Custom-Built Vs Shop-Bought | Ultimate £4k MTB Battle!
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- čas přidán 16. 05. 2024
- Should you buy an MTB frame and build it up with your choice of parts? Or just get a complete bike from a shop?
You might think a self-build can’t possibly compete with the value of a shop-bought bike. Well, I’ve asked MBUK’s magazine editor, James Costley-White, to custombuild the coolest bike he can with a £4,000 budget and pit it against my shop-bought Marin Rift Zone, which retails for £3,775.
We’re going to compare the specs and ride them back-to-back to work out which is the winner!
Would you custom-build your own bike? Let us know in the comments 👇
#MBUKmagazine #MTB #mbuk #mountainbike #mbuktech
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:30 Does A Custom-Build Make Sense?
02:20 Raaw Jibb Spec
06:57 Riding The Bikes
14:09 Verdict
16:38 Outro
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Shop-bought or custom-built, what would you prefer?
custom - current one is a TR spur - thomson cockpit, full xt groupset, fox34 perf elite 130 fork, m8120 brakes with 203 rotors and really light wheels ( tune hubs, sapim cx-ray spokes & duke carbon hoops) - ended up cheaper and lighter than their x01 spec plus I really like the feel of the shimanos
Custom all the way. Its the only way to keep the bum on the seat. A standard bike for the general masses just gets sold on after 'hardly' or 'barely' used. Nothing communicates to its user quite as much as a bicycle does. This is vital to keep the user, using their bike thus enjoying all the benefits of our great pasttime.
Most of my xc Mtb 's are brought from a shop and like to upgrade them over time.
One of bikes is very Modified only a few stock parts left.
Great video. Personally, I always buy complete "budget builds" with the frame I want, removes 99% of stock components an sell them "new" at 30% discount vs. on-line store price. Then replace with proper new components I want. That way I get the frame at 1/3 of normal frame price, or the frame I want that isn't marketed as "frame only" for purchase.
Wow that's very enterprising! And thanks for the feedback!
This is the way
Costco sells Intense mountain bikes now. When I was a kid that was one of the most innovative brands ever. I know they were bought out years ago but it's still pretty crazy.
Especially that 20 yrs ago at Costco you could only get the infinity line, which was mashups of all the worst spec parts you could get... Terrible products, they redeemed themselves with that deal...
All my past bikes i builed on my own. There is no other way to use the components if your old frame goes to the trash bin. Also it is nealry impossible to sell used bike parts because everybody wants them for free.
That's a great point, thanks for commenting!
~ Will
Building a bike needs the tool, the knowledge and the time.
If you have all these requirements, you can easily outperform the crazy post-covid market.
I've built an enduro based on a Dartmoor Blackbird for roughly 1800 Euros. Specs are a Lyrik 170mm with tuning by a legit company, RS Super Deluxe Coil , Shimano XT Drivetrain, Formula Cura 2 brakes, DT Swiss Wheels with Schwalbe tires.
The only used part is my Yep dopper remote, which I took from my previous bike.
Took me roughly 6-8 months acquiring all the parts from sales and discounts, but without time restraints I saved a lot of money.
With 4k for an acoustic bike the world should be your playground.
Thanks for sharing. That sounds like a really cool bike!
We do understand that not everyone has the time or the skills to build a bike from scratch, but don't forget that a local bike shop is probably happy to assemble a bike from parts for a reasonable fee!
~ Will
Trying to get my hands on a Norco Torrent frame to build up. Stared out with a budget bike and built it up with parts and kit that completed my own riding, but starting to find the limit with the frame. Most of my upgrade parts with swap directly
That sounds like a great project! Enjoy!
~ Will
In past I was quite big fan of the custom builds. But I think that selection of the standalone frames is significantly smaller than it was, let say, 15 years ago. Therefore at the moment I rather prefer to buy the complete bikes.
Alloy frame, budget tires, deore mech and low end finishing kit. In hunt arguably factory built wheels with no name hubs. This bike is arguably just a touch above entry level yet cost £4K. Money doesn’t go far in the bike world now.
Ideally, more brands would be like commencal where you can really pick your components. At least most offer a SRAM/Rockshox or Shimano/Fox option. With that said, everyone has preferences, so what do you do?
Obviously pre-built kits are bought enmass, and offer the best value, but even well spec'd Santa Cruz's still come with Reverb droppers.
For most enthusiasts looking to upgrade, many are 'ok' keeping their old parts and hanging them on a 'new' frame with new Geo and a shock tuned for that bike. If I still had parts I prefer such as a high quality eagle drive train, decent working dropper, good fork, good brakes, good wheelset and of course the touch components (saddle/grips/bars) - I'd change the main variable, which really is the frame and its shock.
The ability to choose your preferred parts on a brand new bike from a big manufacturer is another really good option. It's the internet age and this is a good example of where bike companies and buyers can take full advantage!
~ Will
love that riftzone just bought the same one a few months ago
Glad you like it. I really enjoyed riding it!
~ Will
I too bought the rift Xr last fall($2399) at the time of purchase. Absolutely loving it!
Wouldnt it be better to buy a Rift Zone frame and build that up and compare with a stock Rift Zone?
I get the price comparison, but the geometry and build quality of the frame makes this an apples to oranges comparison from the get go. The frame is the only thing you cant change, so it doesn't what parts you spec if your frame is not to your liking.
Definatly prefer custom-built bikes, so enjoyable building a bike frame up.
Thanks for your comment! We hear you: There's great joy in bolting shiny new parts together 😍
~ Will
A good way to save a lot of money, is while you have the bike you have now, think whether you want to upgrade or build a whole new bike.
Because you have a bike already, you can take your time checking out sales and clearance parts.
You end up with the bike you really want, and for a lot less than retail.
Thanks for commenting! This is a great point. Always worth doing some planning before getting your wallet out!
~ Will
Alu frame and ext cable routing for the win! Not many options for that, which is ridiculous.
It is a really great looking bike, and (as I said in the video) it's a real 'rider's' bike, with reliability and user-friendlyness built in all over the place. I really enjoyed riding it. And looks like our tame grease-monkey Will enjoyed building it too!
~ Will
@@bikeradar the Raw was on my list alongside the Cotic, but just lost to the brilliant custom build options offered by Bird. It was a very short list, unfortunately.
Always buit my own up , you buy shop bought you always change stuff out anyway . Build your own you can mix and match what you want from the start or even migrate parts over from previous bikes .
This is a great point: If you have the skills and know how to pick the right parts and do the mechanics yourself there are loads of great reasons to build your own bike!
~ Will
What I've noticed on the brand I buy, the lower end bike with the same as frame only is cheaper.
Depends what you can drop on with offers. I’d do something similar deore mech and spend more on the higher end shifter. My current bike has an xtr shifter with a slx mech and slx cranks
👆 This is a great point, JCW was keen to point out that cherry-picking the best deals you can get, on each component can lead to a seriously bargainous custom steed!
~ Will
I'd have that Raw bike over the Marin any day....Miles better...Ha!
The BikeRadar podcast has too many ads. I listen while I ride but It's so annoying I can't listen anymore. Remove half the ads and you have got a mediocre podcast that is still barely listenable.
What a stupid comparison. Terrible work, bikeradar.
Why