Pitch the paper and pencil, scrap the calculator, and shut down the spreadsheets, because there’s now a more efficient way to compare parts, calculate cost, cross check compatibility, and compile data for your next bike build with Bikologi–a new online custom bike builder resource. And by bike builder, Bikologi is referring to the manufacturer all the way down to you, the rider. Brian Sweat, the brains behind Bikologi, felt most online bike builder resources focused too much on sales, were too manufacturer-specific, gave little regard to component compatibility, and were severely limited on what you could create.
Bikologi is posed to be one of the most up-to-date, user-friendly, and visually-stunning online bike builder programs I’ve ever seen, but instead of taking my word for it, see for yourself. Just click on over to bikologi.com, and the rest is so straight forward even an IPA/epic ride-induced comatose mountain biker could do it or, read on about my first time experience.
From Bikologi’s home page, click on the builder tab, which brings you to a list of bikes to choose from. Clearly, Bikologi is in a bit of a building phase themselves with limited selection of frames and parts. In fact, as I write this there are currently only six frames to choose from and nine on the “coming soon” deck.
Click the Build Now tab on your bike of choice to get started building from the frame up.
After choosing the color and size of your frame, start getting all slap-happy with components using the left-hand column category list and accompanying bottom toolbar displaying options for each category.
A running total of price (MSRP), weight, and percentage of complete build appears in the top right-hand corner, making it super easy to compare the effects of each component side-by-side. Below that, components are itemized, and you can toggle between that and the bike’s geometry, seeing it change based on selected parts.
As far as compatibility, here’s where Bikologi gets really cool. If two components are incompatible, a pop-up screen warns you of the issue and prompts you to delete one of the mismatched parts before proceeding.
Once you dial in the dream, click Done, review your components now displayed on the left with their respective prices, weights, sizes, and color (paying no attention to the annoying overall price tag *wink, wink*), and share it with the world!
This sexy bit of programming will no doubt make your job a lot easier building a bike as it aims to bring you a large, confusing, and sometimes frustrating industry with so many moving parts to your fingertips. Bikologi also shows promise as a useful tool for online bike retailers and local bike shops to show customers what their build will actually look like prior to closing the deal. Sweat told Singletracks he’s also looking to set up a feature that would enable users to send over your online dream builds to local bike shops.
Also readily apparent is that Bikologi has a ways to go to make available all popular components (never mind cross checking compatibility) so, for now, be patient. More importantly, you can get involved to enhance the builder’s website by contacting Bikologi directly from the homepage where they encourage constructive feedback and input about the parts you’re interested in.
Check out Bikologi now, build a bike, and drop them a line. The more input they receive, the better it’ll get! Don’t forget to share your build online and WOW your dorky non-rider friends with how much coin you could drop on a new whip.
