I have built several bikes, it is something I love doing and I love working on my bikes. I think that opening line has also changed my view on bike builds, but I wish more people would learn basic bike maintenance as I feel this is also impacting trends in the bike industry. Just the other day, I went to a bike shop to pick up a replacement tire, as I was waiting in line to check out, as father and son came in with a relatively new bike. They didn’t come in because the crankset was loose or a cable was broken, rather, they had a flat tire. I personally couldn’t fathom riding a bike and not knowing how to fix a flat. It is this exact ineptitude that bike brands are leveraging to make more complicated and expensive bikes. If more people would work on their own bikes, bike brands would not make them so complicated to work on! The best example I can think of is internal cable routing. Yes, it might look nice and clean to have a bike frame with no cables on it…until you need to service the bike and you will be grumbling all the way, or paying (literally) for the service. Take that one step further and now many brands have cable routing that goes through the headset. I have built exactly ONE bike with headset routing and I hope to never have to do that again. So lets break it down into a few different categories, keep in mind these are my opinions.
Frames
I have ridden most kinds of bike frames and I can tell you that carbon is my least favorite. In fact, my last carbon frame bike is currently for sale. Let me say, there is nothing inherently wrong with carbon as a frame material, I just think it feels harsh and overly expensive for what the everyday consumer needs. The fact that a carbon bike is two pounds lighter than a steel bike is irrelevant if the rider packs an additional 20 pounds of gear to go on a ride. Leave carbon for the racers. For a full suspension mountain bike I prefer aluminum. You are already using suspension to take up any chunky stuff so you may as well save money and weight by going with aluminum. For a rigid bike like a road bike or gravel bike I prefer steel. To me, nothing rides like a nice steel bike. Not to mention steel is basically infinitely repairable.
Drive Trains
I will leave single speeds out of this discussion, but the only thing I’ll say is that if you have never ridden a single speed you should give it a try, it is fun! But we are talking about geared drive trains. One trend that I have totally embraced is 1x systems. I hate setting up a front derailleur and the complexity that comes with it. Again, I know a ton of people run doubles, but I prefer 1x. While I have embraced 1x drivetrains, I do not embrace electronic shifting. If there is one aspect of my life I absolutely do not want infiltrated with apps and batteries it is my cycling experience. When it comes to brands, use what you like. Some people prefer SRAM over Shimano, etc. For Mountain bikes I like SRAM. I think the SRAM Eagle GX is the best bang for your buck for mountain bikes. For gravel/road bikes I have a bit less experience, but I really like the Shimano GRX groupset for something on the higher end, but I have to say I have been blown away by the Microshift Sword 1×10 groupset. This is a fully mechanical groupset that shifts and brakes wonderfully. I am currently using the dropbar version and love it.
Brakes
In this case my acceptance of all brakes is probably just as controversial as taking a stand. The fact that I am totally fine with rim brakes, especially on a road or gravel bike might surprise people. The one area that I really do like hydraulic disc brakes is on my mountain bike. Other than that I am perfectly fine with rim brakes and would even go so far as to recommend them to people wanting to set up and work on bikes as they are straightforward and intuitive.
Tires
My thoughts on tires are simple: stick with the main brands and get a tire that fits your riding. Don’t force an enduro tire on your gravel bike, it won’t be a fun ride. I do prefer tubeless due to the ability to run lower pressures, but really because all those little nicks and cuts that used to be a slow leak are no longer an issue. Yes, you can get tubeless compatible rim brake rims too! I just built a set using AlexRims Adventurer 2 rims that are rim brake, tubeless compatible and have a wider internal rim width to fit 45mm tires better!
In the end, what is the point of this? Ride what you like! Don’t feel trapped or fooled by marketing telling you what you should ride. If you really like a fully modern carbon race bike, go for it. If you want to ride your old Schwinn coaster brake bike, that’s fine too. For me it doesn’t get much better than a vintage steel frame built up with modern components when possible. Check out these videos of my most recent build from a 1991 Trek MultiTrack 750.
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