Having a custom mountain bike frame built is a bit like building a house: it’s not cheap and can take a long time, but the end result is almost always totally worth it. We recently asked more than 2,000 mountain bikers whether they owned a custom mountain bike frame, and just over 7% said yes.
Custom mountain bike frames can be designed to a rider’s exact specifications, taking into account everything from arm and leg lengths to the way the rider likes a bike to feel. Finding and working with a custom mountain bike builder is easy these days thanks to the internet, which makes custom mountain bike frames accessible to more buyers than ever before. (Share contact info for your favorite custom frame builders here.)
Still, the vast majority of riders–almost 93% of those we surveyed–don’t own a single custom mountain bike frame. It seems these riders prize the convenience of choosing a frame off the shelf while retaining the option to customize component selections. Stock bike frames also tend to be less expensive since they can be mass produced.
Do you own a custom mountain bike frame? What led you to go custom?
I think for most of us passionate riders out there, our bikes, our prizes possessions, aren’t cheap. When taking a several thousand dollar plunge into our passion, I think many of us put a lot of those dollars into faith, trust, and reliability of known commodities. I am sure there are many great custom builders out there, but I can’t deny that I’d feel a little more secure doing a trust fall into the arms of a bigger bike company.
If you had $50,000 for a new car (We’re not buying Walmart bikes here), would you feel more comfortable buying a Mercedes Benz or a custom car built by a guy in a shop on the side of his house? It’s kind of a high risk, high reward scenario. For those with money to burn, perhaps less so.
https://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-gear/sklar-bikes-best-mountain-bike-at-nahbs-2017/
Gaaaaaaah! Gimme!