PAP Wonders...To Buy or To Build?

When it comes to getting a new bike, there are two options you buy a built bike or spec & build one yourself. Almost all cyclists start with a built bike because it is always available. Why not? Go to the bike shop, look for one you like and go home with your new bike.

A "Spec & Build" Bike.

Built bikes. Built bikes are normally built up in such a way to accommodate majority of riders. For road bikes, this would mean compact cranks and an 11-28 cassette. For mountain bikes, cranks would either be triple or double, and paired with a wide range 11-34 cassette. Although, nowadays, mountain bikes spec'ed with single chainrings (or 1x - "one-by") are becoming more popular.

• Drivetrain. These rarely have "straight" groupsets (except for the higher end models). There are always parts from another groupset of the same manufacturer or from a different brand. For example, when manufacturers quoted a bike as having a "Shimano 105", what I got were Shimano 105 shifters, front derailleur and rear derailleur. The crankset is a non-series model from Shimano and the cassette is Shimano Tiagra (one level lower than 105). Because these are not as complex as the shifting mechanisms, these substitutions have hardly any recognizable effect (see our article about mixed groupsets). The brakes are unbranded.
• Wheels and Cockpit. These components are usually supplied in-house - by the frame brand itself. Another possible supplier would be a subsidiary or sister company of the frame manufacturer. For example, when I got my Giant Defy, the wheels and tires are from Giant. The whole cockpit - stem, handlebar, bar tape, seatpost and sadde - are also wholly provided by Giant. Essentially, the whole bike except the drivetrain are produced by Giant.

For a built bike, if you don't know what you might need, it is always a good idea to ask for advice and do some research. Then, choose a bike that fits your need the most. On the other hand, you can always modify a built bike you just bought to better fit your needs.

Why would I build a bike myself? The biggest advantage of building a bike is freedom. You have the power to dictate what goes on your new bike. However, as the cliche goes, with great power comes great responsibility. What is this responsibility? You have to do your homework. Research is needed to what components and specifications will work for you and for the type of riding you plan to be doing. Moreover, you need to have a good idea about your geometry and riding position. Here are some possible scenarios:

• I live in a flat area. Bigger chainrings would be alright. I don't the small climbing gears.
• I will use this bike as a commuter - home to work and back. Maybe, a single ring would be good enough. I don't need that big a range.
•  I live in a hilly area with lots of climbs. I need smaller chainrings and a larger cassette, so I can easily get up the climb.
• My area is very windy. Deep-section wheels may be a bad idea - I might be blown off. Shallower wheels would be the better choice.
• I like to be aerodynamic. I need a bike that has a small head tube so I can lower the cockpit.
• I like to ride in a relaxed position. This large head tube and relaxed bike geometry would be good for me.
• Dropbars aren't for me. I'd rather have a flat bar road bike. Anyways, I wouldn't be going that fast and maybe using a mountain bike drivetrain would be more beneficial for my climbing.
• I want mountain bike clipless pedals on my road bike so that I can walk around easily when I take a break.
• For my mountain bike, I don't want a suspension fork. I want a rigid fork so I get the most out of my pedal power.

The list goes on for all the possible reasons.

Example. Here is my gravel bike. This one falls under the "Build" category. For this project, I want a dropbar set up with large mountain bike tyres. I want to bring dropbars to the trails. Also, this project was more of a confirmation experiment from stuff I read online - namely, matching 9- or 10-speed road shifters to an old model of 9-speed mountain bike derailleur. In my case, I used SunRace R90 3x9 road shifters and a Shimano Deore LX mountain bike rear derailleur.

My Gravel Bike (or Monster Cyclocross Bike or Dropbar Mountain Bike) - Mosso Wild Wolf 650b frame with La Bici fork, stem, handlebar and seatpost. For this build, I actually used a rigid fork for 26". This helps me get lower and reach my typical geometry. The -17 degree stem also helps. The saddle I used is the same model as those I use on my road bikes.

SunRace R90 3x9 shifters for 3 chainrings in the front and 9 cogs in the back.

Shimano Deore LX 9-speed rear derailleur. Use a mountain bike rear derailleur to get those mountain bike gears.

My shifters offer a triple setup. Why not? I used a Shimano Deore front derailleur. The crankset I used is also Shimano Deore with 48/36/26t chainrings.

I used Kenda 50-Fifty 27.5" (or 650b) tires front and rear. I chose this tire for more comfort and to handle more technical terrain. I also want to test it and understand why most gravel bikes come with this tire diameter. So far, I find it faster than a 26" tire and more responsive than a 29" tire - a good middle ground.

I opted Exustar one-sided MTB pedals for this build. I prefer being clipped in because it feels more efficient for me but I like to have the flat-sided option for those technical sections. That's a little confidence boost for me.

Summary. It can be more fulfilling to spec your own build. For me, it certainly was. I was able to build a bike that suits my needs. It is important to do research for those "unorthodox" setups and also be willing to do experiments on your builds. As I said earlier, when you get it right, it is such a fulfilling experience.

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