Custom Bikes

[laury]

I'm thinking about investing in a custom road bike. I'm leaning toward Luna but just started doing research. I would love to hear from other women about their experiences with custom road bikes. Is there really a big difference from stock bikes? Has anyone had a bad experience buying a custom bike? I don't mind spending more for a custom bike if I get a more comfortable ride and better performance.

[SadieKate]

I have never had a custom frame built for me, but I want to relate an experience from Saturday.

We took a friend to the LBS to buy her first road bike. We went through every bike that was a remote possibility. Nothing was even close. They were so far off that anybody with experience fitting bikes knew that a stock frame wasn't going fit her no matter what brand or model. The LBS hauled out a Serotta fit bike and set her up on custom geometry and magically she looked comfortable. It was amazing to watch her body go from awful contortions to a relaxed proper fit. The friend ended up ordering a custom steel Seven. Every time I have spoken with someone with weird fit issues that has ordered a Seven they have waxed eloquent about the efforts that Seven goes thorugh the fit the customer.

Turned out the friend has simililar geometry challenges to another customer of the LBS and yesterday I ran into the other customer. The woman was about the same age and body type and had gone through numerous stock frames without ever having a good fit. Her comment was she finally had a bike that "just floated under her." I've always been impressed with Seven's frame and workmanship but to see the fitting process in action was incredible. I've always thought that custom frames were a good thing, but now I think they're a wonderful thing!

[DeniseGoldberg]

While custom bikes are usually more expensive than stock bikes, I think they are well worth the price.

I have 3 bikes that I ride - a diamond-frame touring bike made by Peter Mooney, who is a local framebuilder, a Bike Friday Pocket Rocket set up as a road bike, and a Bike Friday Air Glide set up as a touring bike. These bikes were all built based on my body and my riding style, and at this point I have a hard time imagining buying anything but a custom-built bike.

--- Denise

[Trek420]

I've experienced both....my road bike is full custom, even got to meet the builder and it was a wonderful experience.

My el-cheapo mountian bike and old Trek are/were customized, small adjustments tweaking till they fit like a glove.

Whichever way you go fit is so important.

[eofelis]

I've experienced both....my road bike is full custom, even got to meet the builder and it was a wonderful experience.

My el-cheapo mountian bike and old Trek are/were customized, small adjustments tweaking till they fit like a glove.

Whichever way you go fit is so important.

On the "customized" route:

I have a 42cm Surly Pacer steel frame with steel fork road bike. It fits me really well, and the frames are only $400! I had it built up (by my SO, John) exactly as I wanted it with Ultegra and XT, and after 3 years I still love it.

[Trek420]

Yep, I'd rather have a $400 frame that fits than a $4,000 bike that does not fit. That's the most important aspect of the bike.

[CorsairMac]

So I'm stopped at a coffee shop with my friend who rides a custom Rodriguez (I'm on the vintage Trek 1100) and a guy comes in wanting to know if those are our bikes out there. He said he'd never heard of Rodriguez but it was the vintage Trek he was looking at since he rides an even older Trek. She and I were laughing later that it was the older bike that he was admiring - not the custom one!