We all want to do it; build a whole bike, one part a time, from scratch. You could get exactly what you wanted. The right colourway, perfect size, your favourite brand name; it’s definitely a fun idea for a project. Sounds pricey though doesn’t it? And manufacturers are putting out some pretty dang solid completes these days, so why bother. But it got us to thinking; how much money do you save by buying a complete bike? Is the old advice of buying a complete, then replacing parts as you break them still good advice?
In theory
We needed to start this experiment with a bike that you could actually buy a standalone frame for. So we started with the Rocky Mountain Instinct Carbon 90. I’ts a damn nice piece of kit. Pretty much dialled from top to bottom. What does it retail for? $11,999. Not a cheap bike by any means and we assume it would cost more to buy it as individual parts, but let’s try to figure what those numbers look like. Using the spec list from Rocky’s website we’ve scoured the world wide web for reasonable, Canadian price options. We chose average prices where we could, not looking for bargain basement sales prices, but what your local shop would likely be selling each piece for. Here’s what we found.
Instinct C frameset: $4,699
Fox 36 Float EVOL GRIP2 Factory Series fork: $1,539
FSA Orbit NO.85 Reach Adjust headset: $120
Rocky Mountain 35 CNC stem: Had to sub-in something similar; we went with the OneUp Stem $120
Race Face Next R handlebar: $180
ODI Elite Pro Lock On grips: $46
Shimano XTR Trail 4 Piston brakes: $940
Shimano XTR shifter: $184
Shimano XTR derailleur: $365
Outer derailleur housing: $20
Race Face Next SL G5 Cinch cranks: $600
Race Face 1x 32T chainring: $105
Race Face BB92 bottom bracket: $80
Shimano XTR 12s 10-51T cassette: $560
Shimano XTR 12s chain: $95
DT Swiss 350 Boost 15mm front hub: $200
DT Swiss 350 Boost 148mm rear hub: $450
DT Swiss Competition spokes: 72 pack is $150
Race Face ARC Carbon 28H rims: $1,350
DT black nipples: $112
DT Swiss rim tape: $36
Valve stems: $26
Sealant: $30
Maxxis Dissector 2.4 WT 3C MaxxTerra EXO Tubeless Ready tires: $200
Fox Transfer Factory Series Seatpost: $449
Fox Transfer post lever: $89
WTB Volt Race 142 saddle: $130
Total cost?
Okay, so how much would it cost to build this bike from scratch? Around $12,875. Give or take of course. Yes, you could probably find a couple parts for cheaper, but if you bought the parts today from the sites we used, that’s how much it would cost before taxes and…
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