Custom MTB vs Stock MTB

[@The_Backsmith802]

I just recently built an entire bike up from spare “budget” parts that I replaced on other stock builds and it rides almost just as well as the comparable high end built bike.

[@teabagNBG]

for 80% of ppl a stock build is totally enough...

[@mutleyadamsracing2684]

80% of riders are recreational like you and I. Mtb's are our hobby and sport of choice. You, I and the other 79%.9 of riders buy aftermarket parts to upgrade our whips because its our hobby to do so!!

[@teabagNBG]

@@mutleyadamsracing2684 it depends on what kind of stuff u buy... alot of ppl buy new breakes because their old ones never was setup correctly int he first place... same with suspension... also if u dont ride on trails why the heck some ppl need a 36 factory fork??? its like in every other hobby... some ppl have to much money and like to brag.... nobody is saying nothing if u get a new seat or new grips LOL some parts are good to match to the rider...

[@gpearce11]

If you want to build "The ultimate bike" with all the parts you want, then it's hard to beat hand-picked components (especially if you want something more boutique, like Hope brakes, I9 hubs, or CK headset), but if you're even slightly considering budget options for components then there's most definitely a better specced stock model available for the price. Stock would obviously be cheaper either way, but at least in the first example, you clearly don't care about value for money.

[@hansonwang2121]

In my opinion the best option is to buy a complete bike with a good spec and ideally your preference of suspension and drivetrain because those are the most expensive thing to change. Then just swap parts out based on preference. If your stock build is a mid to high spec then the stock parts will have a decent resale value to recoup some of the cost to put on parts of your preference. In my opinion a custom build makes the most sense when you’re doing a frame swap have already have 90-95% of the parts from your old bike.

[@Scott-PNW]

What happened to Tor's Lowdown? Can't have that awesome rig retired yet!

[@brentyancich]

Stock build with tasteful upgrades. For the W

[@EvansMTBSaga]

Tor is intimate with his bikes?! 😂 A sneaky thing with upgrades is they can be an investment. I bought some used carbon OneUp bars in 2021 and I've used them on at least 20 bikes since then. I could probably turn around and sell them for $60 used too.

[@KDubber]

16:09 100% that rear hub will fail. I bought my Levo in March of this year, and despite being a weekend warrior (ie low KM's ridden), and generally only using Trail Mode, the hub had failed by June. My local dealer handled the warranty claim, and after a week I followed up w/ Specialized directly and discussed my concern that a straight replacement will result in the same issue, they sent an upgraded Roval Traverse Alloy 350 rear wheel in its place, no extra cost, I just had to pay the shop labour to get the tire and cassette swapped over. Best $50 CAD spent ever!

[@ostankovalex1176]

specialized have been putting sht hubs for years. unless it's DT, it's gonna break on the affordable builds especially

[@KDubber]

@@ostankovalex1176 It's a wonder why they even bother with that hub that comes with the Comp models, it's got to be costing them a pretty penny for processing warranty claims every year for the same issue.

[@ostankovalex1176]

@@KDubber dunno about that. those hubs might be costing so low in production and Spec bikes are pretty overpriced unless you get a good deal on them but... those hubs are trash anyway, along with NX cassettes/rear mechs they put on those builds

[@KDubber]

@@ostankovalex1176 you're right they are indeed cheap hubs, but they aren't just sending out the hub in all cases, usually sending out a whole new wheel, and in my case, they sent out the upgraded wheel with the DT Swiss 350 hub. But parts aside, its the cost for staff to process the warranty claim, my call with Specialized took maybe 15-20 minutes, a very reasonable length from my perspective, but it isn't a revenue generating support call, and then they need to reimburse the shop the labour costs. Again, in my case they did not since I was getting a higher end wheel, so the deal was I paid the labour cost, but had it been a straight replacement hub, they'd have to cover the labour cost to build my existing wheel with the new hub, or if it was a straight replacement wheel, cover the labour cost to swap the tire and cassette over. The issue with these hubs are so profound, it's not a question of "if" it will fail, but "when", those costs really start to add up.

[@xcpt]

As an advanced beginner I got a good tip from a pro rider. Look what you want to ride in the cheapest variant because you get a slight feeling over time whats limiting you and upgrade it in the way you need it. Last year there was a short time where YT had the Capra Core 1 super cheap for 1999€ which is a banger for this price. While the stock fork (RockShox ZEB Select) and stock rear shock (RockShox Deluxe Select+) were perfectly fine, I replaced the Sram DB8 for Magura MT7 after a while because they felt not very good and the Sram SX Derailleur had to go because lets be real the SX Derailleur is pure crap. But everything else is completely fine for a beginner. I had that setup now the whole last season and it was a blast! Ive learned so much also about servicing my own stuff and setting it up to my needs. Now, for next season I ordered a coil shock and want to see how much difference it will be to the standard rear shock. And so will go everything over time and I can find my riding style and equipment.

[@Cevirus93]

I started with stock bikes. But after owning quite some bikes (changing nearly every year) I knew what I wanted and since then I always have and probably always will be buying everything myself and build the bikes custom. Its another part of the hobby that I really enjoy. Btw I had close to no issues in the building process of Santa Cruz bikes. Big fan.

[@PeterCPRail8748]

For someone riding mtb for 33 years, 30 of those not in a competitive format. DH racing long ago late 90s. I find buying entry to entry mid trim stock bikes is the way to go and build them up over time if you're someone who values money and holds on to there bikes for an average of 6 to 10 years. Over that period you get up to one heck of a bike with used or sale parts. If you like changing bikes often then you get the most for what you can afford outright. Also test ride whenever possible to see what you like and suits you especially if your newer to the pastime. Me being in my 40s and someone who tested and road a few dozen bikes in my time I am at the point where I feel at home quick on any bike and look for the best deals to be had.

[@mseermtb8430]

I work in a bike shop, and struggle a lot with cable routing

[@EvansMTBSaga]

I finally invested in an internal cable routing kit for like $15. Works pretty good in like 50% of situations

[@geraldh.6686]

Great video. Out of the hundreds of bikes I’ve owned going all the way back to my first 10 speed, I have never, not once, over shifted my chain into the spoke. In fact I’ve seen it only a handful of times F-DD’s

[@EvansMTBSaga]

I've done it. Forgot to set the limit screw

[@fishingoccasions1034]

The question for 1 million dollers is... why changing Ginnie shock with a Float X?

[@golightlypro]

Best part of a custom build is the satisfaction of everything working. Especially the brakes, you'll know fast if you set them up wrong!

[@VanPelt408]

Tor, did you not like the Genie shock?

[@Doggepp]

Super interesting video! I have been through both of these journeys a couple of times. But once you get more into stuff, for me at least - Building a bike makes way more sense. You start getting some preference for certain parts. So buying a complete bike does not make any real sense when I am changing seat, handlebars, grips, stem, tires, brake pads, maybe even the brakes themselves. And with how prices are from the big online retailers here in europe. I can often build a complete bike for several thousands less than a complete bike is. Groupsets and suspension is often 30-50% off on big retail sites here. Pair that with some clearence on wheels, and you have yourself a superbike for $5k less than a complete one costs. Granted - The time and effort that goes in to picking parts (which is actually something I really enjoy) as well as the space and knowledge to put it all together. I do trust myself more than most local bike shops though. I currently own both types - One complete "super" xc-bike, that already had everything I wanted, and I have only changed tires. And one enduro bike built from a frame.

[@diamondMTB]

I've slowly custom built my bike over two years and still not finished. Bought the bottom spec model, had the brakes swapped out before delivery and slowly built the bike up according to budget and necessity. Still not finished!

[@smithandshortdogs]

I bought a fork in anticipation of doing a custom build.... then found an entire bike for about the price of a frame.... I have been upgrading it ever since.... we are down to stem, saddle, seatpost clamp, headset and minor bolts being the only OEM parts left.

[@sans_2031]

I use the "window blind" tool to clean the inside of fork stanchions with a towel 🤣

[@tonkshred]

Buy the stock bike at 75% off… upgrade things that break to full VIp levels, start w a good base ! Then realize you need to buy an e bike …. And a purple gravel bike w matching b plug.

[@mtbextreme01]

glad i'm not the only one having trouble building up a bike lol!

[@anyone569]

Great video, going to send to some friends that ask me about this stuff to help them to understand the process. 👍

[@fredEVOIX]

the cheaper/best option is to buy a lower spec OEM on sale then upgrade it yourself, why ? because the no1 thing they cut cost on are the fork and shock, those parts almost halve price going down one step in range 1200->600->300->150->75 so manufacturers save a ton on them I bought a 2500$(sale) 120mm full susp in 2016 it had shimano xt but entry range rock shox a few years later i upgraded fork and shock to fox factory 34SC FIT4 and float DPS both on sale before next model change (2025 equivalent would be SL it's the XC range with lockout) and minus the carbon frame it's now speced like a 12'000$ bike of 2024 but it cost me roughly 4000$ it's only 120mm but I'm still amazed how well it handles terrain I had to ride through torrential damage instead of dirt trail it was a carpet of river rocks and I didn't have to push it just rolled through, amazing

[@KeoOutdoors]

it's like leaving a Z stock vs putting a LS in

[@xflow]

Again big fun to watch. I build my S-Works Enduro fully custom. Even built the wheels myself. To me wrenching and all that stuff makes 50% of the hobby 😊 and I learnt from you guys ❤ Custom bikes definitely meet 90% of people out there. However, if you have a look at Canyon e-bikes and their current battery nightmare, then one already knows the downside of buying off the peg. Speaking of my S-Works Enduro, I didn't have to sell a kidney though, as I had time and took advantage of sale offers.

[@alteredgrind]

Whenever I see these types of videos, it makes me wonder who is actually building custom $10k+ bikes. Every review you see of gear is the highest end version of it, the bikes are always the top of line builds, and it really makes it feel like mtb is a luxery sport. I paid $4k for my complete Santa Cruz new, and even that made my eyes water. I love my bike, but what percentage of the population do these super high-end reviews ever cater to? Is it really that common for people to drop as much money on a custom build as a nicer used car?

[@Trade2Invest-]

Never ever greas any threads. Use proper anti-seize for threads.

[@billderas3420]

This was a great video for its style and content. Stanley Kubrick, Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg move over!

[@j.s.1967]

Zeb 160mm?

[@ostankovalex1176]

Nah,unfortunately, the bikes these days are built like crap. You get loose bolts, unbled brakes and disgusting suspension you have to send for warranty service from the factory. The last 3 Fox items I bought had 0 grease, X2 was aerated from the factory with no dials working. If you want a good bike, you have to unassemble it and get it back together properly. PS - no issues with my RM with tube in tube

[@andreygrin1397]

If know what do you want from bike, then "custom" is only solution. Because all stock bikes would has bad components (except top builds and not always)

[@lonewanderer2287]

Of all the people who ride mtb in the US, only a small percentage of that ride often enough to be considered for recognizing differences in components, knowing about geo, etc etc. It takes a fair amount of riding to really start to feel the nuances. There’s also a lot of trial and error to really dial in what feels good to you. Start low end and progress.

[@danielpatino81]

so the stock bike became custom at the end??? 🤣🤣🤣

[@gergofodor8275]

Wtf am i watching? Omg guys…U are the biggest noobs on the planet… waffle,waffle but u dont even know how to remove the cog xD rich kids playing around type sh*t

[@dadlife8289]

You're watching the owner/operator of one of the biggest bike shops in the United States. Better sit up straight when you're talking to him boy