So I need a road bike. I have a bicycle that I love, a steel-framed fixed gear that I’ve been riding for a decade, but it’s limited in what it allows me to do. Had I to limit myself to only one bicycle, I still might choose to have only a fixed gear, but a bicycle that only has one gear and doesn’t coast isn’t as versatile a thing as I would like, even if it’s the most fun I know on two wheels.
A multi-speed road bike is what most people ride when they ride for fun and fitness with any seriousness, at least so long as the riding doesn’t go off road. For the last 21 years, fixed gear is all I’ve ridden, but for the last few years I’ve wanted something better suited to training, long-distance riding, and participating in events like the Haruna-san Hill Climb Race, which I’d really like to do in May 2026 if I can get a bike together soon enough.
Another big motivator for this is simply that cycling is an athletic activity that I can do despite my sometimes-funky knee, and the more I ride, the happier I tend to be. It’s good for me physically, but also good for me mentally. I’m in my 40s now, and both my physical and mental health deserve good options for maintaining overall good condition.
The only real obstacle here is budget. I’m freelancing and just don’t have the budget for it right now. Hopefully that will change soon as things (again, hopefully) pick up, but regardless of that I’d like to find a way to make it happen. How? Seeking out extraordinary deals, making trades for components, etc. As I often heard growing up, where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Basically, I see two possible approaches to this. Either is fine, and it’s really just a matter of what I find in my search.
The first approach: a complete bike that I can make changes to as needed. If I can find a cheap enough deal on a functional bike, getting it set up sufficiently well to do what I need shouldn’t be too hard or expensive, and I can make additional changes and upgrades as budget permits in the future.
The second approach: build up the bike from individual components. This is the direction I’m currently leaning, as if you hunt around you can find just about everything for a very low price if you’re persistent enough. And with the way a lot of cyclists constantly upgrade their gear, there are a lot of good components floating around out there, often for cheap. This is especially true for parts that are at least a decade old. These components are still perfectly good, but aren’t attractive to most riders.
As it stands, I have two parts on hand, out of a couple dozen things I would need to build a whole bike.
What I have:
- Pedals
- Handlebars
What I need:
- Frame (52cm)
- Fork
- Headset
- Stem
- Bottom bracket
- Crankset (165mm) and chainrings
- Wheelset
- Cassette
- Brifters
- Front and rear derailleurs
- Brakes
- Seatpost
- Saddle
- Cables
- Chain
- Handlebar tape
- Tires and tubes
I’ve probably left off a couple things, but that’s fine. The list above should represent just about everything, and the point is that building up a bike doesn’t actually require all that much in terms of parts. It doesn’t have to cost all that much, either, and part of the fun of this project will be seeing just how inexpensively I can put a bike together. I can be extremely resourceful, and this kind of thing is fun.
It also helps that I have a reasonable complement of bike-specific tools on hand already. About the only specialized tool I might need in the course of building this bike that I don’t have is a headset press, and that’s something I can either make from hardware from the store (as I’ve done before) or just forego and have a bike shop install the bearing cups and crown race for a nominal fee.
Looking back, I think the cheapest bike I ever built up was a singlespeed I built up in about 2006 for my then-girlfriend. Total investment was about $80. I don’t expect this project to be as cheap as that, but when you’re satisfied with old components and are patient, you’d be surprised at the deals you can find.
The first thing I’ll be looking for is a frame, probably an older steel frame from the 80s or 90s, something with a threaded steerer that takes a quill stem. I like frames like that, and it’s also a way to get fantastic value for the money. I’m open to other options, though. It really all comes down to what I find, and especially what I can barter for.
