I have little to no wrench experience, but need a new road bike and was thinking that building one would be the best way to learn. What are all the pieces/parts that I’d need to buy (frame, crankset, etc, etc) Thanks for your help and any other advice for a first time bike builder.
I built a few myself and it is not as easy as it seems. You will need the following:
Frame
Fork
Stem
Headset
Handlebars
Brakes levers / Shifters
Brakes + pads
Brake cables and hoses
Front deraileur
Rear deraileur
Deraileur cables and hoses
Bar tape
Beer
Wheels
Skewers
Rim tape
Tubes
Tires
More beer
Bottle cages
Cassette
Bottom bracket
Crankset (Cranks + chainring)
Pedals
Chain
Seatpost
Saddle
Lube
White Grease
Duct tape
Pump
More beer
Chain tool
Headset tools
Bottom bracket tool
Cassette tool
Cable cutting tool
Allen key set
Spoke tool
Optional:
Reflectors
Lights
Mirrors
Mudguards
Are you sure you want to do all this?
If so, make sure you take it to the LBS after you are done so that they check it is safe to ride.
Enjoy.
Ole
I never thought I would wrench a lot so I was hesitant to buy this but it really has turned out to be one of my better investments.
http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=23&item=PRS-20
http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=6&item=AK-37
Thanks! Exactly what I was looking for
If you’re reasonably mechanical, then building up a bike isn’t super difficult. Just make sure you get good quality tools.
You might want to let the LBS press in the headset and set the crown race on the fork, though, unless you’re able to borrow the specific tools from somebody. They’re sort of expensive, and ONLY useful for the initial assembly. I wouldn’t recommend trying it with improvised tools unless you’re really good at McGuyver-type stuff. Too easy to seriously damage your head tube or fork.