Anybody build their own bicycles?

[badass88gt]

I was talking to a buddy at work and his kid built his own bike for a fraction of the cost of buying retail, bought components off eBay mainly. I used to tinker with bike stuff as a teenager, I'm curious if there is really that much savings vs. buying from a retail store. Thoughts?

Thanks-Dan

[-stew-]

Online certainly is cheaper than the local bike shop, but starting from scratch prolly wont save you any money vs buying a ready to ride bike. A buddy's son is building a bike, he bought a $450 frame, and just bought *a* $250 hub (singular.) So, shit can add up quick. I just got done building a mid 90's gt bmx bike, cost way more than just buying one of Cl, but it was fun picking all my own parts, building the wheels, building the bike and so on. I'll never get my money back on it and I knew that from the start.

I think building a bike from scratch would be a good way to teach a kid about money, get him some hands on mechanical experience and a sense of acomplishment that hard work pays off when he's out riding it. Or I got a late 90's gt performer I'll have ready for sale next week you could buy! :thumbs

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[Rocket Power]

I've built a gun (not an AR-15), but not a Bike. :)

[Bobby "Big Daddy" Flay]

Agreed with Stew on this.

All depends on what you plan on using it for and how much you want to spend, piecing a bike together can be cheaper, but usually way more expensive than buying from an actual shop. Online can save you, but keep in mind that with how detailed everything is, make sure all of the components fit with others. If you are real serious, let me know. Still have a few deals depending on the route you go.

[Wagonbacker9]

I built myself a single speed road bike back in college from parts my dad already had.. I also rebuilt my 20" from when I was a kid. It started life as a coaster-brake, and its now a freewheel, basically everything has been replace except the frame, headset, fork, and handle grips (yes, the FIRST part most people replace.. lol). I think I still have the factory seat somewhere, but its not on it.

Now that I have a car again, haven't touched either. Maybe I'll get back into it when the kid comes and my fun budget gets cut down to nothing. lol