kid (it's not a great piano) but it's still pretty good and good enough that I wouldn't upgrade --- hey, I'm never becoming a concert pianist and I'm fine with that realization. It's all about enjoying your hobbies.

However, from everyone's advice on this forum, my understanding is that with cycling, it might not be the case that quality equals good choice because we change a lot more as cyclists than as golfers let's say. Unless there is someone on this forum who is also a long-time golfer (if so, perhaps she can speak to an analogous evolution in terms of athlete and equipment), I don't think I can apply my general philosophy - that of trying to buy the best my budget allows at the start and then growing into the quality of the equipment as the caliber of my skills improve - to cycling. This is very good to know. Cycling does seem quite unique in this respect. For most other hobbies in my life to which I can apply my experience, I've had positive reinforcement in obtaining the highest quality I could get at the start so that I could grow into it. Not so, maybe, for cycling as we evolve as cyclists.

This is a valuable understanding to arrive at through everyone's comments and advice. Thanks again to everyone who took their precious time out of their days to read, consider and offer thoughtful advice to this newbie. Perhaps someday I'll see one of you out there on the road (mostly likely the back of your head) -

Thanks again.

[indysteel]

I'm not a golfer, so I can't help there, but it's an interesting analogy.

I think some of the push-back you've gotten on going high-end and/or custom from the start is an attitude among many of us that top-of-the-line doesn't necessary translate to a substantially better experience on the road. It's not a question of growing into a $5k bike, but whether the $5k bike is measurably better than, say, a $3k bike. For some, it is. For many though, the distinction, if not totally lost, is not appreciated enough to make up for the price difference.

But as Tulip said upthread, there's no one right answer. There's no one right/perfect bike for all of us. Assuming you're not bankrupting yourself to buy the bike you want, then there's really no shame in buying the bike you want. But then we circle back to how to even articulate your wants and needs when you don't have a ton of experience. For me, that's the real rub. Not whether you should buy a bike you can grow into, but whether you know which bike you really want to grow into. There are so many variables. You might choose wisely or with regret. Of course, experience doesn't necessarily shield you from regret, but it often help.

[tulip]

SFLiz, you don't have to justify anything here, let's just get that clear. If you want a $5k+ bike, then go for it. It doesn't affect us one way or the other. Enjoy your bike, whatever it turns out to be. Do learn to change your tubes and do basic maintenance and repairs, though. And if you get the electronic stuff, remember to charge it up. Any chance they come with solar or friction chargers so that they could be charged while you're riding the bike? That would be very cool indeed.

[Catrin]

You may also find, as many of us have, that as we ride longer we find ourselves buying different types of bikes for different types of riding as our interests and experiences change. The important thing is to ride!

[Owlie]

I've read each and every response several times. I'm floored over the excellent advice you have all offered me and I've really taken it all to heart.

I understand the reasoning behind many of the opinions that I'm not at the stage to be riding an expensive bike because I don't know what I don't know yet. I do know that, in the past three years I've been riding a MTB, FlatBar and folding bike, I love going on rides averaging in the 40-50 mile range on a weekend day. I really have taken to cycling and don't foresee losing interest. I tend to keep with a hobby sport. I've been a semi-serious runner since I was 15yo until about 5 years ago when I decided I had to break from the activity due to my knees. I took up golfing ten years ago as a break from the monotony of grad school and it stuck. I still enjoy getting out and playing. In fact, my adoption of that sport parallels my current situation. When I first started learning golf, I had to get a set of clubs. I've always been someone who only buys something after somewhat intense consideration of options and then staying with what I have. (Cars especially.) At the time I picked up golf, I thought about buying a cheap starter type set like AMF to get me going. Without boring you with the details, I decided to buy some nice Callaway VFTs of which at the time I was unworthy at my level (complete beginner). I'll spare you from my decision-making justifications. Point is, I still play with these clubs; have never considered upgrading. Still love the feel of my clubs because neither time nor technology has changed the fact that they are quality clubs. Yeah, I've changed my swing slightly as I've developed as a golfer, but the clubs are forgiving enough that I'm happy with them 10 years later.

Another example is piano. I learned to play starting at around age 11 or so. To this day, I play the same piano my mom could afford when I was a kid (it's not a great piano) but it's still pretty good and good enough that I wouldn't upgrade --- hey, I'm never becoming a concert pianist and I'm fine with that realization. It's all about enjoying your hobbies.

However, from everyone's advice on this forum, my understanding is that with cycling, it might not be the case that quality equals good choice because we change a lot more as cyclists than as golfers let's say. Unless there is someone on this forum who is also a long-time golfer (if so, perhaps she can speak to an analogous evolution in terms of athlete and equipment), I don't think I can apply my general philosophy - that of trying to buy the best my budget allows at the start and then growing into the quality of the equipment as the caliber of my skills improve - to cycling. This is very good to know. Cycling does seem quite unique in this respect. For most other hobbies in my life to which I can apply my experience, I've had positive reinforcement in obtaining the highest quality I could get at the start so that I could grow into it. Not so, maybe, for cycling as we evolve as cyclists.

This is a valuable understanding to arrive at through everyone's comments and advice. Thanks again to everyone who took their precious time out of their days to read, consider and offer thoughtful advice to this newbie. Perhaps someday I'll see one of you out there on the road (mostly likely the back of your head) -

Thanks again.

You should absolutely buy the best bike you can afford that meets your needs. However, in my humble opinion, buying an off-the-rack bike is much better for your budget than going custom unless 1) you have fit issues that cannot be solved with standard (or advanced) after-market fit adjustments, or it would VERY costly to do so and/or 2) can't find what you need off-the-rack (that fits). This is for a few reasons that everyone has covered: you don't know what you don't know, and you change as a cyclist--your riding style changes, your goals change, etc. (I started out thinking that I would never want a go-fast bike. And now I'm looking at aggressive carbon frames.) In addition, the manufacturer gets a far better deal on components than you ever will. You can upgrade parts as you go, provided you get the fit right from the start.

I do understand the desire for a bike that isn't like everyone else's, but it is much harder to get away from if for some reason it doesn't work out. It's much easier to sell a mass-produced bike.
Unless you're racing or have specific fit issues, I'm not sure that the extra money that custom requires is necessary, and the same goes for electronic shifting. If that's what you want and can afford, by all means, get it and post pictures when it arrives. But I strongly recommend that you test-ride several stock bikes.

(Confession: I absolutely do have fantasies of a custom steel cyclocross/light touring bike in British racing green. Maybe one day. )

[TigerMom]

I forgot to mention that I have a friend who bikes at least 200miles per week and has been biking for over 10 years. He LOVES his electronic shifters.

However, he did have to have his girlfriend pick him up by car when he forgot to charge up his electronic shifter battery because the bike was stuck in only one gear when the battery ran out. Something to think about in regards to electronic shifters.
____________________________________

2012 Specialized Amira Elite, upgraded carbon handle bars, Jett saddle 143mm switched to 145mm 2012 Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow saddle

2011 Specialized Ariel Sport,suspension post,Serfas Rx Women's Microfiber saddle

[SFLiz]

However, he did have to have his girlfriend pick him up by car when he forgot to charge up his electronic shifter battery because the bike was stuck in only one gear when the battery ran out. Something to think about in regards to electronic shifters.

Hilarious, TigerMom - I know because when we rented our Madones, my husband's battery ran out (damn bike shop didn't check before renting to us), and he was spinning like a rat on a wheel. I was laughing hee hee but only because it wasn't me... we had to call to get help.