has anyone gone down the full custom option for their bike of choice.

i have always had a touring bike since being 15, always in the classic diamond design.
has i get on in year's i think road based touring is where my riding time will be mainly spent.
i have never owned a custom bike/frame.
is a custom frame much better to ride than a correct fitting mass produced frame.
and who is the best custom builder.

I think you're learning from yesterday's efforts – much more subtle this time…. 😉

depends if you + builder get it right

know so many folk who have asked for certain things – got them and the builders just neglected other things to get it … ie a mate got a bike with a certain TT/seattube and headtube angle …

BB height was about an inch more than the length of the crank though ….

pile of shite it was.

If you have a frame you like and want minor tweeks made then id go with it , but just going "build me xyz" rarely works unless you know your way round frame design ! bike manufacturers make prototypes for a reason

is a custom frame much better to ride than a correct fitting mass produced frame.

No, as long as the tubing is not wrong.

Nice if you want your bike "just so" or you haave odd fit requirements.

the odd reqirements are one of the resons i want a custom.
stronger downtube/seattube to beef up the frame….?

stronger downtube/seattube to beef up the frame….?

Sure, speak to a builder.

the odd reqirements are one of the resons i want a custom.
stronger downtube/seattube to beef up the frame….?

a good scaffolder will knock something up for you, it'd be adjustable too 🙂

😆

I have had custom forks made for my touring bike – I wanted a particular style with dynamo bosses, and couldn't get them off the shelf. Done that twice now.

Anyway, I keep getting drawn to this page…
http://www.curtisbikes.co.uk/xc-reynolds.html

Fantastic value compared to some of the off-the-shelf frames you get now.

Am I right in thinking you tend to find most things a little too flexy for your awesome power and physique?

I can never remember enough info to find the wretched thing, but there was a long piece about a bloke who was much heavier than you, who rode himself thin. He had a custom bike made, which the builder described as "a tandem for one person". I don't know really which bits of a tandem are heftier, but that might be a way to approach it?

I've had 2 custom made frames – 1 cx bike and 1 road bike + my SO has a custom light tourer and road frame from the same builder. Been very happy with them – still using my cx bike after 15 years, and the road frame after 12.
Sadly just as the custom bike scene started to re-apprear my frame builder sold everything off and went into a completely new career. I think he's much happier for it, mind.