An idiots guide to building a bike

Or is that.... a guide to building a bike, by an idiot.........you choose.

Part one....Frame

Over the last two winters I've refurbished and modified my 50 year old dinghy, this year I'm back in bike mode.

I've been dabbling with disc brakes on other bikes (rather than a mountain bike) for a couple of years without great success. I want a proper road worthy bike (drop handlebars and light weight etc) with good disc brakes (hydraulic) and Campagnolo gears (Italian). So it had to be carbon fibre with disc mounts.

In 2010 the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale is the governing body for international competitive cycling events.) Cyclocross bikes to compete with disc brakes, this change in the rules stimulated manufacturers to start developing frames and disc brakes for cyclocross they still have not allowed the same on road bikes and so road frames with disc mounts are very limited.

So with a few cyclocross disc frames available it seemed this was best way forward for my project. But as the development is very new so are the frames! Enter China..............

Its long been known that most bike frames are made in the far east and imported into Europe, the main bike brands do all the R&T and then get the frames mass produced in a factory somewhere around China or Taiwan etc. This way the suppliers can make a top of the range frame cheap and sell it in Europe with a big mark up. So how to cut out the brand middle man and go direct?

'Alibaba' is one answer: 'Alibaba Group is a family of Internet-based businesses which makes it easy for anyone to buy or sell on line anywhere in the world'. I'd stumbled across Alibaba a few times while doing searches but always thought it was, as the name suggests, a group of people selling slightly dodgy copies of stuff, so always steered away.

I stared searching for a frame in this country and did find a suitable frame at a fairly reasonable price. search for 'cyclocross carbon disc frame' and you'll soon see what I mean. However I wondered if i could get the frame cheaper, direct? So searching internationally I came across 'Miracle cycles' their main web site only does bulk orders but they had a link to the Alibaba site that does small one off orders http://www.aliexpress.com/store/409931. for a fraction of the cost of a very, very, very similar frame from the UK.

So the seed was sown, could I risk placing an order with a supplier in China? well after a week or two of deliberation, a few questions via Email with very quick responses (not great English but hay ho) I went for it. After a small delay in sending the order (they promised dispatch in two days, it took about 6) the parcel was sent. Two weeks later and daily tracking the parcel on its journey it arrived in the UK. Into customs and back out then arrived in the Carlisle showing 'awaiting customs payment' dohhh. I phoned them up, paid the charges and the very next day it was delivered. Total including shipping and import duties £360.

 

 

 

Rear fork

Full carbon fork with disc mounts.

 

My first impressions are the general quality is great, as good as my other road frame but for about 1/5th the price! I had a few niggles with resin in the head set bearing seat, this took about 3 min's with a file to sort. Lets hope the ride is as good as it looks!

The frame was supplied with a full carbon fork that tapers from 1 1/8 to 1 1/2. There was also the corresponding headset and carbon spacers supplied. (The headset and spacers would be £30 - 40 alone).

So is this a dodgy copy of a frame that sells for over twice the price in this country? I'll never know, but if it is, its a very, very, very, very good copy!