Live and Learn from my 1st custom build

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Live and Learn from my 1st custom build
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flag Muggsly
Posted: Mar 29, 2021 at 6:18 Quote
So I decided to share my experience with my 1st custom build.

So I wanted a bike and the one I wanted was not available anywhere with only 2 shops in the US having the frame in the size I wanted. So I decided to try and do a custom build myself and build the bike from the frame up. A large task from someone who is mechanically inclined but never did more than routine maintenance on a bike.

Issue 1. Apparently shimano has 700billion different clamps for bars and getting the right one for integrate levers can be a royal pita.

Issue 2. If you buy a rockshox fork there are custom size hub flanges sp?that you need to run them. Thankfully had i9 hubs so I have the caps on order so I can ride it. BTW i9 is not a fun company to deal with customer service wise. I was told to order the wrong ones originally and they charge as much for shipping, $15, as they do for the part, $20.

Issue 3. Cane creek headset bearings are directional. (this was my biggest issue) and I put mine in upside down and destroyed it. So now I am on the search for a new bottom bearing. BTW due to covid out of stock everywhere.

Issue 4. So when I was sizing my chain I used the parktool method from their vids measured 11x and cut once well apparently that method does not work with a 12 speed so I got to buy a new chain. Will not make the mistake again.


Other than that everything went perfect. Bike looks great and shifts well with brakes feeling good. I am now at the point of would I ever do this again and the answer is I don't know. I definitely learned a lot and I payed handsomely for my mistakes. There is only 1 LBS with a mechanic I would trust and he was 4 weeks behind on repairs. Thankfully I bought most of my tools from him and he is an absolute masterclass so I popped into his shop to get a couple questions answered that I could not find online. I would thank him with a beer but his shop has a bar so I will just keep buying all the accessories from him to show support.
flag sdken
Posted: Mar 29, 2021 at 6:49 Quote
Congrats on your first build, I find building bikes is just as fun as riding them Big Grin


"Issue 1. Apparently shimano has 700billion different clamps for bars and getting the right one for integrate levers can be a royal pita. One of the main reasons why I stick to just the standard band clamp for shifters, I switch brakes and parts quite a bit and don't want to deal with all these adaptors

Issue 2. If you buy a rockshox fork there are custom size hub flanges sp?that you need to run them. Thankfully had i9 hubs so I have the caps on order so I can ride it. BTW i9 is not a fun company to deal with customer service wise. I was told to order the wrong ones originally and they charge as much for shipping, $15, as they do for the part, $20. You don't really need Torque caps to run the standard 110 hub, it works with out it. RS Claims the torque caps make it stiffer but I can't tell a difference.

Issue 3. Cane creek headset bearings are directional. (this was my biggest issue) and I put mine in upside down and destroyed it. So now I am on the search for a new bottom bearing. BTW due to covid out of stock everywhere. All cane creek bearings are interchangeable (10/40/110) so chances are your LBS will have them.

Issue 4. So when I was sizing my chain I used the parktool method from their vids measured 11x and cut once well apparently that method does not work with a 12 speed so I got to buy a new chain. Will not make the mistake again. You're not alone on this and things have definitely changed with 12 speed. 12 speed needs to be dead on vs 11/10/9 speeds where the adjustments can be eyeballed."
flag Elgaucher
Posted: Mar 29, 2021 at 8:12 Quote
Things I would add to people building a custom build from the frame up.

It's really more of a hobby thing than anything else. Also don't compare your build vs what you could have bought for the same price. When I did , I felt terrible ahah !
flag Muggsly
Posted: Mar 29, 2021 at 11:32 Quote
sdken wrote:
Congrats on your first build, I find building bikes is just as fun as riding them Big Grin


All cane creek bearings are interchangeable (10/40/110) so chances are your LBS will have them.


Thanks I will be reaching out to all my LBS in hopes of getting one! And it was definitely fun and I doubt I will doing matchmakers again.




Elgaucher wrote:
Things I would add to people building a custom build from the frame up.

It's really more of a hobby thing than anything else. Also don't compare your build vs what you could have bought for the same price. When I did , I felt terrible ahah !

Yeah cost went right out the window when I started this process but it was the only way to get the bike I wanted.
flag R-M-R
Posted: Mar 29, 2021 at 13:34 Quote
Muggsly wrote:
Apparently shimano has 700billion different clamps for bars and getting the right one for integrate levers can be a royal pita.

True. Their chainrings are also a nightmare. A friend exploded his cranks because he ordered 2 × 11 chainring bolts and nuts, which are shorter than the same hardware for 1 × 11.


Muggsly wrote:
If you buy a rockshox fork there are custom size hub flanges sp?that you need to run them.

Not true.

• When the fork is compatible with Torque Caps: Some RockShox forks give the option to run larger "Torque Cap" end caps for a slight boost in stiffness, but they also work with normal end caps.
• When the hub is compatible with Torque Caps: If the hub has Torque Cap end caps, you must use a compatible RockShox fork or swap to normal end caps.


Muggsly wrote:
when I was sizing my chain I used the parktool method from their vids measured 11x and cut once well apparently that method does not work with a 12 speed so I got to buy a new chain.

Partially true. This is not related to 12-speed.

• If you referenced Park's old video, it does not account for changes in instantaneous chainstay length due to suspension. This video is not wrong, but it's dangerously incomplete, as you discovered. Park's newer video does show how to account for suspension.
• You do not necessarily need to buy a new chain. You can splice in an extra length of chain, presumably from the excess links you originally removed, via an extra quick-link or Shimano connection pin.
flag Muggsly
Posted: Mar 30, 2021 at 9:48 Quote
Good to know I didn't need the torque caps but I went ahead and put em on since I had ordered them anyway. i9 was top notch this go around and got em to me in 2days so I have to give em props. I figured it can't hurt to use em.
flag R-M-R
Posted: Mar 30, 2021 at 10:05 Quote
And they should make the front end a tiny bit stiffer, so it wasn't a totally unnecessary purchase.
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