Hey folks,
I bought a bunch of new upgrades for my bike. Running tiagra, going to 105 mechanical with hydraulic brakes. New wheels. Bought a new bottom bracket to match the crank. Now, should I
1) buy tools and try to install everything myself—it would be a pretty steep price tag to get everything, and it's my first rodeo with bike stuff
2) have a shop do it
3) go to a local non profit and use their tools (but little guidance).
I love riding and don't want to screw it up. Bike in photo for reference.
by Lord-Scrambleton
2 Comments
How many bike bill projects have you done so far or what kind of maintenance have you done? Starting your first project on a fancy carbon bike is not ideal in my opinion. If you do have a screwup, it could be expensive. That said if you’re pretty mechanically minded and can follow instructions. You can build a bike with YouTube tutorials.
Also, are you sure you got all the correct parts that will work for your frame and group set. Cross compatibility has gotten much more difficult in recent years. For example, your new bottom bracket might not work with your crank set or might not work with your frame.
I would have the shop do most of that. Bottom bracket, hydraulic lines, internal cabling for sure. You could swap the derailleurs and brifters yourself, but at that point I’d just have the shop do the whole thing. I’ll also point out that you’re probably going to need new bar tape, too. You can try to take it off yourself and re-do it when the shop is done with the work, but it’ll very difficult to line everything up.