I have been paying $200 for (three) Riv Builds for more than fifteen years now. I think $200 for a great build is an exceptional value. Could I do it myself? Sure. But Riv doing the build saves me lots of time (and aggravation, when I discover I need some small part, lube, tool, etc.) And I never forget - the people at Riv all need to eat, go to the doctor, put a roof over their heads, etc.
Keeping good organizations in business is very important. Regards, Corwin On Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 5:34:23 PM UTC-7 Bill Lindsay wrote: > If you've got a shop that will charge you for a Tune Up, and then give you > a full frame-up assembly, that's a nice deal to find. $100 is about right > for a Tune Up. Do you think they are really going to get the build done in > under 2 hours? Or do you think you're getting a good discount on their > time? Rivendell's build-service that is more like a "Tune Up" is the $150 > job they charge for completes. Your shop's $100 vs Riv's $150 sounds like > more of an Apples to Apples comp... If your shop knows what they are > getting into when they quoted you $100, then I'm guessing something about > your particular situation has the shop thinking the build is going to be > super quick. Like maybe your frame set is used and not new, and so there's > zero prep and thread chasing involved. Or maybe the BB and headset are > already in there and don't have to be touched. Or the cockpit is in a > single piece already and/or there is no handlebar tape to wrap. You've > already implied they won't be touching the wheels because you bought new > handbuilt wheels which are presumably perfecto. At any rate, I'll stick to > calling BS to the assertion that Riv is charging $300 for exactly the same > service that normal bike shops would do for $100 or less. If it's a 3-4 > hour build, it should cost 3-4 hours worth of labor. If it's a 90 minute > build, then $100 should cover it. > > Bill Lindsay > El Cerrito, CA > > On Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 3:08:17 PM UTC-7 Robert Calton wrote: > >> My husband-and-wife run LIBS is building my one and only bike (a Homer) >> from parts and charging me $100 for it, the price they charge for a full >> tune-up. They also charge $60/hour for a la carte services, as you point >> out. I am happy to recommend them to anyone in the Boston metro. They >> tastefully rehab older steel frames with new[er] parts and sell them for >> $200-$400; they only sell steel frame bikes and operate out of a used car >> lot's garage. Their inventory is like 3 new Surlys and maybe an All-State >> or two. The rest are rehabs and they are absolute professionals about >> everything they do. Mine isn't the first Riv they've built from parts >> either. Perhaps the bike shops around you are a bit less affordable or have >> to charge more to account for higher overhead, etc. >> >> I'm not saying that Riv is *gouging*, I'm stating facts that there are >> more affordable places to buy the exact same parts and more affordable >> shops to build a bike. That is no way a slight on Riv, it's just facts. >> That said, I'm glad they promote and make a great margin on those >> good-cheap parts and builds because I'm grateful for what that has allowed >> them to do for bicycling as a whole. I appreciate their bikes and ethos, or >> else I wouldn't be on this forum. >> On Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 5:44:26 PM UTC-4 Bill Lindsay wrote: >> >>> "Your LIBS can likely assemble for ~$100 or less rather than Riv's $300 >>> charge" >>> >>> I'm going to call BS on this. I sincerely doubt that there is a bike >>> shop on earth, with a mechanic experienced-enough that I'd want them >>> building my bike, who would quote under $100 for a frame-up bike assembly, >>> when I've bought none of the parts from them and didn't buy the frame from >>> them. It's a 3-4 hour job. Any mechanic worth their salt is billing $1 a >>> minute for the shop to keep the lights on. >>> >>> There are bargains to be had out there, to be sure. If you luck-out and >>> find wheels on sale, good job. If you know how to find used parts for >>> cheap, terrific. The existence of cheap used parts does not make Rivendell >>> a price gouger, though. It's especially ungenerous to imply that, >>> particularly when Rivendell is unique in their praise and promotion of >>> good-cheap parts (like the Acera rear mech). That's my opinion. >>> >>> Bill Lindsay >>> El Cerrito, CA >>> >>> On Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 11:26:21 AM UTC-7 Robert Calton wrote: >>> >>>> I'd order the parts and then have your local independent bike shop >>>> assemble it, because ordering everything yourself is going to save you a >>>> considerable amount of money if you want the *exact* same parts build >>>> that Riv would put on. If you decide you want to spend the same amount of >>>> money as a Riv build package, you'll get *much* better parts. Your >>>> LIBS can likely assemble for ~$100 or less rather than Riv's $300 charge. >>>> Check out the builds on Blue Lug and have fun shopping. >>>> >>>> I don't want to diss Riv's part pricing, but you can find better prices >>>> elsewhere even for the same components. For example, Riv is selling the WI >>>> MI5/Atlas wheelset for over $1000 >>>> <https://www.rivbike.com/products/wheelset-white-industries-mi5-hubs-bto?variant=41760074498159>, >>>> >>>> then tack on a shipping fee and tax. I bought the *exact same wheelset* >>>> (with >>>> DT Swiss double-butted spokes) for $750 hand-built by ProWheelBuilder >>>> (they >>>> had a 15% off WI sell last month). No tax in my state, no build fee, free >>>> shipping. For Riv's cost for an Acera rear mech, you can get a gently used >>>> Deore XT. And so on. >>>> On Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 1:42:20 PM UTC-4 John Dewey wrote: >>>> >>>>> Patrick and others surely remember this one…unless rewritten mostly >>>>> way out date now. But that’s about where/when we started. >>>>> >>>>> It’s a long road full of triumphs and disasters. Add ‘em, more >>>>> triumphs for sure. That’s how/why we’re still here 🤪 >>>>> >>>>> Jock >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Tue, May 28, 2024 at 8:32 AM Michael <mcant...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Hi all, >>>>>> Ordered a Sam as my first Riv but unsure whether or not I should >>>>>> tackle building it up myself or just let Riv have at it. I have never >>>>>> built >>>>>> a bike before but I do have a workshop and am good with >>>>>> tools/mechanically >>>>>> inclined. >>>>>> >>>>>> Are there any specific steps that you would absolutely not recommend >>>>>> a beginner attempt? By the time i purchase specialty tools, it may have >>>>>> been wiser to just order it complete? >>>>>> >>>>>> Let me know what you guys think, I really don't want to do something >>>>>> stupid! >>>>>> >>>>>> Thanks, >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, >>>>>> send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >>>>>> >>>>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/25e3bad5-587a-4d8f-bd29-8ca1f70295aen%40googlegroups.com >>>>>> >>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/25e3bad5-587a-4d8f-bd29-8ca1f70295aen%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>>> . >>>>>> >>>>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/6d4c9b0b-747d-4d6e-a39d-56278e1a453an%40googlegroups.com.
