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Assembled bikes popular among advanced cyclists
For experienced and advanced cyclists, who regularly and constantly cycle as a hobby or for health benefits, finding a bike from a bike shop is not the only option. An alternative is to have it assembled at a bike workshop or assemble it themselves. Why?
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he most common and convenient way to buy a new bike is to pick up one of the many factory-built bicycles, including the highly popular folding ones, from a bike shop. And you can start to ride it.
But for experienced and advanced cyclists, who regularly and constantly cycle as a hobby or for health benefits, finding one from a bike shop is not the only option. An alternative is to have it assembled at a bike workshop or assemble it themselves. Why?
Irwan (not his real name), an executive of a Jakarta-based IT company, has been commuting to work by bike for 10 years. He says, “Initially I purchased a bike from a bike shop because I wanted to ride it soon, but after having gained extensive cycling experience and frequently hanging out with my friends from a bike community that I joined, I prefer a ‘custom bicycle’ that suits my needs.”
“When I buy one from a bike shop, I have no choice of components, material and color, for example,” the 38-year-old told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
The bike touring enthusiast who lives in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, and cycles to his office on Jl. Sudirman, Jakarta, disclosed that he once had a bad riding experience as his bike frame was broken when climbing a steep road on his way to Purwokerto, Central Java.
“Actually, my friend, an experienced and knowledgeable cyclist, had advised me to replace the frame with another one whose material is strong to carry loads for long-distance touring in all road conditions,” he said.
“He told me that not all road bikes were capable of carrying heavy loads during long distance touring. If I followed his advice, I would not have had the incident,” he recalled.
Since then, he said, he has been relying on an experienced technician who fully understands the mechanics of building a bike to meet his needs for a custom bike.
To ensure the comfort and safety of cycling, one has to know the goal of cycling and the intended use. “This will determine the type of bike that we choose, be it a road bike, mountain bike, touring bike, adventure road bike or gravel bike,” he noted.
“Thus, frame design and material should also be taken into account in this regard,” he added.
Based on a conversation with a technician, he said, he purchased a frameset and other components and parts best suited for long-distance touring. “For the frame material, as my technician recommended, I use titanium because it is strong, light and has great resistance to corrosion,” he said.
Easy to do
Like Irwan, Gunadi (not his real name) also finds joy in having a custom bike, but the highly devoted and longtime cyclist assembles it by himself to fulfil his needs and desires.
The retired corporate executive recalled that it all started when he was shopping for a bike in town about two decades ago, he failed to find the one that really fitted him in terms of geometry, especially sack and reach - fundamental elements of frame geometry. “This prompted me to assemble the bike by myself,” he noted.
According to him, the first and foremost step to assemble a bike is to determine the frameset, the core of any custom-built bike, before “we match the specifications for each part of the frame and fork.”
Gunadi, who resides in Lenteng Agung, Jakarta went on to say that he purchased a frameset from local and overseas shops to meet the standard for long-distance touring and for long-term use. “My assembled bike with frame brand Louis Garneau from Canada still performs well today,” said the cyclist, who is now in his 60s but still frequently takes part in an inter-province bike tour.
Gunadi regards his bike as part of his own body. “I mean I can go everywhere by bike without having to rely on a private car or public transportation. Cycling is not only a road to wellness, but also a way to understand social issues. While taking a break in different villages or towns, I usually engage in conversation with different local people. It is an enriching experience,” he said.
Assembling a bike is easy to do “as long as you have the knowledge, cycling experience and a bike tool set. It takes about three hours to complete.”
According to him, today’s bike models are designed with quick release skewers, enabling us to install, remove or replace parts more easily, compared to those manufactured before 1990, which required us to use screw keys in almost every part.
Meanwhile, bike technician Chris Indra who runs a workshop in Pondok Labu, Depok, said the demand for custom bike services, which include assembling, restoring, refurbishing and building, has been on the rise since the COVID-19 outbreak hit Indonesia in early March.
According to him, the increasing number of bike communities has had a positive impact on the bike business. “I’ve received many orders for the bike assembly service. Most of the customers are from bike communities,” said Chris, also an experienced and longtime cyclist.
