Piecing Together vs Buying Complete

Very, very rarely do you get the best deal by piecing things together. *MAYBE* if you have all the necessary tools already and have a long enough timeline to work with so that you can patiently snag things on ebay / forums... but out of building almost every bike I own, I could have bought a used one cheaper (albeit not with the same build most likely)

If you want to be in control of every piece of your bike... it's the only way to go.
If you want a solid bike to ride / race on, you'll never be able to do better than a well kept used one.

I agree with Leegoocrap. Bike manufacturers buy components in relatively huge volume, and get prices that you could never get buying pieces individually. Buying a used frame maybe makes sense if you have a box of components laying around, or you have another bike you plan to pilfer all the parts off of. If you're starting with nothing, it's almost certainly not the most cost effective solution.


Unless you're doing a lot of climbing, 95%+ of the speed potential of a bike is in the frame, wheels, and tires. Beyond a certain point, more money spend on components gets you only lower weight or better comfort. What distance races are you thinking of competing in, and what kind of terrain are you likely to be regularly riding on? If you're doing Sprints or Oly's in the flatlands, weight and comfort aren't nearly as important as if you're going to be doing HIMs or IMs in the mountains.

Edited by gary p 2016-09-01 8:25 AM

I looked at your profile and saw that you previously invested $3000+ in a P2, and took a pretty good bath on it when you got rid of it after only riding it a couple hundred miles. That's really way more bike than a beginner needs.

Have you considered something like this?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/fuji-aloha-1-1-tt-bike-201...

With a $500 set of FLO 30's and a good set of tires, this bike would probably be capable of delivering Sprint distance bike splits within seconds of the Cervelo, and you're financial exposure would be significantly less. Only at longer distances and much higher fitness levels would the Cervelo be likely to yield a significant time advantage.

Even as it sits (with the stock wheels and tires), that Fuji is more bike than the average first-time triathlete will be riding. I finished 2'nd of 12 in my age group in my first Sprint Triathlon riding this bike: http://www.rudysbikes.com/product/schwinn-fastback-2-198727-1.htm . I got my from Nashbar for $400. Other than pedals and a close ratio "Junior Racer" rear cassette (14-25, bought on Amazon for $30), it was bone stock. Stock wheels, stock tires, stock seat, etc.

If you're just getting started, don't overthink the bike. Any decent road bike will do, and is better for training rides, anyway.

Edited by gary p 2016-09-01 9:27 AM

I would agree with Leegoocrap and Gary P. Unless you've got the tools and are willing to invest significant time finding deals on parts it will definitely be far less costly to find a suitable used bike on Craiglist, Ebay, or even mybikeshop.com. And I'd also suggest considering maybe a road bike as you could use it for a lot more than tri.

Same here, I got a great deal on a new frame on ebay.  Then pieced parts from of year holiday sales, eBay, ST, and think even here on BT.  I had a decent set of aero Felt TTR wheels that I put a new rear hub on for 11 speed. Had LBS put it together for me. In all I saved about $800 on getting the same bike new and probably a wash on finding it used.  Later spent $650 on a used set of FLO wheels.

That said, if you decide to no go that route, there's also bikesdirect that offers all sorts of rides with all different levels of components: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/road_bikes.htm  I bought several bikes from them over the years. Basic assembly required, nothing drastic.

 

Thanks for all the feedback and help.