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I’m a little late on sharing this but here’s a release from SportsOneSource:
Trek Bicycle has expanded its Project One custom bike program with the addition of their most popular mountain bikes. The bikes available for customization are a collection of the brand’s flagship 29” wheeled product; the Superfly 9.9 SL, the Superfly 100 9.9 SL, and the all-new Fuel EX 9.9 29.The program allows consumers to design their bikes using Project One’s online configurator that offers options on 22 components as well as colors and graphics. All Project One bikes are delivered to authorized Trek dealers for in-store pickup.
“Customization is at the core of what mountain bikes are all about since Gary Fisher and company first created them in the 1970’s. Project One is the modern embodiment of that,” said Trek Mountain Bike Product Manager John Riley. “Project One mountain bikes are something that our customers have asked about for a long time and to be able to offer riders so many options is awesome.”
Mountain bikes customized through Project One will be fully customizable front-to-back, tuned specifically to each rider’s unique spec requirements with an unparalleled parts offering. Each Project One will be a unique reflection of the combination of the personal and riding style of the individual. With unparalleled custom options in the bike industry, Project One will allow riders to select from the following features to create a bike that is truly one-of-a-kind:Frames
Colors
Graphics
Shifters
Shocks
Forks
Drivetrains
Bottom Brackets
Front Rotors
Rear Rotors
Wheelsets
Headsets
Tires
Saddles
Handlebars
Grips
Fork Colors
Cassettes
Cranks
Seat posts
Stems
Brake setAnyone thinking of going this route for their next MTB?
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I am if I win the contest to get one for free other wise it is a bit out of my price range!!!
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Yeah i’d have to take out a second mortgage to afford one of those bikes.
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What’s strange to me is that being able to customize a bike isn’t standard with ALL frames and builds from all manufacturers. This is 2013 after all and we’ve had the internet for a while now. 😀
Think about it–in the 1990s you could completely customize your Dell computer and they’d ship it out within a couple days. Why isn’t it possible to do the same with a bike without any extra expense? Someone has to assemble the bike anyway, they might as well do it with the parts the buyer picks out.
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"jeff" wrote
What’s strange to me is that being able to customize a bike isn’t standard with ALL frames and builds from all manufacturers. This is 2013 after all and we’ve had the internet for a while now. 😀
Think about it–in the 1990s you could completely customize your Dell computer and they’d ship it out within a couple days. Why isn’t it possible to do the same with a bike without any extra expense? Someone has to assemble the bike anyway, they might as well do it with the parts the buyer picks out.
I think the issue is most of the bikes are assembled (mostly) in China/Taiwan by low-wage workers, boxed up, then shipped over the water. In order to get the bikes to the consumer in a reasonable period of time, you’d have to have a massive warehouse of parts in the US, and then have a higher-wage worker who knows what they’re doing to select all of the correct parts, make sure they end up on the same bike, then box it up and send it to the consumer.
Coincidentally, the first rendition of Airborne Bicycles back in the early 2000s did just that. Unfortunately, as you know, they were kind of ahead of their time and went out of business. Maybe in 2013 the bike industry is finally ready for this?
On another note, some boutique MTB companies, such as Ibis, already offer a multitude of builds and options for their frames. For instance, looking at the Mojo HD, there’s a frame-only option, an optional shock upgrade, and 6 different component-build options. These 6 different component-build options don’t just represent differences in price, but differences in brand and preference as well.
That said, the Project One is taking it to a ‘hole ‘nuther level.
Edit: the Mojo HD is also available in 3 different frame colors.
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Hmm… I guess I was thinking most bikes were at least assembled in the US even though the frames and parts are manufactured overseas.
So the Trek bikes on the floor at my LBS aren’t assembled at the shop–they come pre-assembled? I’m embarrassed to admit I don’t know how this works. 😢
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"jeff" wrote
Hmm… I guess I was thinking most bikes were at least assembled in the US even though the frames and parts are manufactured overseas.
So the Trek bikes on the floor at my LBS aren’t assembled at the shop–they come pre-assembled? I’m embarrassed to admit I don’t know how this works. 😢
I imagine it might depend a little bit on the company.
But as a for instance, all of the bikes I get in for review look like they’ve come prepackaged from China. There is still some assembly required, but most of the major work has been done. I know for a fact that is how Airborne’s bikes are assembled and shipped, and just about every other review bike I’ve received has had a very similar packing process.
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My only real knowledge comes from visiting Blue Bikes here in ATL and they get their frames from China but do all the assembly at a local warehouse. Pretty cool to see bins and bins of bike components waiting to be wrenched!
I imagine shipping is less expensive this way PLUS you are assured the assembly is done correctly (important for product liability). But I think you’re right–there’s probably some partial assembly on both ends and it varies based on the company’s operations.
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"mtbgreg1" wrote
[quote="jeff":2mk5c4yq]Hmm… I guess I was thinking most bikes were at least assembled in the US even though the frames and parts are manufactured overseas.
So the Trek bikes on the floor at my LBS aren’t assembled at the shop–they come pre-assembled? I’m embarrassed to admit I don’t know how this works. 😢
I imagine it might depend a little bit on the company.
But as a for instance, all of the bikes I get in for review look like they’ve come prepackaged from China. There is still some assembly required, but most of the major work has been done. I know for a fact that is how Airborne’s bikes are assembled and shipped, and just about every other review bike I’ve received has had a very similar packing process.[/quote:2mk5c4yq]
Yep, Greg is right. Next time you’re in your LBS check out how the bikes look as soon as they come out of a box. Generally all they have to do is put the bars in the stem, seatpost in the frame, wheels in the frame/fork, and then tune it and adjust position/placement of controls/saddle, etc. And generally the tune right out of the box is pretty dang close. I helped a buddy build up a Cannondale CX bike last week, which he bought brand new still in the box. All the derailleurs needed was tweaking the limit screws a bit and a few turns of the barrel adjusters.
As for Project One, I’ve always looked at is as ‘eh’. It’s not really custom. It’s just factory options. Short of getting a frame built just for you from a custom builder, you’re not really getting a custom bike IMO, even if you buy the frame and all the parts seperate. It’s not unique if someone else can get one just like it.
And it’s not available on all bikes because it gets expensive, OEMs get HUGE discounts on components because they buy in bulk. And buying 10,000 black X9 rear derailleurs will cost less than buying 5,000 black, and 5,000 red. And it’s the same with all the parts.
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Ok, but they have the internet in China, right? Why can’t they just assemble bikes based on the build data sent directly from the consumer? I guess that’ll happen eventually, I’m just surprised it’s taken so long.
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"jeff" wrote
Ok, but they have the internet in China, right? Why can’t they just assemble bikes based on the build data sent directly from the consumer? I guess that’ll happen eventually, I’m just surprised it’s taken so long.
$$$$
Manufacturers would have to buy more variety of parts, which costs more, and the folks assembling them would have to spend extra time getting all the correct parts together. It’s more efficient to build the same thing over and over and over again.
They could charge more I guess….
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Perhaps we need to start doing more factory tours to get more behind-the-scenes info 😀
Ok, but they have the internet in China, right? Why can’t they just assemble bikes based on the build data sent directly from the consumer? I guess that’ll happen eventually, I’m just surprised it’s taken so long.Some companies do runs of bikes, so they order up, say, a few thousand bikes, have them produced, and sent over. Then they might not do another run of that bike for a while.
Also, I imagine the shipping time from China would be a hindrance. We’re talking weeks of waiting for that brand-new bike–something that I doubt many people would be willing to do. Also, add in the fact that large companies couldn’t just order up their own container like they might otherwise and the bike is just shipping by itself instead, I imagine that ups the shipping cost, and might add to the possibility of the bike getting misplaced in transit.
Of course I’m extrapolating a bit here based on some things I’ve heard 😀
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But back to my original point–Dell did it in the 1990s and they were selling some of the least expensive computers around. Yes, computers ? bikes and you’d need to limit the number of options for each component. You’d also need high volume (which might be why it makes sense for Trek but not others yet).
In terms of cost, think about the price of swapping out just one component–say a stem–to get a good fit on your brand new bike. That adds $100 (less if you’re able to sell the stock stem you replaced to someone else). Swap out the bars, saddle, seatpost, etc. and you’re looking at a big added expense. So it could be worth it in the long run to pay a bit more upfront for a custom build.
So many challenges I guess. How much labor do you guys think goes into assembling a bike frame from scratch? Four hours for an experienced mechanic? Pay them $25 an hour and that’s $100 which is not a whole lot in the grand scheme of the cost of a bike…
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"jeff" wrote
So many challenges I guess. How much labor do you guys think goes into assembling a bike frame from scratch? Four hours for an experienced mechanic? Pay them $25 an hour and that’s $100 which is not a whole lot in the grand scheme of the cost of a bike…
Not sure. I’m not even sure how they’re assembled. Does one guy build the whole thing up, then sent it off to be packaged and loaded on a boat? Or is it more assembly line style, where lots of people work on the bike and each person does one job? I would guess the later, but I’m not sure.
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"dgaddis" wrote
Not sure. I’m not even sure how they’re assembled. Does one guy build the whole thing up, then sent it off to be packaged and loaded on a boat? Or is it more assembly line style, where lots of people work on the bike and each person does one job? I would guess the later, but I’m not sure.
It doesn’t really matter how they do it overseas because I’m pretending that costs $0. But how much time would it take an experienced person to assemble a bike from start to finish?
I know Syd does his own bike builds all the time and I’ve done it once. I didn’t track every minute I spent on it but I would imagine actual wrenching time was less than 6 hours–and I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. 😀 So, is 4 hours reasonable for a pro?
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Dell’s are built to a price point dictated by people trying to get the cheapest costing product they can find.
The person buying a $10k bike isn’t buying it because of it’s price point, in fact the opposite. They need to believe that the bike is worth $10k even though in reality it’s often complete bullshit brought about by smoke and mirrors combined with fantastic advertising.
My point being that Dell’s business could only flourish by utilizing the business model that you’re mentioning. It seems that the bike companies have found enough of those special people born every minute to balance the supply and demand they are trying to achieve without offering a personalized product.
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"jeff" wrote
It doesn’t really matter how they do it overseas because I’m pretending that costs $0. But how much time would it take an experienced person to assemble a bike from start to finish?
But it does matter, ’cause that’s how 99% of them are built 😉 Now, Trek’s Project One bikes are limited to models that have their frames built here in the States (I think?), so the complete bike may be assembled and tuned by just one person.
"jeff" wroteI know Syd does his own bike builds all the time and I’ve done it once. I didn’t track every minute I spent on it but I would imagine actual wrenching time was less than 6 hours–and I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. 😀 So, is 4 hours reasonable for a pro?
But yeah I’d guess less than 4hrs is a reasonable time for an experienced mechanic, depending on how much he has to do. Face/chase the frame, bleed hydro’s, etc.
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"schwim" wrote
My point being that Dell’s business could only flourish by utilizing the business model that you’re mentioning. It seems that the bike companies have found enough of those special people born every minute to balance the supply and demand they are trying to achieve without offering a personalized product.
Sad to say I think you’re right. Component manufacturers with a significant consumer business have an incentive to push back on such a model. The way things are now they get the OEM sale PLUS the consumer sale when the buyer swaps stock components for the ones they really wanted in the first place.
Still, most folks don’t want to deal with the hassle of spec’ing their own bike so it’s not clear how much demand there would be for such a service anyway.
It just seems really crazy to me how little value in a bike comes from the frame itself. You’re not paying thousands of dollars for a tricked out Trek bike; you’re paying thousands of dollars for SRAM/Shimano components and just a few bucks for the Trek frame. No wonder the big guys have to make their own components too.
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"dgaddis" wrote
But it does matter, ’cause that’s how 99% of them are built 😉 Now, Trek’s Project One bikes are limited to models that have their frames built here in the States (I think?), so the complete bike may be assembled and tuned by just one person.
Sorry, I meant it doesn’t matter for the calculation of additional cost of assembly in the US vs. overseas since it’s probably very low. And even if it isn’t super low, that just makes the argument for assembly in the US even more appealing.
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"jeff" wrote
It just seems really crazy to me how little value in a bike comes from the frame itself. You’re not paying thousands of dollars for a tricked out Trek bike; you’re paying thousands of dollars for SRAM/Shimano components and just a few bucks for the Trek frame. No wonder the big guys have to make their own components too.
They just get MASSIVE discounts for components. Buying a complete is so much less expensive than building your own. I remember a while back I was looking at the aluminum Anthem X 29er. The frame + the cost of a Fox fork was like $50 MORE expensive than the lowest model complete, which came with the same exact frame and a Fox fork. The frame only option had a higher end rear shock, but still. It didn’t make any sense to me why someone would buy a frame only instead of the complete, even if you wanted your own parts. Buy the complete and you’d have a ton of spares, or sell them to offset some cost.
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"dgaddis" wrote
It didn’t make any sense to me why someone would buy a frame only instead of the complete, even if you wanted your own parts.
Unless you have a QBP or BTI account …
But the big players, Giant, Specialized, etc, get even better pricing than that.
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Yeah, it’s definitely cheaper to buy a complete bike right now than to buy a frame and outfit it yourself. Which is why it seems much more efficient to offer custom builds.
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