If you have been following some of my recent posts, you will know that I am helping my girlfriend find a nice entry level road bike, hopefully for around $500, maybe a TAD more. So far the Trek 1000 and Giant OCR3 top the list, with the Schwinn Fastback, LeMond Etape, and Fuji Shift in close second place.
Assuming I am physically capapble (with the help of Tri and Cycling team members), is there a way to BUILD a comparable entry level bike for less than it would cost to buy new? It is kind of hard to “spec” an entry level bike, as Sora components aren’t exactly high demand…any thoughts?
I doubt it. No way you, as a consumer, can match the volume pricing that bike manufacturers get. Look at the price of Felts or Cervelos. You almost get the components for free (or the frame for free depending on how you look at it). Only way you MIGHT be able to be cheaper is via eBay.
I rebuilt and upgraded an old steel classic frame for my son with newer 105 9 sp STI components for less that it would have cost to purchase an entry level bike, but realize that I already owned the frame and had wheels and a few other parts laying around. The rest I bought either discounted or used on ebay. Ended up spending less and with a much nicer bike than if purchasing a comparably priced new entry level bike.
Having said that, if I had to purchase every single part it would have been more expensive. It was only cheaper because I already had a good junk of it.
I’ll also add the Giant OCR3 is a very nice entry level bike for the money. My wife used one with shorty aero bars in her first two years of triathlon in local area sprints and had numerous AG wins and podiums with it. She’s since moved on to an expensive ti road bike and dedicated tri bike, but she has often mentioned that she misses the OCR3 in some ways.
I recently tried to do this for a bike which I was going to install power cranks full time. I spent time on ebay and tons of websites. In the end, I ended up going to my LBS and ordered the PCs from them. They gave me a super deal on a never sold 2003 felt f50 minus the 105 cranks. I paid 650 for the bike and 800 for the cranks. I would have been hard pressed to find a full 105/ultegra equiped bike for 600-700. Go with new and factory spec’d.
I bought a set of parts from Chucksbikes. Tri frame, full 105, medium aero wheels, cowhorns, aerobars, tyres, everything down to the bar tape. $800. You’d be hard pushed to just get a 105 groupset for that.
Add $20 for Zinn and the art of road bike maintenance and probably another $50 for cassette and BB tool etc.
with the buildup kit which isn’t on the site at the moment. I substituted full 105 but you could get pretty much anything you wanted if you talk to him, he’s great to do business with.
I’ve just bought a new frame simply because I’m moving to 700 wheels, otherwise I’d be quite happy to stay with this setup. Had it two years and no problems at all, I’ve just put on a better saddle and vision base bar.
Are you an eBayer? Can you accept used parts? If the answer to both questions is yes, then you can find used parts cheap - if you are patient. But it takes time to watch the market and get a feel for the going price of each component with different ages and conditions. I did it last winter and it took me almost 4 months to acquire everything I needed. You may even find that one way to approach it is to buy a used bike with some components you don’t like and sell those and buy the ones you want. Becoming a seller opens up a lot of possibilities.
Don’t forget the non-monetary investment in your time. I’m building up a road bike right now for the 1st time from an ebay frame and components from an older tri bike. Proper tools and a good work stand cost a lot of money. Probably easier and cheaper (maybe not as fun though) to get a whole bike, used or new.
I’ve built up the same two frames you listed here. They both worked out well. Also did a road bike from Chuck’s frames. Again, saved a ton of cash. Don’t care for a “named” brand, so once I found I could build my own, I couldn’t resist. Next, I’ll be trying out the Leader 130TT. $239 for an aero, 78 degree, 700c frame that has horizontal drop outs. And all the reviews I’ve read say great things about the frames. The last bike I put together took a total of 2 hours. Another 30 min to tweak and fit. Done.
I think the less you’re looking to spend on the whole bike, the harder it’s going to be to build something for cheaper than you’d be able to buy a whole used bike. Some of the benefits for me were that I could break up my costs over a longer period of time without financing (and thus be able to buy more bike) and also save some money by using ,say, used 9 speed instead of buying 10 brand new. I’m going the build route right now on my first real race bike (no more races on the cross frame!) and my budget was $1000.
So far, it looks like I’m going to be over budget by a bit, but i’m going to end up with a pretty nice bike at a savings of what it would cost me built at the shop. The damages so far: javelin salento frame/fork/headset $450 ebay, velomax circuit wheels $370 ST c’fieds to which I added a $65 CH aero cover and 700 x 20 wheels from ebay ($20), cockpit (carbon stryke aerobars, bullhorn, brake levers, and DA 9 bar end shifters) plus calipers $110 ST c’fieds, tristryke seat $60 ebay. Still need derailleurs, seatpost, crankset/BB, and the finishing touches but the salentos run north of $2k built so I’m pretty happy.