Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 25 total)
  • Building up a bike – in what order?
  • Gareth_Uglow
    Free Member

    A Happy Day today – a dialled alpine frame in the post, and a box of bits taken off my P7 waiting to go on.

    What order does everyone put the bits on it? I guess it doesn't make much difference really but I'm keen to do things properly rather than bodge it. I have most of the right tools now, including a homemade headset press 🙂

    Yours excitedly,

    Gareth

    ourmaninthenorth
    Full Member

    Off the top of my head….

    1. Seatpost (then you can clamp it in your workstand)
    2. Headset
    3. Forks
    4. BB
    5. Chainset
    6. Front mech
    7. Rear mech
    8. Stem
    9. Bars
    10. Shifters + cables (incl outers)
    11. Wheels (with casette on rear and discs and tyres on both)
    12. Brakes
    13. Chain
    14. Saddle
    15. Grips
    16. Sticker with forum name on the top tube

    iain1775
    Free Member

    I always put wheels on first followed by grips then saddle

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    cynic-al
    Free Member

    bb, hs cups, sp clamp, sp, c'set, forks stem hs, bars, brakes, controls, gears, cables, wheels, chain, tune-up, saddle, top-tube name sticker (optional for straight guys).

    Add a sprinkle of gnar/rad on test ride and away you go.

    I_Ache
    Free Member

    Depends if you have a workstand or if the bike is freestanding.

    voodoo-rich
    Full Member

    My current build has so far gone like this- headset, forks, stem (to hold the forks in!), bars, brakes (except for rotors), bottom bracket. That's as far as I've got! (waiting on wheel delivery…)

    bigyinn
    Free Member

    Pretty much as ourman said, although i did the seatpost last and the stem and bars then brakes after the forks. The main reason being cutting the forks and bleeding brakes are best done when you are still "fresh", setting up gears and cables etc doesnt trouble me.
    My brother in law once managed to cut the steerer on a brand new set of forks 1" too short.
    Measure twice cut once!

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    OMITN presume you don't have a workstand?

    pedalhead
    Free Member

    bizarely, I think I build mine in exactly the same order as ourmaninthenorth.

    Gareth_Uglow
    Free Member

    Cheers all. I have a workstand. Any reason not to clamp to the down tube or top tube? My stand has a groove in the clamp for the cables to run down.

    DezB
    Free Member

    cynic-al – Member
    OMITN presume you don't have a workstand

    Seatpost (then you can clamp it in your workstand) ?

    epicsteve
    Free Member

    Headset, BB, seatpost (to clamp to stand), forks, stem, bars, chainset, mechs, shifters, chain, wheels, brakes, grips

    ourmaninthenorth
    Full Member

    OMITN presume you don't have a workstand?

    I do – a bench mounted clamp.

    ourmaninthenorth
    Full Member

    Any reason not to clamp to the down tube or top tube?

    On an Alpine, probably not, but most top tubes can be pretty thin, and you wouldn't want to crush it in the clamp.

    If I can't do seatpost, then I'll use the seat tube.

    I_Ache
    Free Member

    With Workstand

    Seatclamp
    Seatpost
    Clamp frame on workstand by post
    BB
    Headset
    Forks
    Spacers
    Stem
    Bars
    Shifters
    Brakes
    Crankset
    Rear Mech
    Front Mech
    Gear Cables outers and inners
    If building your own wheels put cassette and discs on the hubs and fit hubs in frame now. If wheels are already built then put cassette and discs on and fit wheels in frame
    Setup brakes
    Chain and adjust to correct length
    Setup gears
    Grips
    Saddle
    If building own wheels do so now.
    Tubes if using and tyres
    Take off workstand and set saddle angle, bar rotation and brake/shifter angle, suspension air pressure to your preferance
    Test ride.

    Without Workstand

    If building your own wheels do so now.
    Tubes and Tyres
    Rotors and Cassette
    Headset
    Forks
    Stem
    Bars
    Wheels
    Seatclamp
    Post with saddle already attached
    BB
    Crankset
    Shifters
    Brakes and setup
    Rear mech
    Front mech
    Gear cables inner and outer
    Chain
    Setup gears
    Grips
    Set saddle angle, bar rotation and brake/shifter angle, suspension air pressure to your preferance
    Test ride

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    Can I be the first to say that it doesn't really matter. It's not like putting the cranks on before the headset is going to cause catastrophic structural failure somewhere down the line. I kind of like doing the forks and headset first because then you can put the wheels in and it looks like a bike, but honestly, just busk it, enjoy watching the bike take shape in front of you and then go for a big, grinny, first ride when it's done 🙂

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    And can I also thank the folk who produced gurt big lists of components in order of building for brightening my morning exponentially. I bet you also avoid walking on cracks in the pavement… 😉

    psychle
    Free Member

    Any reason not to clamp to the down tube or top tube?

    don't clamp to a top-tube… you could end up with a lovely dent, like this:

    Yeti ASR-sl (coke can thin tubing…), dent courtesy of my LBS I hasten to add, not me… so even 'professionals' get it wrong sometimes!

    warton
    Free Member

    I'm currently building up a 456, but due to waiting on finishing kit (new front wheel, new gear cables, BB, skewers, clamp and post) I've gone Headset, forks, stem, bars, brakes. rest should be here tonight, so I'll then go, post, shifters, BB, cranks, mechs, wheels, fettle away all night!

    iain1775
    Free Member

    On an Alpine, probably not, but most top tubes can be pretty thin, and you wouldn't want to crush it in the clamp.

    the workstand is there to support the bike only, surely you shouldnt have to clamp it so tight as to dent / crush metal, and a decent clamp on a decent workstand should reasonably spread the load
    What you doing to the frame whilst its clamped – swinging off it?
    during a normal bike build, there shouldnt be anything that needs that much torque applied that the clamp has to be solidly tight

    Oh and what if you have a carbon seatpost (or even a carbon frame) where would you clamp then?

    Order of componants doesnt matter, personally I would do headset cups first bottom bracket second, but after that any old order
    Obviously seat is easier to add to post before post in frame, and bar 'furniture' is easiest when bar is attached to bike etc but thats only common sense

    ourmaninthenorth
    Full Member

    Oh and what if you have a carbon seatpost (or even a carbon frame) where would you clamp then?

    Put an old alloy post in and clamp that.

    uplink
    Free Member

    Oh and what if you have a carbon seatpost (or even a carbon frame) where would you clamp then?

    The carbon seatpost

    Jackass123456789
    Free Member

    You are all forgetting a very important component to any bike build!

    Add tea or beer into list at multiple postions!!

    Gareth_Uglow
    Free Member

    😀


    Jamie
    Free Member

    That looks very familiar 😉

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 25 total)

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