I decided that, after trying a friends, I am going to build myself a very burly DMR Bolt. I was going to sell my specialized Camber to pay for the frame and then get myself some forks (pikes maybe) and utilise the nearly new kit on my DH bike to complete the build.

I figured it would be a relatively inexpensive way to build up a bike that I really really want. But I forgot. This is mountain biking and as such nothing I already own will in any way be compatible with the new frame and by the time it’s all complete I will have spent the best part of £2300. 😥

It’s a hard pill to swallow to think I will be losing two bikes to build one and will still have to find a sizeable sum of cash to complete it. Sometimes I really hate mountain biking.

£2300? I think you need to buy less from CRC and more from the classifieds

I assume you will have enough redundant parts to build a new bike from.

Sad as it sounds I listed all the parts of my new build on a spreadsheet (as a it was done through the LBS) we nailed down the prices on everything then hit the go button.

*Awaits ‘I’ve built my new bike and I love Mountain Biking’ thread*

FWIW. I’ve just costed up my next custom build. Just north of £8K rrp. 🙁 I’ll miss eating….

Buy less expensive parts?

Buy the right parts was the key for me – 95% was on a good deal for me – just lucky I like what most people don’t

Meh !

I am in the final stages of finishing my Enigma Excel. The spread sheet is currently telling me I’ve spent over 5K.
😐

i was happier when I totaled up the RRP column to check the insurance figures, enough of a difference and remembering that it’s in Au$ not £ was a bonus

Im quite chuffed with my latest project- Iv just ordered the last batch of small parts from CRC which should enable me to ride it out of the garage. Just missing dropper post, saddle and front brake now.

Likewise I also thought I had more parts lying around that would fit – but once you start building something nice you dont want to put these old bits on – most of them are lying unused for a reason! In the end I have used a stem and some tyres….and Im not happy with the tyres as the rubber has started to perish – and they make my newly built wheels look tatty 🙁

I know what you mean about costs spiraling though – I budgeted for a grand and it will be 1500 when complete- not too bad I suppose. I did plan to buy a lot more second hand. To be fair a lot of the expensive bits have been (frame, forks, cranks, bars, pedals, saddle when I get it). But most of the time the difference between second hand prices and discount online prices is so small its just not worth it – especially for consumables like drive train parts and rims that wear out quickly.

Those German shops have been particularly useful!

We all do it, sold my five frame bought a carbon stumpjumper for less money and thought I was finally going to upgrade without going bankrupt. first issue was the front mech was sram s1 mount and the adaptor to dmd was out of stock everywhere, so I bought an x7 mech, then a mate was selling an x0 rear mech and shifters, merlin had x0 cranks at £180 so I sold my slx group and went sram (once I found the gxp osbb) then my hayes strokers either sat too far inboard or outboard with the x9 shifters so I found x0 brakes in the crc sale for £78 an end but then I had to buy rotors and mounts, and then I didn’t like the brain shock and my 32 felt a bit weedy so I got a 34 and now I’ve decided to bite the bullet and get a reverb

never ending really

Meh !

I am in the final stages of finishing my Enigma Excel. The spread sheet is currently telling me I’ve spent over 5K.

No, not meh. When you consider the Downhill Bike I am stripping to build my new bike has cost me just over £6000, the Specialised I am selling cost me just over £2000. When you throw it altogether it’s going to be a very expensive bike.

I don’t really want to go cheap on the build as I am essentially building my ‘ultimate’ bike. The frustration is that initially I thought that Around £1600 combined with the kit from my DH bike would give me the bike I wanted but then realising that everything bar the Brakes, bars, shifter, chainguide and saddle would also need to be replaced.

I started buying parts last December. Spent a bit each month, off the back of any sales on at the time. This approach is ok if you’re patient. I’m currently holding out for a headset, someone will discount and I’ll pick something up then.

No, not meh

Ah, editing while I’m posting 😉

Yes, this is my ultimate road bike. I was fed up with tweaking my bike fit to an off the peg frame. So I had a bespoke Ti frame made to my dimensions. Its then been 9000, Mavics, etc. I’m hoping it comes in at around 7.5Kg. I made my last road bike last 12 years, so if this one does a similar tour of duty, then its the price of a new halford special every year.

… and yet many of us are more than happy with our £400 builds, with carefully hand picked components from the classifieds….

😉

and yet many of us are more than happy with our £400 builds, with carefully hand picked components from the classifieds

Yeah, I’m really miserable about my new build and all because of the cost. What was I thinking ? we all know that cycling happiness is inversely proportional to how much the bike cost and that how much you enjoy your bike has nothing to do with what and where you ride.
😆

… and yet many of us are more than happy with our £400 builds, with carefully hand picked components from the classifieds….

Admittedly it does sound a bit like a whiny spoilt child, but in my defence my motivation for the change is to reduce the number of bikes I’ve got and have a bike that, no matter where I go or what riding I want to do, I’ll have a bike that will tackle it all. The DH bike is too much for the racing I do (UK based). The camber, whilst a very good trail centre bike, is so light it almost feels fragile so I never really push it too much so never take it anywhere there might be some more extreme descents. I’ve built up the bikes I have now over a long period of time so if I’m going to replace them I want to replace them with something that, for me, is just about perfect.

In essence I’m just ranting about mountain bikings idea of ‘standard fit’ really.

I’m not complaining about my bike. The OP might have been slightly shocked at what they will spend / have spent on their bike, I was just helping by pointing out that others blow more cash. So don’t let the cost dilute the enjoyment of your new bike.

I’m not complaining about my bike

No, I know you weren’t. I was referring to my original post coming across as a bit whiny…. Which it was.

It’s a hard pill to swallow to think I will be losing two bikes to build one and will still have to find a sizeable sum of cash to complete it.

Did you not think of this before you even started?
Or maybe you thought the magic fairies fund bikes.

my motivation for the change is to reduce the number of bikes I’ve got

Fail 😉

sssimon – did you ever get hold of an SRAM DMD adapter – I have the exact same issue with stumpy evo!

Or maybe you thought the magic fairies fund bikes.

10 teeth, 10 pounds. Not even enough for grips.

I picked up a good deal on my preferred frame on ebay last month. Thought I might leave it in the garage and buy bits as and when they came up cheaply. Failed. Got half way through and thought sod it, I might as well get the remaining bits now. I’ve now spent around £1,000 and I’ve just ordered a set of £350 wheels which will let me move the Crest 29ers from my CX bike to complete the build. Oops. Still, a nice Kinesis FF29 build for effectively £1300 isn’t too shabby.

You can build for sensible money if you are careful about ordering. I picked up a part here and there (often following a PSA on here), and a few second hand parts where appropriate. Only kicker was the £287 for Reba RL 29ers from Merlin which I thought was stonking value until they got the white model in the following week and were doing them on offer for £225!

Still, it was quite satisfying when each time I bought a part I updated the spreadsheet and quite often reduced the price from the anticpated price as I picked up a good deal. As usual, very few bits have been carried over – just the brakes (for now), the crank arms and pedas really, oh and the chainstay protector!

Predictably, I’m contemplating swapping the crank arms and pedals for something lighter in future, and will replace the brakes if the performance doesn’t improve with the new rotors. And that chainstay protector is looking a little tatty 🙂

Mine usualy spiral, but it’s usualy the cost of the little bits that adds up.

Only advantage of a one-in one-out shed policy is I just swap 90% of the parts over each time and sell the surplus.

so if this one does a similar tour of duty, then its the price of a new halford special every year

My Halfords special Boardman road bike is 6 years and counting

Sorry – I have no room to talk – I have absolutely no need for a third mtb but that wont stop me thinking of ways to justify it 🙂

I’ve stopped adding up what bikes actually cost me to put together… would rather not know!

no matter where I go or what riding I want to do, I’ll have a bike that will tackle it all.

So will a £400 build… and that might be the hard pill to swallow 😉

(From all day epics to Fort Bill DH racing…)

10 teeth, 10 pounds. Not even enough for grips.

You’re pulling the wrong teeth mate. Pick the gold ones.

But tell me about parts prices, its not as if they’re priced by the Kg. There’s a heck of a lot more material in the brake discs on my car, yet an MTB brake disc will be a comparable price. Go figure.
😐

EDIT:
😆 @ Xiphon. keep taking the meds.

its the new wheel sizes that have really scuppered things

…means new wheelsets and forks.. that often means new hub adaptors too, and then tyres can be very expensive

8) 😆

ichabod – Member

sssimon – did you ever get hold of an SRAM DMD adapter – I have the exact same issue with stumpy evo!

I got one off here in the end, some kind soul sent me it for free as it was lying in his tool box. It was the only way I could get a 1×10 e13 upper guide to work

I think they should be in stock at specialized by now, I have the part number somewhere if you need it

So will a £400 build…

sounds like jack of all trades master of none to me 😉

I think 3 mtb’s and a road bike for commuting just about covers things…. or does it??

a part number would be great thanks.. just to check , my frame has mount holes 42mm apart but the XT E type mech I have uses about 22mm spacing.

The strange thing is that the manual for the frame says use a SRAM S3 mech but these are 22mm spacing. SRAM S1 type mechs are 42mm but it does not suggest these. I can only assume that the DMD adapter is always required and that S1 mechs wont work despite having the correct spacing?

Having said that, the “£400” build is hung up next to the road bike, and race BMX 😉

just remembered it apparently has no part no but the warranty people refer to it as a shimano-styre DMD adaptor

it’s the bit you see here

http://cdn.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/pdf/manuals/0262_IG_SRAM_XX_FD.pdf

My new build started off aiming for around £1200… Then I decided I needed to use new forks not my old scabby ones and needed more shiny shinys don’t even want to add up my ‘shopping list’ anymore..

I think 3 mtb’s and a road bike for commuting just about covers things…. or does it??

nah, you need at least 3 road bikes.

1) new and shiny plastic chav wagon
2) commuter/tourer/winter warrior
3) lovely old school steel jobbie

and a cyclo-cross bike…

having done the cobble it together from spares, 2nd hand and stuff I am much happier with my near out the box build. It all just works properly 🙂 the others worked but something was always never quite right.

Due to the uncertainties and parts price impacts of the 26/27/29er tussle, I decided to sit this one out and delay a periodic bike re-build in favour of a re-fresh.

So, my Cotic Soul (2010 vintage with 1.1/8 steerer) is due back from the painters soon and I’ve managed to find some parts that update it – rather than face the comparatively massive costs of switching to the 27/29er format. 🙂