Custom steel road frame- build advice

Now then, I’m in the process of planning a custom steel road frame for my 40th, most likely a Rourke but a Ricky Feather hangs heavy on my mind; frame wise the only real question is Reynolds 853 or 953 (not yet convinced of the benefits if the 853 if a fair waether bike and kept indoors).

The issue is the build.

Married, kids, mortgage mean I can’t really fork out on new kit as I’ve got the following I can take off my current bike.

2009/2010 Ultegra/DuraAce bits
Ambrosio Excellence rims (King front/DuraAce rear hubs)
Bontrager RaceLite X arbon chainset
3T finishing kit

Am I just being anal in wanting new kit?

Who would save and wait and who thinks I should be grateful for what I’ve got?

I am very grateful but can’t stop think about shiny Campag Record.

You want a frame from these guys: http://paulusquiros.co.uk/%5B/url%5D

Married, kids, mortgage

Says if you really want Campag, you are looking at 11 speed Centaur/Athena which is no bad thing. Plus a nice set of wheels. How much will you ride your old bike without the bits? you could sell it as a going concern to fund the new groupset.

The only thing I would say about new campag is if you do keep a spare bike(s) on shimano swapping rear wheels then becomes a problem and sometimes that is a nuisance, later moving some kit about between frames can be a bit of a pain as you upgrade / wear out, campag brakes don’t work as well with shimano levers as you end up with no q/r , if you can live with that go for it

Off the shelf frame = second hand gear would be fine.
Custom built = all new.
Surely you deserve it. That’s what I’d do, though it’d be a Hetchins.

sorry ben…..this thread is pants compared to the old skool rave thread!!! 😀

Ben, if you are planning a custom, then no point in going halfway . Like mentioned above, sell current ride to help fund the ‘dream’ bike. If it was me I would wait another year or whatever it took to save and get “the bike” of my dreams. And the frame will be one from these guys: Baum hancrafted cycles[/url]

The owner of this one is a red wine one lover :

Got to be Campag on a custom steel frame, surely!!!
Leave the Sram/Shim to your carbon and alu mass market!!

Campag for sure, heres my custom Rourke, 11 speed Record:

Here it had just been built (steerer etc….)

Sputnik, is that Ultegra on the ‘red wine’ Baum? Both are very nice.

You’re all probably right about the frame deserving new kit and Flips pic confirms that.

Anyone want to buy a 2006 S Works Tarmac to fund my Campag then?

Got to be Campag on a custom steel frame, surely!!!
Leave the Sram/Shim to your carbon and alu mass market!!

Funny isn’t it. Italians don’t care about this type of snobbery. You’ll find plenty of boutique Italian frames equiped with Shimano or SRAM over there. Guess people here just like to believe that Campag is somehow more discerning 🙂

(Clubber – long term Campag user)

Funny isn’t it. Italians don’t care about this type of snobbery.

They also don’t go in for that weird British habit of picking up bikes to see what they weigh.

If you want Campag, go for Campag. If yuou want Sram or Shimano, go for those.

FWIW I have Shimano on both road bikes, and Campag on the cross bike. TBH, I’d rather just have Shimano all round….

Flip, is your frame 853 or 953?

They do sniff saddles though 😉

Ben, it looks like the latest Dura Ace on the red wine frame.

what sort of price are you looking at for a BAUM? Love the one they did in Gulf racing colours

They used sell Baum at Mosquito Cycles, the Baum website doesn’t list prices, I think that says it all

Prestige Cycles in Hove are new Baum importers.

[edit] Prices ‘from’ £2250 http://www.prestige-cycles.co.uk/gallery

Warton, I haven’t a clue how much they cost, but you are right, the Gulf racing paintwork is lovely. If you look at the Blog on the website then you will also see a ‘white on white’ one, very nice.

I recently built up a Ti hardtail and waited until I got all the bits I wanted.

Took me 4 months to decide and 8 months until I had all the parts.
Then got a LBS (Alan @ plush hill) to do the build while I watched and drank tea.

6 months later and I still love the bike and wouldn’t change a thing.

If it’s a dream and you’ll only do it once then I’d recommend waiting, saving up, buying the bits as you can afford them. Otherwise you’ll just be thinking about what you’d have done if you’d waited.

so I’m kinda in the same position. I’ll be making myself a frame (on a Dave Yates course next year). I’ll be building it up as a kinda touring bike, but no idea what to put on it. Anyone got any tips as to where to look? I guess I probably want deore\xt level kit on it but I don’t know what is a must have and what is a must-not-have 🙂