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Post by Blarno on Jul 13, 2020 14:33:25 GMT
After building my own bike recently, I was charged by a good mate with building a bike for him from scratch. I found the parts, he paid for them and I fitted or modified them to fit. The end result is this:
Based on a 2012 Kona Entourage downhill frame, with a custom matte black paint job and pink decals. Refurbished and repainted forks with pink decals - these are a sore point as I had to redo the forks from bare metal after the first iteration reacted with the lacquer and scabbed over. Now there is no lacquer on the forks, but a matte protection film will be applied soon. For those of a pedalling nature, the specs are as follows:
2012 Kona Entourage frame Fox DHX RC2 rear coil shock, 170mm travel Fox 34 Kashima forks, 170mm travel Mavic EX729 DH rims on Superstar components thru axle hubs Schwalbe Magic Mary 26x2.35 tyres with Slime tubes Shimano XTR 11 speed mech Shimano XT 11 speed cassette
Shimano XT chain Shimano XT shifter Shimano XT 4 pot disc brakes FSA GAP crank DMR V8 Gen 2 pedals Nukeproof Vector saddle Bontrager Line dropper seatpost Specialised DH 800mm bars
It started like this:
Then the painting started and bits arrived: Decals applied:
Forks (the first time round) Assembly begins:
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Post by Martin on Jul 13, 2020 15:25:53 GMT
Looks like a quality job Blarno.
I'll leave Bob or Jeff to comment on the thread title.....
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Post by alf on Jul 13, 2020 15:29:42 GMT
Nice! The paint and stickers on the frame and fork look great, very OEM, and makes it look like a new bike. That must have been a lot of hours of labour! A scratch build (or rebuild) is very satisfying though...
!!
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Post by Blarno on Jul 13, 2020 15:33:56 GMT
Not including drying time for paint, there is about 15 hours labour in it so far, which isn't so bad really.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2020 15:44:07 GMT
It's bloody cracking. Great result.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jul 13, 2020 15:55:22 GMT
Looks like a quality job Blarno. I'll leave Bob or Jeff to comment on the thread title..... I opened it in eager anticipation but was sadly disappointed. The bike looks good though! |
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Post by Big Blue on Jul 13, 2020 15:59:29 GMT
Seen this through the phases on FB - great job. You've invested proper care and attention there.
So: now you've made one, photographed it and taken your time measurements (so 15hrs x £x per hour) you can start to make your business model.
Local ad plus building a few at home whilst still working will make you not much but will allow you to understand if there's enough of a market round your way to change your mix of hours at the factory and your own workshop. Then take on an apprentice and sweat them to death; lease some warehouse unit and have ads in Cycle Weekly. Don't forget about PL insurance in your costs!
Bear in mind a lot of modern day cycling types have a more focused approach on their hobby and don't bat an eyelid on the cost of these things maybe renting some time on the CF manufacturer machine at your current work would be another step to consider if you wanted to offer funny frames. If your bosses are impressed enough they might want to invest in your venture once you've proved a market.
There you go - no sleep for a day or two now thinking about it......
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Post by ChrisM on Jul 13, 2020 16:01:59 GMT
Black Bikes Matter
Looks good
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Post by PG on Jul 13, 2020 16:46:54 GMT
Looks like a quality job Blarno. I'll leave Bob or Jeff to comment on the thread title..... I opened it in eager anticipation but was sadly disappointed. The bike looks good though!  As somebody who knows nothing about bikes - apart from being able to ride one - that does look very impressive with a real quality finish to it. Top job! |
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Post by LandieMark on Jul 13, 2020 17:05:58 GMT
I've been following along on FB and IG. Looks great.
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Post by Roadsterstu on Jul 15, 2020 8:54:48 GMT
Nice job!
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Post by PetrolEd on Jul 15, 2020 9:12:22 GMT
Looks good, so how much is a Blarno bespoke pushbike?
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Post by Blarno on Jul 15, 2020 13:27:24 GMT
Well, that was just shy of £1500 in parts alone...
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Post by PetrolEd on Jul 15, 2020 13:44:19 GMT
Wow and there was me thinking you’d say £500. It’s a lovely thing.
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Post by Big Blue on Jul 15, 2020 14:32:12 GMT
Well, that was just shy of £1500 in parts alone... This is what I meant when I said these cycling hobbyists "don't bat an eyelid on the cost of these things". It's a bicycle FFS: essentially a glorified child's toy (ducks for cover) |
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Post by Roadrunner on Jul 15, 2020 15:09:35 GMT
Well, that was just shy of £1500 in parts alone... This is what I meant when I said these cycling hobbyists "don't bat an eyelid on the cost of these things". It's a bicycle FFS: essentially a glorified child's toy (ducks for cover) I am with you on that and could never contemplate spending so much on a bicycle, but then there are others who would consider it odd specifying a V6 or V8 engine in a family estate car, so I suppose we all have our quirks. I am possibly going to be in the market for a replacement family car soon and will not be going all hair shirt with it... |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2020 11:00:14 GMT
Looks like a quality job Blarno. I'll leave Bob or Jeff to comment on the thread title..... I opened it in eager anticipation but was sadly disappointed. There's a company along the road from me called Clarke's Railings and Panels. Yes, they do abbreviate it! crapgates.co.uk/ |
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Post by Blarno on Jul 21, 2020 15:12:23 GMT
Bike was collected by its new owner this afternoon, he even dropped off another bike for a refurb and repaint. Going down a different route with this one - powder coating. Matte black again, but with orange decals this time. Luckily, I have access to a powder coating company through one of our suppliers at work. I'm going to get my old hardtail powder coated at the same time. Pictures to follow.
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Post by Alex on Jul 24, 2020 19:09:53 GMT
Bike was collected by its new owner this afternoon, he even dropped off another bike for a refurb and repaint. Going down a different route with this one - powder coating. Matte black again, but with orange decals this time. Luckily, I have access to a powder coating company through one of our suppliers at work. I'm going to get my old hardtail powder coated at the same time. Pictures to follow. Repeat business and recommendation are what will make you turn this into a proper business and it'll come from your no nonsense attitude and a job well done. Glad this venture has started so well for you. Long may it continue. |
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