# Complete bike versus scratch build cost difference



## Surfacecreations (Sep 8, 2011)

I got to wondering when and if something breaks/wears on my current bike what I will replace the broken/worn part with. 
During my research on prices for the current parts it has, they seem to add up to significantly more than the price I paid for the whole bike. 
Just doing a quick Google search, I only got as far as the fork, f & r brakes and f & r derailleurs before it hit the mark. 
Is this common and if so is it due to the bike manufacturer getting parts in bulk discount for mega quantities for a certain build?
What do all the components making up the bike usually cost compared to the bike being sold as a whole? Does this change from each brand or is it a similar figure overall?
I know car dealers like to make the claim that the manufacturers aren't making money on the cars but rather people buying parts and servicing them.
Is this the same game that bike manufacturers play? Unless they are getting these parts for less than of half what we pay it seems they have no room for much profit.
Of course I'm not referring to bikes that cost multiple thousands as it's clear they these builders are profiting quite nicely no matter what anybody says contrary.


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## Bro (Dec 20, 2010)

Mostly bulk discount. I've heard that the place for most bike shops to make money is in the wear items, like chains, lube, tubes/tires, etc. And, of course, aftermarket items.


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## Will Goes Boing (Jan 25, 2008)

Depends on how lucky you are in scoring parts cheap. I know that most parts I got for my build (XO/X9 components, hayes brakes, mavic wheelset, etc) I paid well below retail because I really shopped around + got lucky to score some clearance items. 

Generally though I think it's better to buy a completely built bike at a LBS when they're moving out last year's models + a bit of haggling with cash. I have my eye set on a 2012 Specialized carbon evo and my LBS has it priced at $4000. I thought about buying a regular evo frame at $2000 and putting the existing drivetrain/brakes but I still need to get a quality fork and wheelset which will cost me almost as much as buying a fully built carbon version.


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## rabidchicken (Apr 16, 2009)

I bought a new bike in 2006. After two years on it I upgraded frame. As parts wore out or insane deals were found on the Internet, I would replace things. This year I replaced my frame again and continue to add parts as I find deals or as they break. I no longer have any stock parts from the 2007 bike. I do have an extra bike to show fr it though. My cost is spread out but I can keep riding as I build. Not to mention that it is easier to get a few hundred bucks past my wife here and their vs a couple thousand in one chunk.


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## BacDoc (May 31, 2011)

Will Goes Boing said:


> Depends on how lucky you are in scoring parts cheap. I know that most parts I got for my build (XO/X9 components, hayes brakes, mavic wheelset, etc) I paid well below retail because I really shopped around + got lucky to score some clearance items.
> 
> Generally though I think it's better to buy a completely built bike at a LBS when they're moving out last year's models + a bit of haggling with cash. I have my eye set on a 2012 Specialized carbon evo and my LBS has it priced at $4000. I thought about buying a regular evo frame at $2000 and putting the existing drivetrain/brakes but I still need to get a quality fork and wheelset which will cost me almost as much as buying a fully built carbon version.


Very true! You can get some killer deals if you spend hours searching Internet sites and eBay but you have to be familiar with sizes ( 30.9, 31.8 27.2 etc top pull, bottom bracket size and on and on) and comparability otherwise you may end up buying lots of parts that won't work. Plus you have cables, housing, various nuts and bolts as well as specific tools that will cost some bucks.

That said, building frame up is a great experience ang gives the option of custom parts that I have lusted for over the years. You also get to see that $2500.00 full suspension bike with mid level SRAM or shimano components is actually an amazing deal!


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## BungedUP (Aug 18, 2003)

It isn't the same strategy for all bike companies, but it IS very similar for many of them. 

I worked for one manufacturing company that did not usually buy components at the deep discounts that some suppliers offer because that required increasing their overall inventory more than they wanted. Many parts were purchased specifically for individual bikes, and so were ordered from domestic suppliers of foreign parts. This is less than what you pay at the bike shop, but it is about what the bike shop pays for the parts. This is not the way that most large companies operate. 

I worked at another company which had a fairly specific range of components that were spec'd with the bikes, and that allowed them to purchase a large volume of high-end components directly from overseas. Doing this dramatically lowers the parts cost. This is much less than the part cost from my first example. This method allows manufacturers to produce complete bikes for much less than the sum of their individual parts, and they do pass part of that savings on to you - in part they have to because their competitors are doing it too. This is closer to what larger companies do, though this example is not from a larger company (smaller in personnel and bike volume than the first example). 

The amount of money for the components, including wheels, versus the entire bike is different for different market segments and I'd venture to say bike type (road touring, road race, XC, trail, FR, etc), but it's probably roughly 25-50% frame, 50-75% components.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Bike manufacturers really need to profit on the bike itself, and maybe on brand identity if they also sell parts. Like Specialized selling tires and their BG line of shoes, saddles, etc. I'm not quite sure why Trek is still doing the Bontrager marque, but whatever... Most of the parts on your bike came from some other manufacturer. So it's mostly that the bike company gets a big discount by buying huge quantities, and there are fewer stops in the supply chain.

As far as what it costs one of us - I tend to think of a bike as the fork, frame, drivetrain and cockpit, and wheels. I'd say that buying a complete costs a little more than half what buying the same bike as a bare frame and a box of parts would cost. So, any time you're thinking about replacing any two of the above systems, price some completes.


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## LVandLA (Jan 17, 2012)

Can someone confirm the last sentence is true? I'm looking at a high-end FS 29er (5k-7k) and when I put all the parts together I don't see much savings by building it myself.

On top of that, the price difference for the complete bike between the XT and XTR build is $1500 even though purchasing the groupsets online is only a $900 difference. I confirmed that all the other parts are identical.

Or am I missing something obvious?



Surfacecreations said:


> I got to wondering when and if something breaks/wears on my current bike what I will replace the broken/worn part with.
> During my research on prices for the current parts it has, they seem to add up to significantly more than the price I paid for the whole bike.
> Just doing a quick Google search, I only got as far as the fork, f & r brakes and f & r derailleurs before it hit the mark.
> Is this common and if so is it due to the bike manufacturer getting parts in bulk discount for mega quantities for a certain build?
> ...


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## theMeat (Jan 5, 2010)

AndrwSwitch said:


> I'd say that buying a complete costs a little more than half what buying the same bike as a bare frame and a box of parts would cost. So, any time you're thinking about replacing any two of the above systems, price some completes.


Agreed, also agree that building it yourself can be very rewarding if you want something unique, or custom for your needs. Again I agree that it'll take countless hours of research to find good, well priced parts so if you just wanna ride, buy a complete bike. If you want a cool winter project and don't mind spending time and $, do a build.


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## esundell90 (Dec 20, 2009)

Every bike I own I build with parts from the frame up. Why? I'm a tinkerer and I love building/working on bikes as much as riding them. The main reason I do it aside from personal enjoyment, is that you can build the bike *YOUR* way with whatever parts you want.

It is true 99% of the time that a bike off the LBS floor will be cheaper complete than a self build, however, I'm the kind of person that would buy a new bike, and immediately find some things I'd want to change out. Not a big deal, but it would bug me. I like things my way, so I build it myself.

It's also nice because if something breaks, you know how to take apart and put your stuff back together.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I have to say that I've never felt like not building my bikes from the ground up has caused me problems with understanding how to maintain them. This is a machine with everything but the bottom bracket mounted on the outside, where I can see it, and a ton of free material, some of it good, available on the web.

I guess two of my bikes actually have the bottom brackets stuck to the outside now, come to think of it.

I used to work more slowly than I do now, of course.


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

For an apples to oranges comparison... how many people buy a stock bike, then throw a bunch MORE $$$ at it to make it their own? The parts suppliers LOVE this! When you do that, you come out to as much as, or more than, building from scratch.

The only bike I have that is close to stock is my 5" Iron Horse. It was a "good deal" when I bought it complete, but the Juicy 3's hadda go and the rear hub grenaded after about 2 months. There goes the "good deal". If I knew more about suspension, or could actually tell the difference, I'd prob'ly swap the fork, too.

Other bikes I've had have been built from the ground up. They are usually more expensive than most stock bikes, but they are _exactly_ what I want (on that day ), I seldom have to do anything else to them, and I keep them for a pretty long time. I'm not much of a tinkerer or a gear queer, though: I have a plan; I build it; I may tweak it a tiny bit; I ride the life out of it.

I think in the long run - that is, the life of the bike ($/mile) - it costs the same. Not to say that there aren't some diminishing returns when you get to the upper end.

-F


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