Custom is a fairly vague term that gets thrown around in the cycling media. What does a custom bike mean to you? Let me explain what a custom bike means to me…
The process starts with a question. What is your favorite part of riding your bike? Feeling the instantaneous acceleration of a race bred machine as you stand out of the saddle and attack a steep hairpin? Carving the corners of the local technical descent? Or is it as simple as gliding over whatever terrain may present itself as you pedal your way to mindfulness?
The next step is seeing what level of “custom” is needed to achieve the desired experience. It is a rarity, in my experience, that a big brand’s product manager hits your every desire and need when deciding what build of their bike will sell the best and provide the most profit. Especially with today’s bikes with high levels of integration, making a stock bike suit your needs can be more expensive and time consuming than building your dream bike from the start. Crucial information in making this decision is bike fitting. You wouldn’t buy your wedding garments before consulting a tailor, nor should you consider your dream bike without having a fitting. I do not provide these services, but have worked with many local experts that can provide us the information we need. This information will help us choose our level of “Custom”:
- Customized Complete Bike - A complete bike from a manufacturer with some slight modifications to parts spec.
- Custom Frame Up Build - We start with a stock frameset that compliments your fit profile, and tailor each component to enhance the desired experience.
- Fully Custom Bike - AE Service Course works with multiple manufactures capable of creating a complete bespoke bike, to your exacting specifications, out of either Titanium or Carbon Fiber. This is as custom as it gets.
Want to know what happens next? Send me an email and let's set up a time to start building the bike of your dreams.
