14bikeco custom bike

+1 to the comments above. Get an OTP then upgrade bits as you go along. I did the following in order: (over a 2 year period)

Buy OTP (Charge Plug)
Changed Saddle/bars
Upgraded Rims/Hubs
Changed Stem
Changed everything else apart from crankset and BB.
Get new frame custom made for me
transfer most of the upgraded parts to frame, plus some more shiny ones I'd bought.
dream bike

I didnt really know what I wanted when I bought the plug - the frame turned out too small for me, because I didnt know any better - over those 2 years, I learnt more - had lots of fun learning about my bike and lots more riding it. I've tried lots of parts over this period before I found what I wanted.
(or you can do it the superprecise way, I don't regret the time or money I spent getting to my dream bike though)

+1 for the Fuji track,

keep some change for an 18 tooth sprocket,
50 quid for a front brake,

done

Slighty o.t. but does anyone know the 14 Bike Co phone number? It's not on their website.

It's a secret.

If you must buy new, Condor or a Surly from Brixton Cycles would be my recommendation.

• 1 to what this man says. If it was me I'd go for the Condor.
  Also saves money in your budget to change/upgrade components as you go along.
  

Slighty o.t. but does anyone know the 14 Bike Co phone number? It's not on their website.

http://www.londonfgss.com/thread16544-17.html

Yeah, OTP is teh way to go in this case. I made the mistake of buying a custom from 14 Bike Co, knowing that it'd cost me more, but figuring the customer service and supporting the LBS was worth it.

Fuck that. I got the wrong colour rims, wrong headset, wrong brake lever, bars weren't chopped the way I'd asked, foot retention was promised and not supplied. I didn't even get dust caps on the cranks/valves. Pisstake. In fact I've just wasted a happy lunch hour in that fucking shop replacing the wheels they fucked up myself.

Nice frames, and nice selection, but unless you're spending over £1500 they don't give a fuck.

have a rummage in brick lane bikes
you'll find a nice frame in the colours you like and then source bits
you'll then have a nice unique bike

http://www.londonfgss.com/thread16544-17.html

It's not on that page. I had already looked through most of the previous 16 pages, but couldn't see it mentioned.

It's not on that page. I had already looked through most of the previous 16 pages, but couldn't see it mentioned.

That's because they don't have one. Email them.

@ bleak reference

i take it you only had £1,499.99 to spend ?

get a nagasawa. it's an anagram of the word anagram, my dad says. how cool is that! and the word also looks like a mental mash up of some of my favourite animals in the world (i'm a 10 year old farmer's son), ie swan, ram and nag (horse), with some Indian food 'sag' in there somewhere too, as well as 'gas' which is what my dad sometimes gets after too much sag aloo. lol!! loving it. Well ace.

have a rummage in brick lane bikes

http://www.londonfgss.com/thread28233.html#post901218

OTP all the way.

Having said that you haven't ridden regularly why spend up to £1k on something you really might not enjoy/possibly regret. I bought a Langster as I got fed up with trashing road bikes on my commute. Really enjoyed riding it and then it got nicked. Replaced it with my current bike which I've built to my spec.

Why not spend £450 on something you can flog later, save the rest and if you enjoy riding your OTP spend the cash on a frame in a few months time.

@ bleak reference

i take it you only had £1,499.99 to spend ?

Ha. £1100, which I would've thought would've been enough to get decent customer service. But apparently not.

get a nagasawa. it's an anagram of the word anagram, my dad says. how cool is that! and the word also looks like a mental mash up of some of my favourite animals in the world (i'm a 10 year old farmer's son), ie swan, ram and nag (horse), with some Indian food 'sag' in there somewhere too, as well as 'gas' which is what my dad sometimes gets after too much sag aloo. lol!! loving it. Well ace.

heeeee

It's not on that page. I had already looked through most of the previous 16 pages, but couldn't see it mentioned.

My bad:

for all inquiries please send an email to john@14bikeco.com
the shop is often busy so we prefer not to use the phone, but we answer all emails

john@14bikeco.com

Yeah, OTP is teh way to go in this case. I made the mistake of buying a custom from 14 Bike Co, knowing that it'd cost me more, but figuring the customer service and supporting the LBS was worth it.

Fuck that. I got the wrong colour rims, wrong headset, wrong brake lever, bars weren't chopped the way I'd asked, foot retention was promised and not supplied. I didn't even get dust caps on the cranks/valves. Pisstake. In fact I've just wasted a happy lunch hour in that fucking shop replacing the wheels they fucked up myself.

Nice frames, and nice selection, but unless you're spending over £1500 they don't give a fuck.

Did odge do the work?
Fuck man, the quality of his mechanic work is just plain shit.

brake leavers

hahaha that's some creative misspelling,

or is it what the kids are calling going brakless these days?

They do. They just don't want to answer it.

And no it's not 14 and they don't sell everything for £14 and it's not staffed entirely by 14 year olds.

Ok, so one of those might be true.

That's because they don't have one. Email them.

Lenk - I was in the same position as you about 6 months ago - hadn't ridden for years and decided I definitely needed a bike asap. I bought a second hand otp (Bianchi Pista) and rode it for a while. I decided I love riding fixed so have started gradually replacing copmponents and probably wont stop until all thats left of the Pista is the frame. Then I'll probably sell that, get something nicer and swap all the parts onto the new frame (although I've definitely developed a soft spot for that shiny chrome beast so who knows, I may stick with it ! )

...on the subject of 14 Bike co, do they do a decent wheel build ? Any other reccomendations would be appreciated.

Did odge do the work?
Fuck man, the quality of his mechanic work is just plain shit.

No, Oscar. And the mechanics of the bike was fine, no complaints there, I just expected 'em to take more pride in their builds.

Which one's Odge? I don't think I can tolerate any more pisstaking from 14, I'll be sure to avoid that guy when I go back to get the headset replaced.

They do. They just don't want to answer it.

Same thing for my money.

I would advise against spending shit loads (£1000 is shit loads to me) on a bike mainly for commuting. Get an OTP and if you realise you are totally in love with bikes, flog it at a small loss and get a custom. By that time you may have already picked up enough knowledge to build your own and know what's a good deal and what isn't.

I agree with this. One important factor being bike fit. By riding around on an OTP for a while you'll have time to decide on what you really want.

That first build looks pricey too. I built up my Bob Jackson with pretty high end componentry for £1073, by having a clear build plan in advance so I could take advantage of offers, EBay bargins etc.

(Bob Jackson 20" Reynolds 631 track frame
Campagnolo Record pista Chainset
Campagnolo Record Headset
Campagnolo Chorus brake caliper
Campagnolo C-Record seatpost
Campagnolo Biothermic bottle + cage
Ambrosio Bars and hubs
Velo-Orange Elkhide sewn-on bar grips (expresso)
Selle italia storika saddle
Mavic CXP 33 rims (32h 3x f & R)
DT-Swiss competition spokes
Veloflex Tyres (Master F, Pave R)
Michelin Aircomp Latex inner tubes
Token Tiramic BB
Phil wood 1/8" 16T cog
Surly Lockring
DID racing pro chain
Crank Bros Titanium Quattro pedals)

I'm very surprised that 14 have priced everything at RRP- surely one of the main points of buying a complete bike is that you get all the components at a significant discount on buying them individually?

I am aware that they are selling on the custom angle, but still I would expect some money off.

You'd be better off buying the frame from them (if that is what you are settled on) and getting all the parts from a bike shop that will give you a decent discount for buying a lot at once- I know a number of shops that would knock a significant amount off that total if I were to buy all the stuff at once.

Anyway- I see both sides of this.

Personally I would get a cheap OTP -Fuji Track probably- and ride the hell out of it whilst accumulating parts and knowledge.

However- my girlfriend had not cycled for 14 or so years so she built up as her first bike a titanium and carbon fibre dream machine as she said that having spent so much money she would have to ride it, and get to like riding it, if that makes sense.