The biking thread

[Omnis]

The bike that invented the unsightly sloping top tube? No thanks!

Go check out July bikes then.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

It's definitely neat to see somebody making hand-built carbon frames, but I think you're missing out on a ton of engineering by not going with a big brand. They have the layup dialed, they have the shaping of the tubes dialed, they have the compliance and stiffness dialed. I would love a custom Ti bike one day ( @Shaun ), but this bike I just want to be a weapon.

 

[Shaun]

It's definitely neat to see somebody making hand-built carbon frames, but I think you're missing out on a ton of engineering by not going with a big brand. They have the layup dialed, they have the shaping of the tubes dialed, they have the compliance and stiffness dialed. I would love a custom Ti bike one day ( @Shaun ), but this bike I just want to be a weapon.

I'll always be an advocate for a custom-built bike, nothing quite like getting on a bike where every dimension is designed to the mm for your body. They do however come at a significant cost. Some of the off the shelf carbon bikes are really excellent also (though I can't really help here as I'm firmly in the metal camp) but are bordering on custom prices nowadays it seems if you are looking high end.

Custom carbon has been around for a fair while now also, Sarto, Parlee and Bastion just to name a few.
I had a close look at a Bastion at a custom bike show here in Melbourne and they are stunning but also come with an eye watering price tag. Interestingly when the guy at the stall asked what I rode after my reply he said "well thanks for even looking at our bikes", kind of tells me how highly regarded my bike builder is in the industry.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I'll always be an advocate for a custom-built bike, nothing quite like getting on a bike where every dimension is designed to the mm for your body. They do however come at a significant cost. Some of the off the shelf carbon bikes are really excellent also (though I can't really help here as I'm firmly in the metal camp) but are bordering on custom prices nowadays it seems if you are looking high end.

Custom carbon has been around for a fair while now also, Sarto, Parlee and Bastion just to name a few.
I had a close look at a Bastion at a custom bike show here in Melbourne and they are stunning but also come with an eye watering price tag. Interestingly when the guy at the stall asked what I rode after my reply he said "well thanks for even looking at our bikes", kind of tells me how highly regarded my bike builder is in the industry.

I was looking at Parlee but the only bike they make that's in the aesthetic category I'm looking for is made in Asia anyways and I'd argue hugely overpriced. Their made-in-the-USA Carbon bikes look more primitive than Trek OCLVs from 30 years ago. Sarto is eye-wateringly expensive - like as much as I bid on this AMG Mercedes that I didn't win. The other thing is that I view Carbon frames, sadly, as somewhat disposable. I wouldn't buy a carbon bike expecting to hold onto it forever, so it would be hard for me to justify the spendyness of a custom frame in that case. Eventually, I'm going to take a trip to Boulder and get fitted on a 100% custom Mosaic Ti bike, but that will probably be of the all-road variety.

edit: Those bastion bikes have Pagani-like attention to detail. Good lord. Also Pagani-like cost
edit2: And what do you know, somebody did a photoshoot of a Bastion with a Pagani. Indisputably pretty bikes, but too glam/baroque for me. I'm not an investment banker.

 

[Omnis]

Oh, would the Basso SV fit your bill? My friend has one on test and loves it.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Looks nice (to me it looks similar to the Road Machine), but just the frame is $5,800

 

[Shaun]

The other thing is that I view Carbon frames, sadly, as somewhat disposable. I wouldn't buy a carbon bike expecting to hold onto it forever, so it would be hard for me to justify the spendyness of a custom frame in that case

That's my thoughts also along with often wanting the next best thing etc. I've had Specialized, Focus, Trek etc but was still always looking at other people's bikes and thinking I wouldn't mind one of those.
Doesn't happen anymore, I have been toying with the idea of a gravel bike though as the older I get I'm becoming less inclined to ride on busy roads. Get a little bit out of town and there are plenty of gravel roads to explore that I haven't taken my bike down.

Eventually, I'm going to take a trip to Boulder and get fitted on a 100% custom Mosaic Ti bike, but that will probably be of the all-road variety.

Good man. 👍

 

[Omnis]

Looks nice (to me it looks similar to the Road Machine), but just the frame is $5,800

Oh I forgot about the price tag.

 

[Greycap]

It's definitely neat to see somebody making hand-built carbon frames, but I think you're missing out on a ton of engineering by not going with a big brand. They have the layup dialed, they have the shaping of the tubes dialed, they have the compliance and stiffness dialed.

I don't think you can overestimate the importance of R&D in that area, no matter what anyone says. Having personally seen and handled (one of our clients at work is a company that works with carbon) a carbon fibre sheet that can be rolled like paper in one direction but is hard as a steel sheet in 90 degrees off was a pretty eye opening experience. The big companies build every frame with the exact same measurements and they indeed know precisely which thickness, which stiffness, cut into which shape, goes into which spot.

Then there's a boutique company making custom frames. They probably have a similar base but every change matters. Someone wants a different bottom bracket drop, it means a different angle between the seat tube and the downtube in the BB area as well as a different joint between the downtube and the headtube, and perhaps it's only half a degree which doesn't sound like a lot. But it's a difference, everyone with a lot of mileage knows what half a degree can do in the head angle for example, and it requires a different piece of carbon to join the parts if a truly optimal result is desired. And the customer may also want a different seat tube angle, a different head angle, perhaps even a different chainstay length. In the end there are lots of those half a degrees in the frame, each and every one of which can and probably will make a difference. The result can be stiffer than the base model, it can be softer, or even both depending on which joint in in question.

Nobody knows if they've tested such a geometry, probably not. Nobody also knows if the difference can be felt, probably not, but a "yes" isn't out of the question.