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Hi
Opinions on building a bike. is it cheaper or better than buying new or second hand.how much do you have to spend to make a good one.what are your opinions on building a full suspension bike.
you mean buying all the parts separately? Usually more expensive.
With carefull selection of parts in sales and classifieds it can work out cheaper, but can take an age to do.
In my experience, only the most expensive factory bikes have high quality essentials (tyres, bottom brackets, hubs, spokes, headsets, chains, cassettes) - just check out some of these components on models from household names at £1.5-2k! I've always found that these make a big difference to the ride of my bikes.
If you're able to assemble a bike and have the right gear, then I suggest you'd get something higher quality for a similar (if not lower) price. You can choose exactly the spec you want, with only the compromises you decide on.
I don't think a custom build will beat some internet-only retail bikes on spec, but I think a custom build sourcing parts from CRC, Wiggle etc would comfortably undercut a full-price big brand bike. The main thing is that most people use their old bike as a starting point.
What you won't get is: advice (unless you buy the frame or possibly the whole custom bike from the shop); customer care for the whole bike (as opposed to the individual bits); or any chance to test ride it before buying it.
I've been doing my own bike builds for ten years and find them highly satisfying, good value and more suited to my needs.