Impressive Demand for Custom Frames

[Matt92037]

I would think the increase in production carbon frameset prices have made custom frames an even more interesting alternative. If one is still into rim brakes, custom frames are slowly becoming your only option.

[Tommasini53]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

Well,

I'm thinking custom is the way to go right now if you want a bike. Top end specialized, trek pinarello are all well over $10k and you cant buy them because they are all out of stock and backordered, so custom starts to look like a real bargain!

+1
I'm glad to see these artists are getting their due. I've been astounded by the price tags on the factory bikes after you go above the Ultegra spec'd product range. The prices seemed to really take off after Trek and Specialized entered the ProTour/TDF sphere.

[2000m2]

Last I heard, Rock Lobster is a year wait time. From talking to a few LBS, they've given up on Shimano and point buyers to SRAM or Campy for components. Interesting times...

[Plum Hill]

Carl Strong gave me an 18 month lead time.

[CSKeller]

I'm sure some of it may be related to Covid but good custom builders have always had long lead times.

Heck, I waited 12 months for my custom titanium Gängl way back in 2001.
Well worth the wait IMHO!!!

If you want a custom frame from a custom builder you should be prepared to wait and expect delays so that the artist/craftsman can do their best for you just like they do for each of their clients.

[benb]

I think some of it may be an illusion just due to custom frame owners tending to be serial frame buyers.. a small crowd of vocal owners in places like this saying custom is forever but flipping their custom bikes frequently so they can do it all over again. The process itself is exciting.

But I do think the carbon bikes from the big manufacturers are getting so expensive and so hyper-specialized & sometimes impractical that it creates a bigger opportunity for small builders to grab some additional sales.

The benefits/tradeoffs of a $5k+ Carbon race bike versus a custom Ti or Steel frame can be lost on a lot of people really easily.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by Ozz

Depending on the builder, 8 months seems reasonable.

^^^This. I wish there was a bike I really wanted that only had an 8 month lead time!

Originally Posted by NHAero

When I was looking at the beginning of this year, ...[snip]...Strong was 5 months

Originally Posted by Plum Hill

Carl Strong gave me an 18 month lead time.

Yep, my wife just put a deposit on what will be her third Strong this week, and Carl quoted an 18 month lead time. Which took the missus by surprise, because her first Strong in 2010 had a 4 month lead time, and her second Strong in 2018 was only up to 5 or 6 months.

[pdonk]

I would think anything from a 4 month to a 2 year wait is normal, even during the best of times.

I am currently in the queue for a custom fork - time from order to expected delivery - 11 months.

[Nickt]

I'm experiencing this first hand right now with Seven. There definitely is a delay in terms of the timeline others have experienced with them and what's published on their website, but I don't really mind since I know the end product will be excellent.

Also, as a business owner myself, I can't in good conscious get frustrated when business is booming for the smaller guy. Have to cut the smaller builders some slack and let them relish in the good times. Their business model and staffing wasn't build for this volume. Being busy is a good problem to have, in so far that the product quality doesn't drop.

[NHAero]

How recently?

He has told me that he is spending an unprecedented amount of time on the phone and email sourcing parts. I didn't realize until fairly recently that most custom build customers are buying a complete bike from the builder, not just the frame.

With Carl, I also wonder if Pursuit Cycles is taking off and requiring more of his time, even though he has help in the fabrication. I think he still is heavily involved in the design of each of those frames.

Originally Posted by Plum Hill

Carl Strong gave me an 18 month lead time.

[Matt92037]

The lead time on certain production carbon frames seems to be getting into custom frame territory. I just put a deposit in with DeSalvo and he mentioned the wait is now pushing a year.

On the bright side, long wait times for a custom frame gives you plenty of time to figure out all the little details what you want incorporated into your new bike.

[benb]

Originally Posted by Nickt

I'm experiencing this first hand right now with Seven. There definitely is a delay in terms of the timeline others have experienced with them and what's published on their website, but I don't really mind since I know the end product will be excellent.

Also, as a business owner myself, I can't in good conscious get frustrated when business is booming for the smaller guy. Have to cut the smaller builders some slack and let them relish in the good times. Their business model and staffing wasn't build for this volume. Being busy is a good problem to have, in so far that the product quality doesn't drop.

They might be operating near normal capacity right now, but Seven definitely was impacted by Massachusetts' strong COVID restrictions. IIRC they had to operate with fewer people on the floor for a long time.

Quite sadly they mailed out last week they're closing the Lexington Ride Studio Cafe location.

They had a cheery email about "come visit the Sherborn location" but that location is nowhere near as convenient for a large crowd of riders in the area, and the Lexington location was very easy to get to from Boston/Cambridge do to it being right off the Minuteman MUT.

[Nickt]

Originally Posted by benb

They might be operating near normal capacity right now, but Seven definitely was impacted by Massachusetts' strong COVID restrictions. IIRC they had to operate with fewer people on the floor for a long time.

Quite sadly they mailed out last week they're closing the Lexington Ride Studio Cafe location.

They had a cheery email about "come visit the Sherborn location" but that location is nowhere near as convenient for a large crowd of riders in the area, and the Lexington location was very easy to get to from Boston/Cambridge do to it being right off the Minuteman MUT.

Thanks for the update, but sad to hear about that closing.

[Hellgate]

Most of my custom frames were 6 to 9 months. All, with the exception of my Guru and kind of the Davidson were one person shops.

My most recent one, the 333fab, was 8 months.

OP, I'm curious, what timeframe are you expecting?

[reuben]

Originally Posted by NHAero

I didn't realize until fairly recently that most custom build customers are buying a complete bike from the builder, not just the frame.

I'm not surprised. Buyers probably figure that builders, however small, have more clout sourcing components.