Why should i get a custom built frame for twice the price of a cheap import ie handbuilt Wilson’s/ dave yates etc frame rather than a cotic soul. I have my own opinions but have never owned a purpose built frame is the difference justified by the price

if you have to ask you don’t need one or aren’t ready

go over to frameforum it should answer all

broken down simply its a set of tubes welded together by one guy or another b

its very personal to some people and opinions vary …but for me its about fitting you perfectly .bike fitting is sometimes a bit nick pickety if you dont fit into the correct size slot

the second is that the guy building the frame will hopefully have some passion in handbuilding mitreing and welding (or more traditionally) brazing the frame then rounding the fillets to perfection..some builders are so good at fillet brazing only minor cosmetic touch up is needed …im sure your wondering how this impresses people but some geeky types do like to feel fillets.Its made by hand from tubes to boxing it up

i do think the chiwanese can do some pretty amazing production stuff …like welding

thirdly you no know one else will have a bike like yours unless it gets nicked and be prepared to wait for your handcrafted bike frame..some niche builders have 5 month waiting list if not longer

A while ago i toyed with the idea of doing custom carbon frames ..ie done properly but kind of kept getting sidetracked

If you’re a funny size or shape, or maybe you have an unusual use/requirement in mind, or maybe you dream of recreating something you had years ago, or you simply have loads of money and can’t think of anything to spend it on, then a custom frame is for you.

My 2ps worth; I’ve never been convinced that it makes any difference, given the adjustability of the components that go on the frame, and knowing a local (and esteemed) frame builder, I’d rather have a frame built by someone in a factory where it gets checked and quality controlled and is backed by a warranty than one built by Mr. Grumpy on a Friday afternoon.

It’s an expensive way of riding a bike, and that’s the ultimate aim.

is the difference justified by the price

What “difference” are you looking for?

A custom frame is presumably like a custom suit. Designed only to fit *you* and your personal eccentricities.

Any off the shelf frame is simply the designers own compromises welded up to fit a median of potential purchasers according to his/her interpretations of whats important.

Any custom frame is simply the designers own compromises welded up to fit a potential purchaser according to his/her interpretations of whats important. With a price tag to suit.

Brant
the difference would be better performance , what do you mean by performancei hear you say! well efficiency , control, comfort i suppose.

Ive read that you can manipulate steel tubes to give for example a more supple/ stiff ride. But then for all i know the perfect frame for me could be being made in china. Are there any CAD programs that you can use to give the correct measurements or does this require discussions with a framebuilder. But if you aint gonna buy the frame they aint gonna work out the measurements for you.

Ideally i would like to learn how to build my own frame but there arent many courses and Yates is booked up till 2010

you may not feel your current bikes have enough top tubes, for example.

In theory it gives you the opportunity to have a frame that is a perfect fit for you physically and is tuned perfectly for your riding style and preferences in terms of angles, flex etc.
A lot of that depends on you knowing exactly what you want and being able to describe that accurately, and then the ability of the builder to translate your spec accurately to a finished product.
However, there are so many excellent frames and bikes available off the shelf that I think it would be hard not to find something at a cheaper price that would be just as good.
I think it depends how much time and patience you have to track down the right bike for you, against the costlier but should be easier option of a custom frame.

Surely the only real reason would be if you had a good idea of what exact geometry/features/materials you were after and were unable to find it on a production bike?

what sort of budget you looking at?

I’m kind of thinking about a high end titanium project, see, but would be circa £2k framesets.

The subtleties of ace offroad handling are various and everything is a compromise of course. It’s understanding the riders real needs so you as a designer can work out where those compromises are best made.

Production bikes are amazing nowadays, with loads of options.

Getting Argos, say, to add, alter, repaint, buff or file could be a better option than true custom in many cases.

i looked at goin on a frame building course but then realised all id be building would be a hand made inbred as it fits me great and i luv it. So i bought a new one and some new forks instead fmr the same money 🙂

Well i would be limited myself to about £1k for a steel frame couldnt really justify anymore and even that seems a hell of lot as i already have a good full susser. Maybe i should concentrate on finding the best angles / set up for me and seeing what is the closest production bike , but Brant if you want my dimensions (oh er missus) to put into a prototype let me know. On greater consideration i think that i could only justify a custom frame if i built it myself.

I had a Roberts White Spider frame made over 20 years ago. Back then the choice of stock frames was very limited compared to today. The only real reason now for doing it is the sheer pleasure of owning a unique hand crafted piece of work. My frame is hanging in the garage and rather rusty but I still like looking at it and the fillet brazing is something to behold. There is no logical reason to go custom but if money were no object then I’m sure I’d want another one day.

Dunno how to do linky stuff from previous posts but check out my bit from ‘lets see you steel hardtail’ & all will become apparent.

I think the analogy with a custom made suit is a good one.

Most people can find an off the peg suit that does them fine but when you get anything custom made you can specify everything down to the smallest details. Some people like to do this as the end result will fit you perfectly and have all the details that you consider important.

It’s not a simple task as you need to know what you want – either in terms of the sort of riding or feel you want. This generally means you have to have a lot of experience in order to understand what you want and the options available – and then find a maker that works with the materials you want and can help you refine your ideas and suggest alternatives.
It’s a whole process of understanding what you really want not just buying something. The end result is unique and you feel different when you wear/ride it.

If you don’t ‘get’ this then you won’t appreciate a custom built thing (suit or bike)

When you do get it, you’ll think it’s a good investment not just a very expensive purchase.

theflatboy – Member
you may not feel your current bikes have enough top tubes, for example.

Yes, my next bike will have 5 top tubes 😛