How Do I Get My Dream Bike?
So you are thinking of building up a new dream bike? Having built up hundreds of nice bikes for customers, I decided to put a short piece together to help someone get their brain around the idea. Generally I see customers set a budget then collect quite a bit of information to determine if they are able to make a dream bike a reality. Fortunately, by working hard on price control in build kits or taking advantage of special pricing, we can often come in under budget or get the customer further than they might have "dreamed" of.
So, with a general overall budget in mind, the next two things to figure out after price are:
1) What kind of build kit can I use that will make a lightweight bike, but not break the bank?
2) Which frame set?
To help you organize your thoughts on build kits, let's use a bunch of research I’ve done of late. Factoring in price, performance, durability, and weights, I've built each of these kits using different gruppos with the same core parts:
- FSA compact wing handlebar
- FSA OS 150 stem
- FSA SLK Carbon fiber seat post
- Fulcrum Racing 3 wheelset
- Continental GP 4000S tires
- Selle Italia Max Flite saddle
Use of this build kit provides great value and performance as well as a constant - allowing distinction between weight differences in gruppos(Ultegra SL, Dura Ace, Chorus 10, Chorus 11, Centaur, Rival, Force, and Red). You will quickly see the weight differences are marginal.
There are obviously other factors at work affecting the choice of gruppos such as price - Prices for the kits ranged from $2000 for Rival to $3000 for Chorus11, with only a pound of difference between the heaviest and lightest. Bottom line - unless you are a weight weenie, you can simply choose the kit based on performance, cost, looks and your gut. Each of these groups work great and for most people, so it comes down to which shifting systems feel makes the most sense to you.
One big exception in functionality between companies is that Campy and SRAM shifters can be rebuilt. (Shimano shifters cannot, so once they break they simply need to be replaced.) This allows the rebuildable brands to last longer and cost less over the long haul. For my money, I think Campagnolo Centaur ($2150) , SRAM Force ($2450) , and Shimano Ultegra SL ($2200) offer the most performance and value.
