You need a custom bike... Let me explain

[@wazzup105]

I would still advise to start on a cheap bike. Maybe a second hand one. Just to "become a cyclist" .. to get to know what can go wrong.. Get in shape, get some miles done etc. Then, once you are fully emerged then it is time for your next bike, which should be fit first buy later!!

[@paulgrimshaw8334]

Good advice!

[@robday1976]

Appreciate you’re running a business and the videos you’ve done over the years giving free advice are great so no hate, but really people need to pay more attention to the comments you make in the first 2 minutes of this video and not be sold the notion that a custom bike is going to solve their cycling problems. Get a cheap bike that feels ok and is about right size for you. It’s not going to be comfortable straight away. A road bike is going to feel uncomfortable for a new rider. Ride it, get fitter, loose weight, get used to it, then decide if you need a bike fit. A bike fit is worth doing and I got one eventually but only because as I improved and got fitter and more mobile my position on the bike changed and the bike just needed tweaking along with better fitting shoes. In my opinion if start off throwing money at a bike fit and custom bike thinking you going to do 100 mile rides and feel like you’re sat on the sofa then you are going to be disappointed.

[@gerlachsieders4578]

For a proper fitting bike, I would suggest to get a bike by Fairlight Cycles: every size comes in two stack heights, both regular and tall, guaranteed to get a proper fit, these bikes are a dream to work with for bike fitters....

[@nickyburnell]

^this

[@joetebbett2477]

had a fit at Bicycle then bought a 51T Fairlight Faran. Very happy with the bike and the fit

[@hnurminen]

I'm a latecomer to cycling and I bought my first proper bike when I was almost 50. I did the bike-fit-first-buy-later-approach and I'm really happy for that. Not a custom bike, though, but I have had virtually no problems with the bike I chose. When the time comes to buy my next bike I will definitely consider going for a custom bike.

[@poxcr]

No background music works way better! Keep the videos coming!

[@talonlan]

If I had £10k to spend on a bike I would definitely make this my only bike shop I would choose ( Bike, bike fit and new shoes )

[@danford9646]

Been here. You can do a decent job for 3.5 to be fair. Not custom admittedly, but a fitted off the peg.

[@deepanjanghoshcalcutta]

Been riding a custom bike for a year now. In India, where I live, it is significantly cheaper than the west, although not cheap in an objective sense. It isnt just the fit that I love. The builder took everything into account, my weight, what kind of roads I ride on, how I like to ride (I told him I ride like a maniac) to decide on the tube choices. As a result, the ride feel is significantly different from any off the shelf bike I have been on.

[@RyonBeachner]

I’ve had a custom carbon OM made, and ultimately I wound up unhappy with the result. At first I was thrilled, but over time it became obvious it didn’t fit me for the type of riding that I do, and my priorities. When I started doing measurements, the stack was 30 mm lower, and 10 mm longer than the bike (Dogma F) I’m now on that I’ve been really happy with. A custom bike is only as good as the fitter and engineer calling out the parameters.

[@flashback9966]

Ineresting, this is what worries me. If they get right, then it's worth the expense, but if like you it's wrong it's an expensive mistake. Everybody tells me to get a bike fit, but now I'm not so sure.

[@Bikefitjames]

@@RyonBeachner totally agree!

[@larryt.atcycleitalia5786]

Custom bike is only as good as the measurements/fit philosophy it was built with. During my bike tour biz daze the custom, made-to-measure bikes that seemed the worst-fitting were made by SEVEN Cycles. Have no idea why but they stood-out for how awful their owners looked on them. I often thought I could take one of our rental bikes off the hook (we had 'em in 2 cm size increments) and dial-em in way better with maybe just a stem swap. Over the years we had more than a few tell us our rental bike fit them better than the one they left at home!

[@mohamadjamil3164]

As usual. Top content from a bike fitter. You say the things that no one says or knows:) the latter is scary especially that many of the bike for enthusiast hide behind technology to no avail

[@lojeda]

Great! watching James all these years got me dreaming a bike fit that cannot afford because I don't even live in the UK, now i get to dream a custom bike, custom fitted bike that I cannot afford... at least for now

[@CatManDoSocial]

Fantastic as usual, James. Thanks. Of all of my bikes over the last 35 years, only one has been custom. And it was my favorite and has easily ridden the best. Sadly I had to get rid of it but I really hope to be able to go that direction again.

[@jonathangreen7111]

As a 5'4" 58kg bloke, I absolutely agree about custom fit. Steel is still a great option though.

[@JIMMYHIBBS1]

If you are going custom, I would tend to shy away from carbon … a steel custom will last you a lifetime, even if you relegate it eventually to your winter bike …

[@davidv6803]

I bought a custom Pegoretti made by Dario. It's amazing. That said, clearly it's not a buy once situation since any bike only scratches the "I need a new bike" itch for a little while... 🙂

[@virtualmartijn]

Custom bikes are like custom golf clubs. Nice to have but not necessary to have fun riding a bike. Making sure you know your fitting specs is way more important vs. having the one-off custom made frame. That being said: if you have the means to do it - go for it. It's a fantastic feeling knowing that what you have is specifically tailored to you.

[@wandering_pete]

Thanks for the very concise and informative video, James! May I offer a suggestion for a future video? It might be helpful and would certainly be appreciated if you could create a video with recommendations on what to consider when buying a bike off-the-peg. For people who are new to cycling, those of us who haven't ridden in a while or can't yet afford a custom build, the wide variety of off-the-peg bikes can feel overwhelming, particularly in how geometries can differ so wildly between companies for one style of bike, e.g. endurance bikes. Some guidance on choosing the right bike would be invaluable.

[@kiltymacbagpipe]

I’d love to hear your opinion on MTB sizing and fit.

[@irondistance4313]

Thanks James cool to see you on your own channel ❤

[@tonyc2477]

Great video, always enjoyed your videos Something totally off topic, I know you just started your KZbin channel but you might want to look into using custom white balance when recording. Noticed the green/magenta shift quite often under different lighting conditions in the studio. Can't wait for more content

[@hananas2]

Currently have a wonderful neo-retro steel race bike, whenever I upgrade from that I'd really like to go with a custom frame but that's for a few years from now.

[@JamesBrown-qt2yr]

Another great vid James, keep em coming my man! 😊

[@mattmc30]

Thanks James for all the videos. They are always very instructive. I totally agree with your approach as I'm finding difficult to fit on a "normal" bike (I'm 168cm tall with 82cm inseam leg). So far, the best have been for me to buy a Look 695 Optimum + which has more of a Gravel bike geometry. I was always bying Small size bike (which were too big!) and thanks to your explanations and videos through Cade Media and the Bike Fit Tuesday serie, I now bought an XS size bike and I now feel better on the bike without having to drastically change all the components (and the handling of my bike). I would love to get a custom bike frame (complete bike is too expensive for me) to take even more pleasure riding ! Thanks again for the content and keep the great work!

[@ClimbingEasy]

Here from the cade media video. New to road cycling and learning way to much.

[@dahonkie]

Hey James, is it possible to improve bike fit by loosing weight and doing mobility work aswell?

[@elbowspeak]

I have a custom Hampsten Ti Strada Bianca from back in 2006. Even though I have lots of other bikes, every time I get on the Hampsten I say to myself "now this is how a bike is supposed to feel." Even though I replicate stack and reach on all my other bikes, none of them can match the custom.

[@TD_Geake]

I agree in principle, but what about a relatively new and/or less (physically) fit cyclist? Seems like position and (bike) fit could change with experience, weight loss or the like.

[@maxkehayov]

Amen! The truth has been spoken yet again! :) If anyone had told me that buying a bike would include additional 4 stems, 3 saddles, 6 pairs of shoes, 15 bibshorts and countless hours of Bikefit Tuesdays just to get to the point of pain free riding, I would choose the custom bike on the spot! Sadly, James' services (or similar) are not available in each country, but are worth way more than those cool carbon wheels for sure! Good thing is flying to London is not impossible! :D

[@averagemanonabike]

I take the same stance with bicycles as I do with motorbikes, get something designer for people like you - endurance bike instead of race bike. Comfort can equal speed.

[@hockysa]

Fit first is definitely the right way to doit but it’s one of those unfortunate scenarios where the bikes most people can afford cost less than the fit.

[@rakulex]

Love to learn with your videos!

[@Berserker26]

Can you show us how to measure ourselves properly so we have a better idea of where to start when looking for a bike. I'd like to come in for a fit on a bike that's in the ballpark for me rather than on something that's way to big/small

[@IcebergSpikes]

What's the price range at which custom and off-the-shelf are equal value?

[@donkeyavenger]

Depends on where you are as well but in my location the lines start to intersect around $5-7k for a fully custom build vs off the shelf bikes. I'm oddly built with short limbs and a giraffe like torso so my next bike is definitely going to be custom so I can actually be comfortable and not compromise fit just to make a frame barely fit.

[@avro66]

Used to have hand built bikes made back in the 80/90s because I'm a funny size, always very comfortable, usually a 753 frame and fork,with a durace groupset, circa £3000,bit like getting a new bespoke suit,usually fits better and is very comfortable.

[@Bikefitjames]

It’s gone away in the industry because it’s harder to do - so much simpler to sell a trek out of a box

[@rugiOHHHH]

Do festka and sarto build custom geometry frames alone without a complete kit?

[@Bikefitjames]

Yes

[@pipoann]

Hi James, I had a look at Festka the other day, beautiful bikes. I find that custom carbon bikes (I see online, everyone I know that went custom bought steel) usually look like climbing bikes. My question is: do people even make custom aero bikes?

[@Bikefitjames]

Yup, Sarto makes two, the Raso and the Lampo, both available at our store

[@pipoann]

@@Bikefitjamesinteresting, will check them out.

[@matteo.ceriotti]

Custom bikes are all built joining tubes (regardless of the material), with round (or almost round) section; so they are OK if one likes that kind of style/look.

[@Bikefitjames]

That’s not remotely true. Both Sarto and Festka build bikes using semi monocoque construction techniques with adjusted lay up

[@ickebins6948]

So you're stuck in the 80s then...

[@JanKowalski-ux6nt]

It makes sense 👍

[@teunluijbregts2533]

If the point here is: at this day and age a custom bike will cost approximately the same as a top-end production bike and give you a better ride: then I agree. Look at what you need (maybe through a bike fit) and go from there: I agree as well. The story about head angle and stem length:too short to make any sense 😇

[@tomlimey793]

So basically, taller headtube, slacker top tube/ head tube /shorter stem = any gravel bike? 😅

[@UKBROOKLYN]

The only problem with having a bespoke bike is that it might be the last time you get to celebrate "Brand New Bike Day". I had my Indy Fab Ti Custom frame made about 8 years ago. Fit's like a glove but unlike that favourite pair of sneakers.. it never wears out. I still look at new bikes.. sometimes even drool a little bit.. But this may well be the last bike I ever buy...

[@SirBrass]

Instead you can drool over new groupsets or wheels you can upgrade on your bike 😛

[@Bikefitjames]

Nah! You just end up with multiple bikes! (Indy crown jewel owner here)

[@UKBROOKLYN]

@@SirBrass I built it with Campy Super Record and run Bora Ultra wheels.. Job Done ! 😃😃😃😃

[@thedownunderverse]

Until “big bike” introduces new standards that dont work with your bike

[@UKBROOKLYN]

@@thedownunderverse I am not worried that "Big Bike" is going to make my bike obsolete.. Theres plenty of bikes around with beautiful 50 year old Campy groupsets... I think my current setup will last long enough. Plus every time I ride my bike someone comments on how cool it looks...

[@fergsc]

Would love a custom bike, but how to find a good bike fitter that can provide this? Time for Bikefit James to start franchising?

[@anthrussell23]

does any of this apply to riding a mountain bike,

[@janburkert]

Love Festka, hopefully one day…

[@arturocantu8699]

Anyone have a recommendation for a similar bike fit studio/shop in southern Germany that also consults on custom builds?

[@DanTuber]

If money is no option then there's custom. For normal people finding a bike that's 80% there is good enough. People can adapt.

[@stevemullin1195]

Is it worth doing the custom bike fit if your bike is going to be used for bikepacking or touring where you aren't looking for speed but for comfort for long days in the saddle over months if not years.

[@marcoshea4868]

Would love a quality Ti bike 👍

[@Neil_down_south]

I have a custom built bike from a few years ago but now want help choosing shoes and a saddle. Does that need another full bike fit?

[@aubreyxengland]

Not to mention, a custom bike can (and will) save you money in the long run. 1 custom bike purchased once will always be far cheaper than 1 top of the range purchased every year. I’ve found that you can effectively ignore the constant upgrade/new model cycle that larger manufacturers push to the market every year.

[@66mikkim]

Thatßs why buying a frame from a direkt to consumer brand and building your own is always better, or go full custom

[@ickebins6948]

if you have to buy a new bike each year, a bike fit is most likely not the first thing you should work on 😂

[@bedcurt]

is there a middle way particularly for those spending. £2/3K or less(still a lot of money) of knowing some basics apart from inside leg

[@paulgrimshaw8334]

Sure. Take a profile video of yourself pedalling on the bike (lots of bike shops have stands, trainers etc.). Get the seat more or less where you want it. Take an end on video while you pedal. Analyze the video at home. You’re not looking for perfection… that’s something that will only be achieved with fine tuning. Look for leg extension, hip impingement, hunched or pinched shoulders. If your body proportions and size fall within the 80th percentile, and you have no significant physical impairments, anything minor can be solved with shoes, cleat adjustment, seat adjustment/replacement, crank and stem length. Major deviations require a different size frame or a different frame geometry. Unless you’re a competitive rider logging 100s of km a week (which you wouldn’t be based on your question), you can get a very, very good fit off the shelf. Ppl may disagree with what I’ve written here… but there are lots of precious OCD princesses riding bikes. Those are not the people worth consulting when making decisions on how to spend *your* money.

[@uncleants]

Buy once ... until they obsolete the fuck out of it. I have a really nice TI framed bike. 10 years old. A bike for life (haha) and still as good as new and I love it... with rim brakes, QR and 28mm clearance. how long will I be able to buy decent wheels and spares? The bike industry seems to have adopted the Apple strategy.

[@thedownunderverse]

This.

[@pipoann]

I ride lots in SE Asia and my friend has a bike shop in Laos. I Most people are still on rim Brakes though it is changing. So I reckon you will be able to buy Chinese carbon rim Brake wheels (which are superior in value for money) for a good while. Also there will always be a market for rim. It will just be niche and hence expensive. See the new silly money Colnago rim brake frame.

[@larryt.atcycleitalia5786]

Nah, it came from the automobile biz..."planned obsolescence" they call it. Lucky for you, rubber brake pads and aluminum wheels with machined brake tracks should be available for a long time...but you can always stock-up now!

[@brianpurcell9058]

Nice one James 👍 👍👍🚴‍♂️

[@DaveyMcCall]

Aye well the thing is mate this is just yer take, time to get fit it’s easiest way aye lost weight fat on upper body and train properly guys cheers 🎉

[@StopTheRot]

I think - at this point - its worth accepting that much of what you said is true, but the statement that pros of 60kg ride 300-400w all day is just nonsense. They are freaks of nature, but I ride with two pro-conti riders, regularly, and they ride around at 200-240 watts all day. Yes, in races this goes up, and one of them averaged 275 (335 normalised) in Braban P, and nearly 400 in crits (at 65kg), but their training isn’t very different to ours: it’s just much more substantial.

[@kellypaws]

Well that’s not true. I had a custom bike made and then immediately since that, everything is disc brakes and leaning toward electronic shifting ergo custom frame next to useless. There’s no future proofing in an industry Hell bent on a new fad every year…

[@karolskrzydlo115]

Is it possible to get a custom build good bike in the range of £5K to £7K? You are mentioning that you can get a good bike for £8K

[@-esox-3714]

"Mhh yes , yes sounds reasonable and useful" - Me, who only got a fully enduro bike, contemplating if I wanna buy a road bike for running- cross training, probably for ~1k€ max, if even at all ://

[@danlitwiller6010]

Does anyone know of a bike shop in the US that is this good?

[@Paul020]

Depends where you are

[@randygravel2057]

Panamint Valley rules 🫡

[@StopTheRot]

But Festka frames have a 2 year warranty. Specialized offer and honour - I gather - a lifetime warranty.

[@martindoonan198]

After an uncomfortable time on my first decent road bike that was too long and too low, I went full bespoke. Sized to me, components of my choice. A great riding bike and cheaper than the high-end off the shelf bikes of the time. Over 20 years, and many tens of thousands of kilometres, later it's still a comfortable, great riding bike. I recently upgraded to 12 speed from the original 10s and it should see me good for a good while yet.

[@thrawed]

Buy once, and then a new groupset comes out that fixes all your gearing problems but it requires a new hanger design.

[@michael1]

The obvious flaw here is that these fat middle aged men with money to spare that you're trying to convince they need to buy a custom bike are mostly doing it to become thin middle aged men and your logic supposes they'll be replacing bikes along that path alongside the smaller bib shorts and jerseys they'll need. I think he'd just be better off buying a wattbike atom, it's got all the adjustments your bike has, costs less than many road bikes and he doesn't have to pay you. Let me tell other people, I went for a pre bike fit with a follow up, did exactly that. Spent thousands on the new bike, equipment, saddles, different handlebars and the bike fitters fee. Went back to get the bike set up. And the bike still sucked. The fit was still wrong. I was still uncomfortable. And I wasn't fat. I was 5'11" and 68kg. Bike fitting is snake oil. Ask the fitter to give you a bike he believes will be comfortable and agree that if it is you'll return and pay for it. See how many take you up on that. Just watch them wave their hands and say "bike fitting is a process" blah blah.

[@Bikefitjames]

Unfortunately it sounds like you’ve had a pretty shi**y bike fit - not all bike fit is created equal, same as car mechanics

[@michael1]

@@Bikefitjames Which is more or less what the 2nd bike fitter said before taking my money. He, like you, had his pet set of changes that the others get wrong. How many people would you pay £300 for a bike fit + potentially buying a new bike + shoes, maybe other parts like bars or stem? 1? 2? 3? Keep going? I gave up after I'd spent about £10k and I still don't have a bike I can ride without being uncomfortable. The bike fitter you're suggesting is s**ty is full of plaudits and has people like Johnny Brownlow and numerous pro cyclists visiting him pictured on facebook. There's a lot of people being fooled if you're saying it's his incompetence. Some of the others who took money for a bike fit probably were clueless. I'd say it's probably more that bike fitting doesn't actually work beyond a placebo effect. And most cyclists (myself included) put up with discomfort because (for a decade for me) I loved cycling more than the discomfort. Eventually that equation changed.

[@yakwabbit]

Did James just call me fat? 😀

[@nickyburnell]

Joe public doesn't need race geometry. Then why do they need carbon? Won't last forever, can't recycle. All in the name of less than a kilo. Love the (old school) custom fit thing but plenty UK builders of Ti and Steel.

[@fredericpressel1611]

❤

[@andrewash9318]

Fit twice, buy once.

[@zbigniewnykiel]

Those Festka! Mmmm

[@barrytantlinger1033]

Most people don't need a custom bike, just as most men don't need to buy a bespoke suit. I like James' videos, but this is just marketing.

[@sventice]

I agree with everything said in this video; makes perfect sense. But I'm not going to buy a bike in that way; it's still too expensive, and to be honest a bit precious. It obviously depends on what your goals are, but I think most people can easily find an "off the peg" bike that comes close to the geometry they need, and that can be adjusted to fit them well and provide a good ride experience. For example, my own daily-use bike is a gravel bike from a well-known manufacturer that I use almost exclusively as a road bike. Since buying it, I've changed the tires, wheelset, seat post, handlebar, crankset, and front derailleur. Total cost for the bike and all my modifications is about $4000. It's fast enough for my purposes, fun to ride, versatile, a bit too ordinary-looking to get stolen very quickly, and I can ride the thing literally all day long in comfort. I seriously doubt I could do that much better by spending twice as much money on a custom bike.

[@paulgrimshaw8334]

Too many people trying to fit themselves on a racing bike, when they lack racing mass, fitness, and form. Dumb idea, driven by ego.

[@paulgrimshaw8334]

Also, there’s a tendency to overcomplicate bike geometry. Take the seat tube angle for instance. It’s not the tube angle but the effective angle, defined by the bottom bracket and the hip line. Moving the seat back increases the *effective* seat tube angle. A change in BB to hip line angle can then be adjusted by seat tube length. WRT the stem length, too many TdF wanna be emulators out there. They don’t need to be that long… but often are. Adding and subtracting caster can work from a geometric perspective… by this, I mean that steering stability won’t radically change 20mm one way or another. But pressure on the hands and shoulders will massively change. The majority of recreational riders spend most of their time on the hoods, so stem length needn’t be so long because aero on the hoods will be crap anyway. So shortening the stem will help shift weight back on the frame and off the hands. Win-win, at almost zero aero cost because the torso angle change will be negligible.

[@saracen888]

No you don’t…

[@akaraikiriakatsuki3157]

This is why I don't like road bikes. Too much complexity.

[@ickebins6948]

It's not complexity. It's the people who think you have to have everything 100%. Most people ride their bikes at the weekend for maybe 2-3 hours in good weather. But they have the most expensive bikes and the most blatant equipment. Simply to meet their “standards” and show others that they take it “really seriously”. There is a purpose and a place for everything, but the leisure cyclist doesn't need something like this.

[@Epiqe]

One important note: prepare $5-7k minimum 🫣😢

[@Mike0]

& the frame to break after 3 years because its hand built titanium made by someone who used to build steel & alu frames

[@tonyjames5444]

There's a reason this place is in one of the most exclusive parts of London, plenty of extremely wealthy people who see that kind of money as small change. Not knocking what they have to offer, it's great but they know the clientele on their doorstep:)