When I was browsing through mountain bike options online recently, I couldn’t help but notice how expensive it can be for a quality bike. So, I started to do some research on how much it costs to build a mountain bike from scratch, and came up with a detailed breakdown of everything that is needed and the price tag that is involved.
How much does it cost to build a mountain bike? When it comes to estimating costs of building a mountain bike, there are too many components and variables involved to be able to give a straight forward answer of what the price tag on this kind of project will be.
However, based on a general estimate of all of the parts that are involved in this type of project, you can expect to spend anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 on the lowest end. This price will go up depending on how thrifty you are with the parts, and can be closer to $3,000 with all tools and equipment included in the price.
The idea of building a mountain bike from scratch is not one that comes to most people’s minds when they are planning an outdoor adventure. While this task can seem daunting to someone who is inexperienced, it can actually be enjoyable and rewarding to know that you have built your bike all by yourself.
If you are interested in learning how much it costs to build a mountain bike, as well as almost everything else that goes into it, this detailed guide will help you get a better idea of what you can expect to spend on this venture.
Parts Required To Build a Mountain Bike
From the outside, mountain bikes look like very complex objects that are composed of tons of tiny individual parts. While it is true that there is quite a long list of components that go into a mountain bike, especially when you are building one yourself, the breakdown of the bike itself is relatively simple.
A mountain bike can be broken into four main sections: the frame, saddle, front set, and wheel areas. Within each of these categories, there are several individual parts that go into them. The lists below will provide you with a brief outline of all of the parts that are required to build a mountain bike and where they belong.
Frame:
- Top tube
- Down tube
- Seat tube
- Seat stay
- Chain stay
- Rear brakes
- Cogset
- Rear derailleur
- Front derailleur
- Chain
- Chain rings
- Pedal
- Crank arm
The frame area is essentially the skeleton of the bike. The goal of this section is to provide support to all of the other parts and components of the bike. However, it is still very lightweight and strong while holding everything else upright.
Some of the materials that the frame can be made out of are steel, aluminum, or carbon fiber. On top of the materials, there are tons of choices available as far as the size of the frame and the overall design.
Saddle Area:
- Saddle
- Seat post
The saddle area, or seat, is another vital piece of the large puzzle that makes up a mountain bike. In order for the ride to be smooth and the rider to remain comfortable, this must be properly positioned and adjusted.
If there are any mistakes with the installation of the saddle area, there is larger potential for wrist and back strain as well as more serious injury, so it is important to keep this in mind when it comes to the seating of the bike.
Front set:
- Handlebar grip
- Head tube
- Shock absorber
- Front brakes
- Fork
The front set, or front fork, is the area that holds the front wheel in place. This section of the mountain bike will have a built in suspension system, which will give the rider a smooth ride with little to no bumps and vibrations in the handlebars along the way. The shock absorber itself is usually made out of some kind of metal coil.
Wheel:
- Spokes
- Hub
- Rim
- Tire
- Valve
Finally, the wheels of a mountain bike are meant to assist the machine in traveling through all different types of terrains and weather conditions. Although a wheel might look like a simple object, there are several parts within each of them as listed above.
The strength of the materials that are used to construct the wheels of the mountain bike will also determine the durability of the bike itself and what it is able to do. The rim is the structure of the wheel, and should be made of a stronger material.
The spokes, on the other hand, allow plenty of room for less durable metals like aluminum, which also happens to be very cost effective. When it comes to building your own mountain bike from scratch, you will want to make sure that you are putting your money in the right places.
Speaking of putting your money in the right places, the next section will dive deeper into the details of how much each of these parts will cost you when you are building your mountain bike.
Assembly Costs For Building a Mountain Bike
Now that you have learned about all of the main components of a mountain bike as well as all of the smaller pieces that go into these areas, you are probably wondering how much all of this will cost.
After reading through the long list of categories and individual parts that were indicated in the above section, coming up with a total price for all of these items might seem daunting.
Due to the increased number of pieces that will be needed to make a mountain bike that is functional and safe, all of these components are necessary, which will automatically translate to a pretty steep price.
In this section, we will be going over the exact cost of each of the parts that we discussed previously to give you a better idea of what you can expect to be spending on a project like this.
While it will not be the most cost effective of DIY projects, you will at least be able to adequately plan for the future and make arrangements with a general estimate of how much is costs to build a mountain bike.
Keep in mind that the data in this chart is a price estimate, with the cost to acquire being an average between items that are available for purchase. Depending on the exact products and brands that you choose to go with, you might end up spending more or less than what is indicated here.
| MOUNTAIN BIKE PARTS | COST TO ACQUIRE (AVERAGE) |
| TOP TUBE | $50 |
| DOWN TUBE | $10 |
| SEAT TUBE | $30 |
| SEAT STAY | $100 |
| CHAIN STAY | $20 |
| REAR BRAKES | $150 |
| COGSET | $60 |
| REAR DERAILLEUR | $80 |
| FRONT DERAILLEUR | $80 |
| CHAIN | $20 |
| CHAIN RINGS | $30 |
| PEDAL | $50 |
| CRANK ARM | $20 |
| SADDLE | $100 |
| SEAT POST | $15 |
| HANDLEBAR GRIP | $60 |
| HEAD TUBE | $60 |
| SHOCK ABSORBER | $45 |
| FRONT BRAKES | $80 |
| FORK | $200 |
| SPOKES | $10 |
| HUB | $100 |
| RIMS | $50 |
| TIRES | $150 |
| VALVE | $20 |
Based on the figures that were estimated above, you can expect to spend anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 on building your own mountain bike. However, there are too many variables that are involved in this process to be able to determine exactly how much you will spend on this project.
Equipment You’ll Need To Assemble The Bike
Now that you area aware of all of the individual components that you will need in order to build your own mountain bike and you have an idea of what they might cost you, there is one more thing to consider.
After you have decided on which exact pieces will make up your mountain bike, you will also need to gather all of the necessary tools and equipment that will be required in order to actually assemble the bike and attach the parts effectively.
The list below will help you find everything you will need in order to build your own mountain bike, along with a more detailed description of what they will be used for. Since the tools that you need to assemble the bike will also cost money, these expenses should be included in the estimated total price of your bike.
Keep reading to find out how much you can expect to spend the additional tools and equipment that you won’t be able to go without if you actually want to end up with a mountain bike at the end of your project.
Equipment Needed To Assemble Mountain Bike:
- Allen Wrenches (2-6, 8, and 10mm) – assembling/tightening parts
- Side cutters (at least 6 inches) – cutting inner shifting cables and brakes
- Cable housing cutter – cutting the outer housing of shifting cable and brake
- Cone wrenches (14-19 mm) – making adjustments to the wheels and small places within the bike
- Pedal wrench – assembling and attaching pedals
- Headset wrench – threaded steering tubes in front area
- Bottom bracket wrench – for bottom bracket area of bike
- Screwdrivers (#1 and #2) – adjustment of the derailleur stops int he front and back
- Flathead screwdrivers – adjustment of derailleurs
- T25 tori drive – for the disk brake bolts
- Wheel truing stand – assembling and attaching wheel easily
- Truing wrenches – adjusting spokes inside wheels
- Tire iron – attaching tires to the rim of the bike
- Cone wrenches (assorted) – For adjustments and assembly inside of tight areas in the wheel
- Chain whip – for holding gears in position during assembly and adjustments
- Torque wrench (1/4’ and 3/8’) – for brakes, shifters, derailleurs, seating area, clamps, etc. – larger size used for crank arms and pedals usually
- Fine tip screwdrivers – getting into small areas/working with thin cables
- Shock pump Sockets (6-8 and 10mm sockets) – assembly and adjustment of air fork and rear shock areas
As you can see, there are a lot of individual tools and pieces of equipment that are necessary in the process of building a mountain bike from scratch.
This is in correspondence with all of the tiny pieces that go into the mountain bike itself. Since each part within all of the different areas of the bike is different, they will also require a special set of tools in order to assemble and adjust them onto the frame.
Along with all of the tools and equipment that you will need to obtain for this project, you will also need to add these elements into the overall price of your mountain bike building process.
The data chart below will give you an estimated breakdown of what it might cost to acquire all of these items before being able to actually build your mountain bike. While these estimates will be an average cost for these types of tools, it would be a good idea to add the total into your total to keep your expectations on a realistic level.
| MOUNTAIN BIKE TOOLS | COST TO ACQUIRE (AVERAGE) |
| ALLEN WRENCHES | $20 |
| SIDE CUTTERS | $30 |
| CABLE HOUSING CUTTER | $25 |
| CONE WRENCHES | $20 |
| PEDAL WRENCH | $40 |
| HEADSET WRENCH | $30 |
| BOTTOM BRACKET WRENCH | $50 |
| SCREWDRIVERS | $20 |
| FLATHEAD SCREWDRIVERS | $15 |
| T25 TORI DRIVE | $50 |
| WHEEL TRUING STAND | $60 |
| TRUING WRENCHES | $20 |
| TIRE IRON | $30 |
| CONE WRENCHES | $15 |
| CHAIN WHIP | $10 |
| TORQUE WRENCHES | $20 |
| SHOCK PUMP SOCKETS | $50 |
How Much Time And Skill Is Required To Build A Mountain Bike?
The amount of time that is required to build a mountain bike will depend on a variety of factors. First of all, your level of experience with building bikes from scratch will be a huge determination of how long it will take you to complete this task.
Just like any other skill you could possibly have, building a mountain bike will take practice in order to get good at it. However, once you have gotten the entire process down, your speed will gradually increase.
For the first-time mountain bike builder, it could take several hours from start to finish in order to come out with the desired product, even days in some cases. Especially if you are planning for this to be a one-time project without the intention of trying to get good at it, you can expect to take a little bit longer to build your first bike.
The time factor of building a mountain bike will also depend on how much time you actually have to spend building it. While I’m sure that a lot of us would love to spend every hour of the day working on something we are excited and passionate about, there are so many other priorities in life that can delay this process significantly.
If you would take 5 hours to build the bike if you sat in front of it and completed the entire project in one sitting, but you have a busy schedule that only allows you to work on it less than an hour every couple of days, you can expect the duration of the project to be dragged out significantly.
So, the amount of time that you will need to build your mountain bike from beginning to end will really be determined on how fast you can work with your hands, which usually comes with experience, and how much time that you have or are willing to spend working on this project.
As far as the skills that are required for this task, you might be surprised to learn that there are not many. With some determination, practice, and patience, you will be on your way to creating your very own mountain bike from nothing.
Time and Skills Required:
- Time depends on speed and accuracy
- How much time you put in at once
- No formal skills required
To tie this up, the total cost of building a mountain bike will most likely fall between the range of $2,000 to $3,000 with all components and tools considered. Although this can seem rather steep, it can actually be a cheaper and more rewarding alternative than purchasing a regular bike that has already been made for you.
Related Questions
What causes numb hands during long mountain bike rides and how can they be prevented?
Numb hands on a mountain bike ride are usually caused by incorrect wrist placement and bike adjustments that don’t support the proper posture and form. This can be prevented by stretching the wrists before riding, demonstrating the right form, and making sure that the seat and handlebars are adjusted to the proper height to do so.
What are the health benefits that are associated with mountain biking on a regular basis?
Mountain biking is not just an enjoyable outdoor activity, it can actually be healthy to do regularly. The health benefits that come with frequent mountain biking are improved heart health, less joint strain, lower risk of disease, less stress, better mood, higher levels of motivation and easier thinking, as well as better balance and strength overall.
What are the basic things that are needed for a mountain biking trip?
In order to get started with mountain biking, you will need spare tubes, a patch kit, tire pump, some kind of multi-tool, a tire lever, shock pump, chain lube, and other tools that will ensure your safety. Additionally, you will also need to bring personal items such as sunscreen, lip balm, water, snacks, and a first aid kit just in case.