Nowadays there is a bike for everything. We buy Gravel, Cyclocross and Road Bikes, since we want to ride the whole year around. Whereas many of us posses various bikes, beginners face a tough choice: Which bike should I buy? Especially if you are on a tight budget this decision takes a lot of pondering.
By this spring, I had managed to motivate a good friend of mine to start cycling. Unexperienced, her requirements for the first bike were simple. She wanted a fast ride for the street and for cross country. Moreover, the bike should be suitable for long tours, so it should come with mounting points for a rack and mudguards. Naturally, it should be a durable quality build – all for no more than 1000€.
Taking all this into consideration it became clear that the new bike would be an Allroad Bike, also called Gravelgrinder – boasting mechanical disc brakes and a comfort-orientated Sport Geometry. There are few companies on the market that offer a quality bike at this price point. Planet X offered the best value-for-money here: Its London Road model is praised on their homepage as a "Do It All Commuter". Whence, the bike did fit the bill perfectly. A single bike to ride fast on the road as well as through fields and woods, all while offering comfort for bike traveling. Complete models are available for a breathtaking 1000 to 1200€, even without a sale on. However, we figured out an even better deal: As the frame was on sale for just over 200 quid, it seemed possible to build a complete bike for even less money! Admittedly only thanks to the stock of components which I have been collecting over the years. In the end, the bike owned us 810€ – including second hand bottle cages, pedals and computer. Naturally, it is a one of a kind example. But look for yourself, here is the complete list of parts.
Frameset: Planet X London Road (Blue Dragon) 217,00 Euro
Framematerial: Aluminum 6061, Forkmaterial: Aluminium and carbon
Headset: FSA Orbit Carbon 49,90 Euro
Cable Guide: 5 Euro
Derailleur-clamp: Red 10,90 Euro
Rear Derailleur: Shimano 105 5700 25,00 Euro (or Shimano Dura Ace 7900 free)
Front Derailleur: Shimano Dura Ace 7800 free
STI: Shimano Dura Ace 7800 free
Brakes: Avid BB7 99,80 Euro
Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 6600 14-27 free
Chain: Shimano Ultegra 6700 19,00 Euro
Wheelset: Ambrosio Varo Disk 130,90 Euro
Tires: Ritchey Comp Speedmax 29,80 Euro
Crankset: Shimano 105 5700 64,70 Euro
Chainrings: Rotor Non Q Rings 50, 34 free
Bottom braket: KCNC Red free
Handlebars: Pro LT compact 31,8 26,90 Euro
Stem: KCNC Fly Ride 29,90 Euro
Bartape: Planet X Contrast Stitch 15 Euro
Saddle: Brooks B17 present
Seat post: Rose Xtreme free
Cables: Jagwire 26,90 Euro
Frame protectors: 23,90 Euro
Pedals: Shimano XT dual use free
Bottle cages: New Ultimate free
Computer: Polar CS100 free
Some impressions of the building process:
Fresh out of the box.
Mounting of the headset and fork.
Cutting the steerer tube using a Syntace Speed Cutter.
Enough spacers for height adjustment.
Fitting the bottom bracket with grease.
Blood, sweat and tears – it fits!
Mounting the brake discs with a torque wrench.
Tuned Dura Ace rear derailleur.
Fitting a KCNC front derailleur clamp.
Crepe paper and gripper paste compensates for loose tolerances.
Mounting the brakes requires some patience.
Fitting and cutting the cables is quite easy.
The result: 9,4kg!
The example of this custom bike shows clearly that it can be worth building you own bike. Companies like Planet X offer framesets at incredibly low prices when on sale – from TT to titanium Cyclocross Bike. If you have boxes full of parts, as in our case components and drive train parts, you can save an awful lot of money. It is advisable to use tuning parts from one brand only, as this ensures a uniform colour. Currently, the best option is KCNC. They have a huge range – from bolts to small parts. Furthermore, the KCNC stuff is ridiculously light and great value-for-money. Moreover, we mainly used products from the brand's lower priced line. Once again it showed that you can mix various Shimano 10speed components – extremely helpful if you are on a budget. Finally, the build proved that even heavily used componentry can be reconditioned and given a new lease of life.
I hope you enjoyed the little insight into the birth of one custom bike. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
