I think it is time to retire my 11kg road bike and look for something a little lighter and safer.
I have been toying with getting a road bike to get some more kms in my legs and being able to explore the hills around me, and to also be able to join in with the ACT chapter of the #FoAmafia out on their rides instead of trying to convert them into purely mountain bikers.
So at the moment I really have nothing and am looking at the prospect of building a bike from scratch, the only requirement be that I do this as cheaply as possible but still fitting the bike with parts that won’t break mid ride etc.
What is the best way to approach a build like this? Choose a frame first and then base the build around that, or buy a set of wheels first etc.
Some very quick ideas for frames have been the Chinese carbon frames, or a Colossi Cheeko.
Every few weeks or so they’re on sale for around $550.
I’ve put 1200km on mineso far and I couldn’t be happier with it. The only caveat, according to local experts, is don’t expect many many years out of it. But for $550 if I get 5 good years out of it I’ll be happy.
Whenever I see them on sale I think about getting another one to put gears on.
Otherwise, I’d look for a good second hand CAAD9 frame.
Sorry - budget would be around 1k all up (sorry, pretty low budget - but it’s all I am willing to throw in for a roadie at the moment). My current road bike cost me $50.
I am not fussed on second hand bikes etc. Just something that will fit me (180cm) and be able to go and smash out some riding.
Sorry to be all “buy a cell”, but for a grand this is not a bad deal: Cell 2014 Lapa 2.0
You could even strip it and get it de-branded if the cell shit bothers you.
Pros: brand new, 105 group, decent-ish (but heavy-ish) wheelset, don’t have to mess around getting all those extra bits you’d need to get if you built up from bare frame.
Cons: cell, wheels are about 2kg but probs pretty solid.
ive been seeing a few 2011+giant TCRs advertised for a tad over 1k with full ultegra, its a good time to buy as mamils up grade for summer and want to get rid of their ‘older’ bikes.
The only real reason of having to put one together yourself is that you can be a little bit choosy when it comes to the frame. But yeah, I understand it may not be the best way to go in my situation.
I have been ummming and aaahing about this for AGES (have pestered a lot of people about this in the past), I just need to bite the bullet and get something.
Well depending on timeframe you can then get a decent frame for 800-1000 and then wait a while and save for wheels, and then gruppo, etc. But if you want it now, that budget is probably going to blow out.
+1 on the Cell Lapa. I recommended the same thing to my wife’s cousin last week. 105 groupset will do you well.
Otherwise, keep an eye on gumtree for a complete bike, or BNAfor parts. I reckon you could build a whole bike in a fortnight from the parts that go through there.
Because I live in CBR, if I do stumble upon something that will be a bargain that is in the Melb CBDish area - for a case of beer or GB’s, is anyone willing to help me out and check it out before I put down my hard earned?
Keep an eye on the CELL website cos they have pretty well discounted bikes on there at times. I got my Jamis, full carbon roadie w/ Ultegra for 1/2 price.
I’d also keep an eye on BikeExchange for clear out sales too.
