Why a Custom Frame?

It’s a great question to ask, and there are a lot of valuable aspects to getting a custom bicycle made for you. For a very short response I have an answer to that in the FAQs here.

A custom bike frame (like any other custom made thing: clothing, shoes, musical instruments, furniture… a house) is tailored specifically to and for you. Fit & sizing, geometry, performance & materials, features, & aesthetics all optimized to create a bike that is uniquely yours and rides how and where you want it to. (How and Where meaning the main ways and locations you’ll use your bike: Casual rides, racing, commuting, off-road, on pavement, in harsh weather or only on nice days, carrying heavy loads or just yourself… all things we discuss when starting the custom frame process.)

Fit & Sizing: Every body is different; height, leg length, torso length, arm length, shoulder width, shoe size, flexibility… all of these come into play in figuring out the starting point for a custom bike’s fit and size. Here in the Buendia shop that information is applied to a fit-cycle, an adjustable stationary bicycle that allows us (you the client and me the builder) to dial in the touch points of the frame (pedals, saddle, handlebar) and where they sit in space, in relation to each other.

By spending some time on the fit-cycle, pedaling away as those touch points are moved in/out and up/down, we can zero in on the sweet spot positioning; with your input riding the fit-cycle (and with my input viewing from the sides, looking at balance and shape and positioning) as those points are moved too far one way and then the other until that ‘just right’ spot is found somewhere in between. That final touch point triangulation is the basis on which the custom frame-set is designed (frame, fork and stem) - a frame built in, around, and under that touch point triangulation.

The result is a bike that fits you perfectly from the get-go, like that one set of clothes or shoes that feel so right when you put them on. Clothes wear out though and you have to start the difficult search again for that perfect fit. A custom bike is going to last an incredibly long time, and for as long as you ride it, that fit will be the same.

– Store bought off-the-shelf bikes are designed and produced in a variety of sizes to try and cover as many fit needs as possible, they can absolutely be made to work and fit just fine, with adjustments to saddle and handlebar positioning. Additionally, our bodies are good at getting used to a setup that may not be perfect, as long as it’s not radically out of sync with fit requirements, with time on the bike the body will settle into the given positioning.

Geometry, Performance & Materials: A custom bike is designed and built to be the bike you want to ride, which includes how and where you want to ride it. A daily errand bike, racing CX, bike packing, commuting, dropping in on mtb trails, riding from Alaska to Patagonia; whatever the use-goal is.

I personally believe a bike can combine a couple of use goals and work well in both - a cx racer/commuter; an MTB/bike packer; an errand basket bike you ride to Patagonia. Ideally you’d have a quiver of bikes, each with their own specific use, the next best thing is a bike that can reliably do a couple of things well… I don’t think it works well to try and design a bike that '“does it all” - in my opinion it’s better to run with one or two use goals and then go ahead and use the bike for everything else as well, if you choose to… race that basket bike in a CX race (when they’ll let you), ride your fixie down some sketchy mtb trails… bikes are fun and if something looks like fun to you… you should probably give it a shot.

That use goal (or two) plus your positioning/sizing info will lead to choices in geometry, performance and materials. How ‘racy’ and responsive the bike feels, or how settled and stable it rides; can it carry heavy loads for long tours or grocery runs, or does it need to be as light as possible to get you on the podium. Wheelbase, chain stay length, head tube and seat tube angles, fork offset, bottom bracket drop/rise, tubing diameters and wall thicknesses, all of these specifics and more come together to create the bike you are looking for.

– Store bought off-the-shelf bikes are designed with use-goals in mind as well, sometimes a very specific use goal, sometimes a couple (so a bike can be more than one thing). The difference is that they were not designed with you specifically in mind, their use and materials have to cover a wide range of possible customers… like the fit/sizing of a store bought bike mentioned above, it’s not the bike being made to fit you, your body settles itself in and fits the given geometry, performance and materials of the bike.

Features and Aesthetics: Features and style are the most obvious of a custom bike’s attributes, and not un-important. The construction details (lugs or fillet brazed joinery, custom racks, cable routing (for any mechanical bits), water bottle and cargo mounts, etc), the parts you run (handlebar type, disc or rim brakes, carbon or alloy rims, lights, bells, fenders, or simply a chain and set of wheels) and the finish you choose (Paint or powder coat colors, custom headbadges, parts selection) all are part of this custom frame that is uniquely yours. All of it is equally important in my book.

The finished bike should inspire you, it should be your first choice when you want or need to go somewhere… how it looks is a large part of that personalization, inspiration and joy.

– Any bike can be made to feel unique to you… A store bought bike will be set in its features and aesthetics, but once it is yours it can be modified, re-painted, changed to whatever you want to make it. A custom frameset is what you want it to be from the start.

A custom bicycles is designed and purpose-built to fit like a glove, ride how and where you want it, and be built to last. You have the opportunity to be directly involved in the design process (as much or as little as you prefer) and to know, personally, the craftsperson who made your frame. It’s an investment for sure, it’s also unique, special, amazing, and valuable. Absolutely worth it.