To custom or not to custom

ryderX said:
How long have you been a serious cyclist and how many bikes have you owned in that time ? Custom is a life time commitment. I came pretty close to pulling the trigger on a Serotta back in the day but I realized (accepted) that I like to change things up with somewhat a regular frequency and that a custom frame would quite likely become worthless on the secondary market.
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Valid points. I was pretty serious in the 80's, did a tiny bit of racing, a lot of day touring. Bike was stolen, had a family, had no extra money so no riding whatsoever, a few decades later I'm back. Been riding for about 4 years now and I feel so much better I have no intentions of stopping. Managed just under 5000 miles in 2015. I don't have any interest market value. I value how a bike feels and performs as well as the enjoyment and adventure it can bring. It won't be for decoration on my wall and I don't mind holding on to something for a long time if it works for me.
 
90% of folks out there don't need custom. if your arms drag past your knees, you are a candidate, if your legs are proportionately like a bird, you are a candidate. Otherwise save some money and get a good fitting.
All that aside if you want incredible craftsmanship and your own bike you may still be a candidate. I have a Bruce Gordon and would probably be the last one I'd sell. If you decide to go custom, the only thing I ask is that you ride it and not hang it on the wall as art.
 
There's nothing like custom. I agonized over the color of my CX bike for longer than picking names for my kids... When I threw my leg over it for the first time, I knew that I could ride a 100 miles the next day and it'd be awesome.

That experience emboldened me to look at customs MTBs. I rode my 44 a short couple of weeks prior to TSE ... And came away ridiculously happy.

All that said, the primary reason why I went custom--being able to shake the hand of the man who built it. Both were friends prior...

My advice is this--

Do your homework, decide what you want in a bike...do more homework, find a builder that aligns with your vision, then trust.

I have no idea of tubing, dimensions or what have you...it's Shoogs sized and it FCKN rocks.
 

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Custom is a wonderful process. Totally worth it. I've owned a couple dozen Custom frames so I wouldn't say they're a Lifetime purchase. I enjoyed it enough to take a frame building class and make my own frame just to experience how much work goes into it.
 
It comes down to fit for me.

If you are far from an average build, you can be really well served with a custom bike.

When TI was really hot, we sold over 20 custom seven Ti bikes a year.

I learned a lot about fitting during those years and honestly with the varied geos out there now, I can fit most people with a stock frame.

I still build quite a few bikes from seven and they are always showstoppers. But looks aside, if stock bikes have come up short in terms of fit, you can certainly do better with a full custom. We ha always appreciated that seven does not charge extra for a custom geo.
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I'm a custom builder.

Despite that I'll say that your result will only be as good as the decisions made about what you need. If you pick a builder with ideas that don't match your needs, it's pointless. Same goes for custom fittings or having the shop employees choose a stock size for you. If they choose wrong, the results will be bad, so it's important to do your homework and learn everything you can about what you truly need so that you can evaluate and 'fact check' your potential builders.

You can pick a custom builder for fit, features, aesthetics, and handling. Not everybody has specific needs in each of those categories. And some people just want something unique that they had a hand in designing, that's valid. I encourage people to do a rational evaluation of what they actually want and what's the best way to achieve it, even if it's not a custom frame.

Most customs end up pretty close to production geometry, so there's always someone who'll want a used one. New bikes are only a good investment when you use them. Your body and mind get the returns, not your wallet (;
 
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