Building a commuter bike

bilbot79

Hi folks,

I'm in the market for say a giant defy 1. I like the quailty and the Shimano 105 setup. It's a bit pricey though and if I buy 2nd hand I might be getting something with enormous mileage etc.

If I bought a second hand defy 4 plus a brand new 105 groupset from wiggle, then paid a guy to fit it all would it be the equivalent of a new defy 1 but for less cash.

Also is everything standard? Can I take a sora bike and just throw on 105 or ultegra? Are most aluminium frames equal quality?

This looks like good value for upgrade purposes:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-6800-ultegra-11-speed-groupset/

bilbot79

Bumpitty bump schmump schmump 😂

All My Stars Aligned

IMO the ultegra groupset would be overkill for a commuter. Alu frames are absolutely of equal quality to any other material for building bicycle frames. There no reason you couldn't change from say Sora to a 105 however you would not be able to swap individual components.

I find that the modern Sora and Tiagra groupsets perfectly smooth and reliable (once properly maintained) and more then adequate for most cyclists need. Certainly the build quality of the newer Tiagra GS is on par with 105 and functions the same. With 105 you are going from 10 to 11 speed but aside from that I personally I would rather spend the extra money elsewhere, be that good lights or good clothing.

Over all it tends to be cheaper to buy a complete bike. If it were me I would buy a good quality and well maintained second hand bike and then perhaps upgrade parts as they wore out.

Macy0161

I was looking to build a dual purpose commuter/ gravel bike, after seeing the price of frames and forks on planet x (£180 would get you both), but it was working out cheaper to buy their tiagra build than what I could source myself. I really liked the idea of going 1x for it, which you could probably work cheaper doing it on a second hand bike than building from new.

btw Defy's don't have rack or mudguard mounts, but Giant sell mudguards and a seat post clamp. So I'm not sure I'd go that route if it was a pure commuter to be honest. I have a Defy Disc, and that was also a potential option and get new "good" bike instead, but I really prefer pannier over back packs for commuting.

bikie

Agree with All My Stars Aligned on buying good second hand over new. Your Ultegra spec is great for a roadie, I've built a few and find them the best standard for effectiveness / price, esp at that reduced wiggle/crc price. However will you be able to lock it securely, I've used an old hybrid with MTB setup and narrow (panaracer / ribmo) tires on a 16k round commute and the biggest issue is constant build up of crud, esp with rainy Irish evenings (I'm based in the west and we love the rain !).

If you are planning to go for further training / sportive, then yes go for the self-build road bike route, but do also consider a harder / replaceable machine if the commute is having to deal with rough roads / less cleaning, and generally less maintenance.

Standards are pretty much the same, but watch out for headsets / bottom brackets - they can vary. I personally think getting into building is not only cost effective, and occasionally frustrating, you'll get a kick out of riding a machine you put together yourself. Youtube has lots of guides / examples as well.

bilbot79

Thanks for comments. Just after buying this for sportives

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/eddy-merckx-mourenx-69-road-bike-ultegra-fulcrum-2017?sku=100387764&source=igodigital

Dunno what I'll do for commute. Probs something 105 second hand