New bike, slightly customised. Is that a reasonable request?

[JonJ678]

I'm looking to get a new bike. Previously I've bought stock bicycles, ridden them until parts break then replaced the broken part with a higher spec version. That's worked fairly well, but current bike is now beyond economic repair (forks are a write off, frame has some damage).

I don't want to go down the frame + components route, partly for cost reasons and partly because I suspect I'm not skilled enough to assemble a reliable bicycle from parts.

My current plan is to buy a stock bicycle then immediately (pay someone else to) replace some of the components. Probably longer crank arms and sharper brakes, possibly a different gear ratio. This will work OK, but leave me with a bunch of components that were just removed from the new bike that I'll either try to sell on or just throw out which seems quite wasteful.

Before asking a local bike shop to sell me one of their standard models with some components swapped out, I'd like to know how common/reasonable this request is. Ideally I'd like to leave the old components at the shop.

Thanks!

 

[JonJ678]

Encouraging, thanks. Planet X are in Sheffield, probably a bit far for me (Bristol), but otherwise looks impressive.

Buying a bike with the desired components in the first place definitely sounds optimal, but I'm not clear how to achieve this. Is it viable to choose / have recommended one of the standard configurations, then ask for a quote for it with some components swapped out?

 

[JonJ678]

Thanks guys. This has proven to be much more difficult to research than anticipated, there really are a lot of options out there.

Longer crank arms are of interest because I have disproportionately long femurs, but I have also come across the theory that the default crank length may be too long for most people already. The default is probably OK really.

I *think* I'm looking for a cyclocross bike as they're marketed as a harder to break road bike, but am far from sure of this. I know I'd rather avoid carbon fibre but it's become really popular for forks so that's trickier than expected.

In general though, I'm probably going to experience another few weeks of indecision and visiting bike shops. It's interesting that several places near me are up for building a bike from pieces.

Thank you all, and apologies for the lack of closure.

 

[JonJ678]

I'm definitely unsure what I want. I'd be on firmer ground if buying a new hardtail but road bikes appear to be a different game.

Re: carbon forks, delamination is a nasty failure mode. I'd much prefer bent to superficially OK with internal cracks.

Your point about cx bikes being roughly as robust as road bikes hits home though. I keep seeing them described as such, but the frameset seems to be the same as for road. I've broken wheels, drive chain and one set of forks on xc bikes (clumsy rider) so am worried about the lifespan of road components.

 

[JonJ678]

Mentioning I don't want carbon fibre was always going to provoke some annoyance. I know it's leading the market, and I know people love it. Each to their own.

I like the look of that Genesis a lot, thanks for the name drop. I now have something specific to start from at the LBSs. Thank you

 

[JonJ678]

For instance, the Croix-de-fer 10/20/30 are all steel frame/fork combos.

I've now had a play on a genesis croix de fer. Aside from ongoing uncertainty over L vs XL (bike fitting at LBS thinks either would work, tradeoff between faster on the L / more comfortable on the XL) I think I'm sold on it.

The cable disks on the 20 I rode on were either badly set up or just much weaker than I'm used to (saint). This pushes me towards hydraulic disks so I need to choose between frame & components or the 30. I'm leaning towards the latter as generally less bother.

Thank you all for your input, it's really appreciated.