The geometries of most frames are very similar. They fit people with normal proportions. If you deviate from this or have special ideas, you can have your bike customised and have a say in the riding characteristics, add-on parts and paintwork.
There is a worldwide scene of enthusiasts who build customised road bikes. Most of them work with steel and are more on the artisan side than the high-performance side. In principle, the bicycle as a riding machine is still a simple machine. A sensible frame can therefore be made by hand. However, this process can also be taken to the extreme. Tom Sturdy from the UK uses 3D printing to produce customised individual pieces from titanium and also adapts the components to his design language - bikes that are more art than utility. In general, titanium is a material that is often used by high-end forges around the world.
The prices for one-offs and small series frames start at 1000 euros for steel and can even undercut industrial products. Advantage for the customer: The frame builder sticks his neck out for the product; if something breaks, it can usually be repaired. If you want personal advice and a customised bike with the geometry, paintwork and details of your choice, you'll find what you're looking for here. Socketless steel frames are completely free in the design of the angles. This means that the frame builder can easily customise the frame to the customer and at the same time adjust the riding characteristics in the desired direction.
Customised frame construction: Lightweight frame only with carbon?
A little less caster for livelier handling? Feasible. Then the steering angle is steeper. More comfort at the rear? Then the top tube is brazed in with a drop and the seat post is long and very thin with a diameter of 27.2 millimetres. Short thighs? Then the frame builder can make the seat tube steeper. And so on. Really every parameter can be customised in this way. The frame builder enjoys the same freedom when TIG welding titanium. However, individual pieces are significantly more expensive than those made of steel because the material and processing costs are many times higher. However, small series manufacturers such as Kocmo offer customised geometries in titanium for a manageable surcharge.
If you want minimum weight, there is no getting round carbon. Frame weights from 800 grams are possible. Stoll is a supplier that offers customised carbon laminate structures tailored to body weight through its manufacturer Bike Ahead near Würzburg. However, the geometries cannot be customised as the frames are laminated in moulds. However, 5700 Swiss francs is even higher than the list price for the frame set of a Specialized Tarmac SL8 S-Works, which technically has everything you could wish for - except for domestic production.
Customised frame construction: Conclusion on custom frames
Custom frames therefore cover a broad field between art locksmithery and aerospace technology. Almost regardless of the price, they create a highly individualised and presumably sustainable riding experience. After all, if you help plan and design your own bike, you will certainly cherish and care for it. If you want to create an even more intimate relationship with your bike, you can build your own frame under expert supervision - for example at bigforestframeworks.com, Robert Piontek's frame-building workshop. The resulting bike could become the cycling love of your life.
Fitting
Before ordering and building a customised bike, the seating position should be determined beyond doubt. Especially if it cannot be easily changed later, for example due to an integrated stem/handlebar combination. The hand position on the brake lever is the linchpin here. A fitting should therefore come first if no existing seat position can serve as a blueprint.
This raises the question of where the fitting should take place. At the frame builder or at a fitting specialist? We recommend the latter. Fitting professionals are generally brand-independent and measure and advise on the adjustment wheel. The frame builder can then use the coordinates of the seating position obtained to build the bike from the ground up so that the customer ends up sitting as worked out during the fitting. We recommend working with the Stack+ and Reach+ measurements used by TOUR, the unique hand coordinates. Then the bike is guaranteed to fit in the end.
