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I have upgraded about half of my old Gary Fisher Hard tail. I am thinking of doing a new full suspension build either from a kit of from scratch. Am i crazy? Anyone have a recommendation of what to start with? or should i just assemble?
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My advice depends on why you want to build your own. If what you want is a quality bike that fits you and at a reasonable cost, then spend 1/10th of the time you would spend on research, purchasing and building (assembling) and test drive several ready built bikes at your local bike shops, and then buy one there. If what you want is to enjoy the process and rolling up your sleeves for the research, purchasing and building, then knock yourself out and build your own as long as you understand going in that BYO will likely cost more, take more time, and possibly not fit as well as something you tested. Good luck!
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Go test ride the 2020 Ibis Ripley and Ripmo, Specialized Enduro, Trek Fuel EX and Supercaliber, and Santa Cruz Tallboy which I think are some of the best stock bikes you can get. Then ask yourself if you would end up with a better bike by building your own? Maybe you can? But I suspect that for the same price the stock bike will be a better bike than the bike you build up. And if you’re willing to buy an on-line bike and assemble it yourself, like the YT Jeffsy or Commencal Meta TR Brit Edition, you could get an even better specced bike for the same amount of money. Spend some time checking these bikes out on the internet and test riding them before you build a custom bike.
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I’m about half way through my build and am at the point of second guessing every decision. I know I am going to end up with a better bike than buying a complete build but it is way harder to get every little piece than I thought. And would cost more if i had not found great deals on every part so far.
It would have been easier to buy a Marin, Polygon or Vitus.
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Not sure what you mean by scratch vs just assemble.
Buying a brand name frame with a shock already on it and then buying all the parts to have the bike you want, is the same amount of mechanic work as buying a kit. I bought the Insurgent kit from Evil a few years ago and enjoyed the build and have loved the bike ever since.
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This all depends on what you want out of the experience. If you want the best value and fast process, buying a complete bike is probably the best.
If you want a unique bike and have patience, money, and time, go for the full build. I’ve built a couple of bikes and it is extremely fun and rewarding. Each step will take research but no step is insanely complicated that a motivated person can’t figure out. It’s all on the internet.
But keep in mind, full build is EXPENSIVE. The first time you will likely overlook many little parts that are required to make the bike work. Also, many parts require specific tools to install adding to the cost. Tools are a big cost.
If you are in the sport for the long term and want something new go for it. But if you just want to ride, go buy a bike.
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If I had the money I would build my own. Knowing it would take time, keep your old bike to ride. My observation is buying all the pieces separate is expensive and as mentioned the pieces you didn’t think of and special tools. If you have the budget and time go for it. The warning I would keep in mind not to overthink it too much. My guess is that most of us have got stuff overthinking and researching parts and pieces for our bikes and then wondered was there something else out there we had not discovered. Know your major components and don’t overthink the smaller ones. I have enjoyed slowly upgrading…rebuilding my stock bikes. I can figure a component out one at a time and be focused on that. In a way I am building my own bike just over time. I get to appreciate each upgrade as I add and feel the bike improve and change.
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My last two bikes were five to eight years old at time of purchase. I purchased them for the frames, stripped them down and rebuild them from the frame up. I totally enjoyed the experience and I know my bikes capabilities extremely well as a result. In my opinion, if you are up for an adventure have approximately $1000+, a few months of part time parts searching and construction efforts, you can have an awesome bike with the components that you want. Note, there will be some trial time and money costs but, the end result will be highly satisfying. Assuming you have the time and desire the experience.
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You will spend a lot more time and money building from scratch, doing gearing research, parts sourcing, etc…
I’ve built both my bikes from scratch. Definitely for the pleasure of it. If you have the tools and the time it’s easy. It’s much harder and more expensive if you have to run back and forth to the shop all the time
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You can build from scratch….cheaper….if you have the patience and time to look for great deals. I personally buy bargain parts off Pinkbike and MTB related Facebook sites year round, even when I don’t need the parts. #1 because I take a spare of almost everything other than wheels on long road trips I take and #2 because I know I’ll eventually need them. I just built up an Ibis HD5 and had 80% of the parts (especially the pricey ones likes wheels and a fork) already in my garage and then purchased the frame and a few misc parts (headset, bottom bracket) for 17% off retail.
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