Custom Bikes: Having It Your Way

Custom Bikes: Having It Your Way

CUSTOM BICYCLES HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE THE BEGINNING of the industry, when one builder’s hands welded each bike for one particular customer. Custom bikes never really went away completely, and for many decades the techniques were kept alive by a few artisans in the United States and Europe. However, in the past 10 years there’s been a huge resurgence of custom builders, especially in the United States. Now you can easily find at least a few and sometimes as many as 10 to 20 to choose from in every state.
What makes custom bikes special—and expensive—is that the tubes are hand cut and welded to your specifications, usually by one builder. Want a rack built in for touring? The fastest road bike around? Special sizing? An experience that’s catered to your every need? A custom bicycle is the epitome of making your riding dreams come true.
As we’ve already covered, some bodies don’t fall so neatly into a “women-specific” or “unisex” box. Both these designs are based on the average found in the middle of a bell curve. But what to do if you if you’re an outlier?
A professional fit can help, but sometimes even after replacing all the components you possibly can, you’ll still be left with a fit that’s less desirable. Square pegs will never fit into round holes, which is one reason custom bicycles came back into fashion.
The other reason is that some riders want to commandeer a bike that isn’t just professionally fit. They want the full-meal deal—the ultimate experience of having a bike designed around their body type, riding style, and fit, and then have the icing on the cake of being able to choose their own color.
Welcome to the world of custom bicycles.
Beginner riders will find this experience either mind-bendingly overwhelming or perfectly suited to their tastes. The upside of having a custom bike is that you get to choose every component and dream up every detail. The downside is you have the responsibility of making those choices. If you’re not confident in choosing what is best for you when it comes to your ride, you might be quickly overwhelmed with deciding which tires, shifters, brakes, cranks, pedals, and so on suit you best. You can expect some guidance from the builder in these matters, but don’t blame the messenger if you end up not liking what he picked out for you.
As far as fit goes, any quality custom builder should expect that you’ll be sized with a professional bike fit before he starts the build. He may farm this out to another professional fitter or offer to do the fit himself. A custom builder should never base a bike build on a bike you’re currently riding—unless you want to end up with some of the same problems you may already be experiencing. The only way to be close to the correct fit is to have your body sized before the tubes are cut and welded.
Custom bikes are often something that come after a rider has had experience with mass-produced bicycles and is now more dialed in to his or her own needs and preferences. However, if your body is very tall or extremely small, you’re likely already familiar with having to go the extra mile to find clothing or shoes that work. Custom bicycles are just an extension of this concept, and although they may cost you a bit more, they’ll be worth every penny in performance on the road and prevention of pain and injury.