how much to spend?

Hi all,

I just finished collecting all the parts to build a new bike for my dad.
I'd be interested to hear from you what do you think is a reasonable
price range you would pay for such a bike. If I decide I was not too
crazy I will tell you what I got and how much I paid :-)

My dad rides about 5-6000 kms a year, no races, mostly centuries and
other long rides with many climbs (alps & co).
I wanted to build a nice bike, very durable, it should last many years
but also be a pleasure to ride (and to look at).
It has to be light but not stupid-light.
The frame has to be comfortable but also responsive, as I said not too
heavy. Components should be nice but super-duper like for ex.
dura-ace/record are not required.
My preference was for a new bike, but slightly used parts are not to
discard.

So give me the budget you would have set for the project... I'm just
curious to know if I spent more than what most would have done.

Francesco

Francesco Devittori wrote:
Hi all,

I just finished collecting all the parts to build a new bike for my dad.
I'd be interested to hear from you what do you think is a reasonable
price range you would pay for such a bike. If I decide I was not too
crazy I will tell you what I got and how much I paid :-)

My dad rides about 5-6000 kms a year, no races, mostly centuries and
other long rides with many climbs (alps & co).
I wanted to build a nice bike, very durable, it should last many years
but also be a pleasure to ride (and to look at).
It has to be light but not stupid-light.
The frame has to be comfortable but also responsive, as I said not too
heavy. Components should be nice but super-duper like for ex.
dura-ace/record are not required.
My preference was for a new bike, but slightly used parts are not to
discard.

So give me the budget you would have set for the project... I'm just
curious to know if I spent more than what most would have done.

Francesco


1500-2000 euro's

Lou
--
Posted by news://news.nb.nu

Dans le message de ,
Lou Holtman a réfléchi, et puis a déclaré :
Francesco Devittori wrote:
Hi all,

I just finished collecting all the parts to build a new bike for my
dad. I'd be interested to hear from you what do you think is a
reasonable price range you would pay for such a bike. If I decide I
was not too crazy I will tell you what I got and how much I paid :-)

My dad rides about 5-6000 kms a year, no races, mostly centuries and
other long rides with many climbs (alps & co).
I wanted to build a nice bike, very durable, it should last many
years but also be a pleasure to ride (and to look at).
It has to be light but not stupid-light.
The frame has to be comfortable but also responsive, as I said not
too heavy. Components should be nice but super-duper like for ex.
dura-ace/record are not required.
My preference was for a new bike, but slightly used parts are not to
discard.

So give me the budget you would have set for the project... I'm just
curious to know if I spent more than what most would have done.

Francesco


1500-2000 euro's

Lou

Agreed, and perhaps a tiny bit lower.
I've noticed a lot of people dumping their 9V equipment at bargain prices,
often just a year old (and not many km either).

Some specific economies : Veloce cassettes instead of Centaur or higher (if
you like Campy), since no one can see them ; 26mm bars and stems, with the
trendy folks going for OS ; don't avoid eBay, especially the German site,
since, when you are buying boxed items and building yourself, economy is
good.

Three things to be sure to do, NOT by yourself :
1 - bike shop to chase the bottom bracket threads
2 - same for rear derailer hanger threads
3 - headset installation by a bike shop.

A hint : something I have been doing - scotch tape where the front
derailleur clamp goes, to avoid cosmetic damage to the paint. If this is
wrong, I hope someone points it out to me. Other than, of course, my
favorite purveyor of ancient myth and lore.

Almost forgot !

--
Sandy
--
C'est le contraire du vélo, la bicyclette.
Une silhouette profilée mauve fluo dévale
à soixante-dix à l'heure : c'est du vélo.
Deux lycéennes côte à côte traversent
un pont à Bruges : c'est de la bicyclette.
-Delerm, P.

Francesco Devittori wrote:
Hi all,

I just finished collecting all the parts to build a new bike for my dad.
I'd be interested to hear from you what do you think is a reasonable
price range you would pay for such a bike. If I decide I was not too
crazy I will tell you what I got and how much I paid :-)

My dad rides about 5-6000 kms a year, no races, mostly centuries and
other long rides with many climbs (alps & co).
I wanted to build a nice bike, very durable, it should last many years
but also be a pleasure to ride (and to look at).
It has to be light but not stupid-light.
The frame has to be comfortable but also responsive, as I said not too
heavy. Components should be nice but super-duper like for ex.
dura-ace/record are not required.
My preference was for a new bike, but slightly used parts are not to
discard.

So give me the budget you would have set for the project... I'm just
curious to know if I spent more than what most would have done.

Francesco

I think $1500-$1700 or so would make a nice steel, hand made bicycle
with good components like a mix of Centaur and Veloce.

Sandy wrote:
Dans le message de ,
Lou Holtman a réfléchi, et puis a déclaré :
Francesco Devittori wrote:
Hi all,

I just finished collecting all the parts to build a new bike for my
dad. I'd be interested to hear from you what do you think is a
reasonable price range you would pay for such a bike. If I decide I
was not too crazy I will tell you what I got and how much I paid :-)

My dad rides about 5-6000 kms a year, no races, mostly centuries and
other long rides with many climbs (alps & co).
I wanted to build a nice bike, very durable, it should last many
years but also be a pleasure to ride (and to look at).
It has to be light but not stupid-light.
The frame has to be comfortable but also responsive, as I said not
too heavy. Components should be nice but super-duper like for ex.
dura-ace/record are not required.
My preference was for a new bike, but slightly used parts are not to
discard.

So give me the budget you would have set for the project... I'm just
curious to know if I spent more than what most would have done.

Francesco


1500-2000 euro's

Lou

Agreed, and perhaps a tiny bit lower.
I've noticed a lot of people dumping their 9V equipment at bargain prices,
often just a year old (and not many km either).

Some specific economies : Veloce cassettes instead of Centaur or higher (if
you like Campy), since no one can see them ; 26mm bars and stems, with the
trendy folks going for OS ; don't avoid eBay, especially the German site,
since, when you are buying boxed items and building yourself, economy is
good.

Three things to be sure to do, NOT by yourself :
1 - bike shop to chase the bottom bracket threads
2 - same for rear derailer hanger threads
3 - headset installation by a bike shop.

A hint : something I have been doing - scotch tape where the front
derailleur clamp goes, to avoid cosmetic damage to the paint. If this is
wrong, I hope someone points it out to me.

Not 'wrong' but not really needed. The clamp is going to 'deform' the
paint regardless of a piece of milar and the front der is always gonna
be there anyway. Just don't overtighten and crush the tube.

Other than, of course, my
favorite purveyor of ancient myth and lore.

Almost forgot !

--
Sandy
--
C'est le contraire du vélo, la bicyclette.
Une silhouette profilée mauve fluo dévale
à soixante-dix à l'heure : c'est du vélo.
Deux lycéennes côte à côte traversent
un pont à Bruges : c'est de la bicyclette.
-Delerm, P.

Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:
Francesco Devittori wrote:

Hi all,

I just finished collecting all the parts to build a new bike for my dad.
I'd be interested to hear from you what do you think is a reasonable
price range you would pay for such a bike. If I decide I was not too
crazy I will tell you what I got and how much I paid :-)

My dad rides about 5-6000 kms a year, no races, mostly centuries and
other long rides with many climbs (alps & co).
I wanted to build a nice bike, very durable, it should last many years
but also be a pleasure to ride (and to look at).
It has to be light but not stupid-light.
The frame has to be comfortable but also responsive, as I said not too
heavy. Components should be nice but super-duper like for ex.
dura-ace/record are not required.
My preference was for a new bike, but slightly used parts are not to
discard.

So give me the budget you would have set for the project... I'm just
curious to know if I spent more than what most would have done.

Francesco


I think $1500-$1700 or so would make a nice steel, hand made bicycle
with good components like a mix of Centaur and Veloce.


ok, from all the answers I conclude I'm crazy but maybe not too much.
I spent a total (everything included, handlebar tape, tubes, etc...) of
1900 euro.
A bit on the higher end, but I think I got a nice bike. I tried hard to
get the best prices on everything.
Everything is new, except for the frame that has been used for about a
month, it is in perfect condition, like new.
Campy was an option but here I couldn't get the same good price I got on
shimano (in addition my dad is used to STI).

- Frame: Colnago C40 B-Stay with Star fork and Colnago carbon seat post,
dura-ace threadless headset (I wasn't aware that such a thing existed -
maybe it is a threaded unit converted).

- Group: full Ultegra 6600 10speed, including spd-sl pedals and the new
compact crankset 50-34.

- Wheels: 32h open pro/dt competition (3x)/ultegra 6600 hubs/michelin
pro2race tires

- Other components: scott stem and handlebar, elite ciussi cages, selle
italia flite max saddle, cinelli gel bar tape.

Francesco

Francesco Devittori wrote:
Hi all,

I just finished collecting all the parts to build a new bike for my dad.
I'd be interested to hear from you what do you think is a reasonable
price range you would pay for such a bike. If I decide I was not too
crazy I will tell you what I got and how much I paid :-)

My dad rides about 5-6000 kms a year, no races, mostly centuries and
other long rides with many climbs (alps & co).
I wanted to build a nice bike, very durable, it should last many years
but also be a pleasure to ride (and to look at).
It has to be light but not stupid-light.
The frame has to be comfortable but also responsive, as I said not too
heavy. Components should be nice but super-duper like for ex.
dura-ace/record are not required.
My preference was for a new bike, but slightly used parts are not to
discard.

So give me the budget you would have set for the project... I'm just
curious to know if I spent more than what most would have done.

Francesco

I built up a new bike last spring for around $500. All parts were new
except the cranks which were Ebay'ed. It took me 2 years to acquire the
parts. I hadn't planned on building a bike, I just bought bargains that
I couldn't pass up when I saw them. I built the bike when I realized I
had reached critical mass and figured I might as well be riding my spare
parts collection.

I've discovered it's really hard to beat whole-bike pricing with a
do-it-yourself. When I cracked a mountain bike frame I found it was
cheaper to buy a complete bike and strip it for the frame and move parts
around to other bikes. .

On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 15:48:52 +0100, Francesco Devittori
frenkatfrenkdtcm wrote:




ok, from all the answers I conclude I'm crazy but maybe not too much.
I spent a total (everything included, handlebar tape, tubes, etc...) of
1900 euro.
A bit on the higher end, but I think I got a nice bike. I tried hard to
get the best prices on everything.
Everything is new, except for the frame that has been used for about a
month, it is in perfect condition, like new.
Campy was an option but here I couldn't get the same good price I got on
shimano (in addition my dad is used to STI).

- Frame: Colnago C40 B-Stay with Star fork and Colnago carbon seat post,
dura-ace threadless headset (I wasn't aware that such a thing existed -
maybe it is a threaded unit converted).

- Group: full Ultegra 6600 10speed, including spd-sl pedals and the new
compact crankset 50-34.

- Wheels: 32h open pro/dt competition (3x)/ultegra 6600 hubs/michelin
pro2race tires

- Other components: scott stem and handlebar, elite ciussi cages, selle
italia flite max saddle, cinelli gel bar tape.

Francesco

It sounds good to me. I think it will be an excellent bike, that will
be fun to ride. And it will offer pride of ownership.

Your Dad should be very happy.


Life is Good!
Jeff

Francesco Devittori wrote:
Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:
Francesco Devittori wrote:

Hi all,

I just finished collecting all the parts to build a new bike for my dad.
I'd be interested to hear from you what do you think is a reasonable
price range you would pay for such a bike. If I decide I was not too
crazy I will tell you what I got and how much I paid :-)

My dad rides about 5-6000 kms a year, no races, mostly centuries and
other long rides with many climbs (alps & co).
I wanted to build a nice bike, very durable, it should last many years
but also be a pleasure to ride (and to look at).
It has to be light but not stupid-light.
The frame has to be comfortable but also responsive, as I said not too
heavy. Components should be nice but super-duper like for ex.
dura-ace/record are not required.
My preference was for a new bike, but slightly used parts are not to
discard.

So give me the budget you would have set for the project... I'm just
curious to know if I spent more than what most would have done.

Francesco


I think $1500-$1700 or so would make a nice steel, hand made bicycle
with good components like a mix of Centaur and Veloce.


ok, from all the answers I conclude I'm crazy but maybe not too much.
I spent a total (everything included, handlebar tape, tubes, etc...) of
1900 euro.
A bit on the higher end, but I think I got a nice bike. I tried hard to
get the best prices on everything.
Everything is new, except for the frame that has been used for about a
month, it is in perfect condition, like new.
Campy was an option but here I couldn't get the same good price I got on
shimano (in addition my dad is used to STI).

- Frame: Colnago C40 B-Stay with Star fork and Colnago carbon seat post,
dura-ace threadless headset (I wasn't aware that such a thing existed -
maybe it is a threaded unit converted).

It doesn't. A converted top race with the threads taken off.

- Group: full Ultegra 6600 10speed, including spd-sl pedals and the new
compact crankset 50-34.

- Wheels: 32h open pro/dt competition (3x)/ultegra 6600 hubs/michelin
pro2race tires

- Other components: scott stem and handlebar, elite ciussi cages, selle
italia flite max saddle, cinelli gel bar tape.

Francesco

Good show-nice ride.

Peter Cole wrote:
Francesco Devittori wrote:
Hi all,

I just finished collecting all the parts to build a new bike for my dad.
I'd be interested to hear from you what do you think is a reasonable
price range you would pay for such a bike. If I decide I was not too
crazy I will tell you what I got and how much I paid :-)

My dad rides about 5-6000 kms a year, no races, mostly centuries and
other long rides with many climbs (alps & co).
I wanted to build a nice bike, very durable, it should last many years
but also be a pleasure to ride (and to look at).
It has to be light but not stupid-light.
The frame has to be comfortable but also responsive, as I said not too
heavy. Components should be nice but super-duper like for ex.
dura-ace/record are not required.
My preference was for a new bike, but slightly used parts are not to
discard.

So give me the budget you would have set for the project... I'm just
curious to know if I spent more than what most would have done.

Francesco

I built up a new bike last spring for around $500. All parts were new
except the cranks which were Ebay'ed. It took me 2 years to acquire the
parts. I hadn't planned on building a bike, I just bought bargains that
I couldn't pass up when I saw them.



I built the bike when I realized I
had reached critical mass and figured I might as well be riding my spare
parts collection.

I came to this realization two years ago. I decided with just a few
more incidental parts, I'd have a whole new bike.


I've discovered it's really hard to beat whole-bike pricing with a
do-it-yourself.

I agree. Although I did end up with a bike customized to me. It just
cost more than an off the rack bike. I've decided the best way to get
a cheap build it up yourself bike is to have all of your riding buddies
donate all of their spare parts to you for free.


When I cracked a mountain bike frame I found it was
cheaper to buy a complete bike and strip it for the frame and move parts
around to other bikes. .