Giant bike build

One fun thing about cycling is that sometimes your friends want to get into it, and it's an amazing sport where you can spend hours outside riding and catching up, even when you have busy lives. This is the story about building Ludvig's bike and how it almost paid for itself.

After a couple years in the sport (and now my wife was into it too), our friend Ludvig mentioned he used to cycle in his early 20s and was thinking about getting back into it. He loved the idea of building his own bike like I had done for myself and my wife. Like me, he wanted a decent bike but didn't want to invest too much since he wasn't sure how committed he'd be.

He also wanted the bike for commuting to work, so we knew it needed to be durable.

The Perfect Find

This is where the story gets fun. We were out watching NFL together, and I was casually scrolling my local bike forum HappyRide when I spotted a frame in his size (61cm - he's 6'2" and frames that big don't pop up often). The price had just been dropped to 700 SEK.

I showed Ludvig, he was all in. I messaged the seller, and the frame was still available.

The next day we went out to look at it. We met a lovely gentleman who told us this frame used to belong to Jonas Colting, a famous Swedish triathlete. He even threw in a seat and seatpost from his parts bin. We were on our way with a piece of Swedish cycling history.

Raiding the Parts Bin

Now we needed to lock down a crank, groupset, wheels, and brakes. Lucky for Ludvig, I had a spare set of handlebars, stem, groupset, and crank sitting in my parts bin from a different bike build that I was no longer using.

So far: still 700 SEK into the build.

The Wheelie Good Deal

I found a post on Blocket for a set of wheels - 1,300 SEK. I went out to pick them up from the seller, and as we were loading them into my car, he mentioned he was moving and asked if I wanted some spare parts and an indoor trainer he was getting rid of.

"How much?" I asked.

"Just take them," he said.

The Unexpected Profit

Here's where it gets interesting. I listed the trainer and spare parts online and sold them for 1,500 SEK.

Let's do the math:

• Frame: 700 SEK
• Wheels: 1,300 SEK
• Parts sold: -1,500 SEK
• Net cost: 500 SEK

Not too shabby for a quality carbon bike with serious racing pedigree.

The Build

Assembly was straightforward since I'd done this before. Ludvig was eager to learn, so I walked him through each step - cable routing, brake setup, derailleur adjustment. There's something satisfying about teaching someone else the process and watching their excitement build as the bike takes shape.

The best part wasn't the bargain hunting or even the unexpected profit. It was that first ride together when Ludvig realized he'd caught the cycling bug again. We've logged hundreds of kilometers together since then, and he's become one of my most reliable riding partners.

Lessons Learned

Sometimes the best bike deals aren't just about saving money - they're about timing, community, and a little bit of luck. The cycling community is incredibly generous, and if you're patient amazing opportunities appear.

Plus, there's nothing quite like the satisfaction of helping a friend fall back in love with cycling while accidentally turning a profit in the process.

Ludvig still rides that bike today, and every time I see it, I'm reminded that some of the best projects aren't just about the build, they're about the relationships you strengthen along the way.