Why do people choose to build their own bikes?

A Chapter2 frameset sits on a mechanic's workbench in front of a wall of tools
(Image credit: Chapter2)

With so many bikes available with a whole array of builds from the budget to the super-expensive, you’d think that there’d be something available off the shelf to suit any rider. But there are still many cyclists who want to build up their own bikes and, according to Dom Mason at Mason Cycles in Sussex, that number is increasing.

“Recently, because components are so hard to come by at present, we have seen an increase in frameset sales,” says Mason. “It really makes sense to invest in a quality new frameset, especially if it has modern features and is adaptable and versatile, and then build it using your existing components.”

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Paul has been on two wheels since he was in his teens and he's spent much of the time since writing about bikes and the associated tech. He's a road cyclist at heart but his adventurous curiosity means Paul has been riding gravel since well before it was cool, adapting his cyclo-cross bike to ride all-day off-road epics and putting road kit to the ultimate test along the way.