Wanting to build bikes around one little part! Anyone else..

Anyone else do this? Part of my trouble I think.

It's understandable if you start with a frame and collect parts and build up, but some of my bikes started around daft things like fixed cogs on disc hubs (already built into MTB wheel), and rigid jump forks, and a set of 24" wheels. I've enjoyed the creative builds but it's nuts! loads more examples... And probably a bunch for the pre1997 too...

My latest is having an as new 70mm Thomson X4 stem hanging around after getting a short one for my Bfe. I know it would sell easy.... Niggly feelings now about building a lighter trail/XC/AM bike. Possibly around my Geneisis IO or an all new set up which I cant get involved with and how many 26ers does anyone need. arrgh insania! :idea: :?: :!: :roll:

Anyone else got the disease?

Re: Wanting to build bikes around one little part! Anyone el

Sadly yes!!!

Re: Wanting to build bikes around one little part! Anyone el

Yes I built one of my morewoods around a world force cnc stem. Stem is long gone but I reckon the bike is probably my favourite.

Re: Wanting to build bikes around one little part! Anyone el

Yeah that's it happy learning experiments.

Re: Wanting to build bikes around one little part! Anyone el

Used some yellow Onza Ules grips as the inspiration to build a Proflex as they matched the frame graphics and swingarm colour. Lol. Wish I'd kept that one tbh.

Re: Wanting to build bikes around one little part! Anyone el

I wouldn't go so far as to say I've build bikes around one part, but I think my industrial Peugeot was inspired by liking the copper colour of the bars I took of my Karakoram Elite.

And my R20 build is inspired by a pair of Pirelli tyres!

Re: Wanting to build bikes around one little part! Anyone el

I wouldn't go that far, although my bikes tend to evolve / develop as I buy bits. I don't normally have too much of a plan and buy on price (which will be why my 'Dale will have Race Face North Shore cranks and not Turbines...the North Shores were just too cheap to pass up!)

Re: Wanting to build bikes around one little part! Anyone el

Great examples that's exactly what I had in mind. Good to know I'm not alone! The shopping bike takes it a step further which is utterly brilliant, will be watching that thread.
Just like the stem example I love that these crazy mini inspirations send you off on a mission even if the original item gets swapped later anyway. Not everyone can work this way, this is exactly what happened when I built my old BMX around a cheap frame I found. And the bought another and sold it! Several years on, oh dear a new lighter BMX in build.

Well I've not advanced with my thomson stem build.... A nice new IO frame went quite Cheap on eBay, just couldn't justify it his time....

Re: Wanting to build bikes around one little part! Anyone el

I built a Stars and Bars Kona Hot around a red Paul's rear mech once. Admittedly I wanted the frame before hand but the mech put the search into overdrive. Ended up with Grafton brakes, Judy FSX forks Clark Kent pineapple hub, tech lite shifters and Paul levers as well. Cost me a small fortune lol

Re: Wanting to build bikes around one little part! Anyone el

My RSP was built around a set of Pace RC36 Pro Class forks. I loved the look of these forks back in the day but £450 was a bit rich for my tastes plus they would have looked wrong on the Kona I had at the time. Fast forward to a couple of years ago and I picked up a set in great nick from here, even though I had no idea what I was going to do with them . So I started to collect M950, RF Turbines and some other nice bits from that era but had no idea what frame I was going to fit them to... Initially I started looking for a DeKerf but they were all red or green and wouldn't have suited the forks. A Pace RC200 was ruled out as I already had a RC300 at the time. A Merlin XLM was added to my ebay search list but I've yet to find one in my size... Then just before xmas a well specced Raleigh RSP popped up on ebay. I'd never considered one of these but it was cheap and buying the complete bike saved me from searching for wheels, bb and a few other bits and the main thing was that the RC36's would look perfect on that frame .

I should probably change the title of my RSP build thread to my RC36 build. I'm still on the lookout for a different frame (the RSP is just a bit too long) but unless it suits the forks I'm not interested .