Thinking of building that dream bike? A new online service from De Ver Cycles of Streatham, south London, is designed not only to make it as easy as possible to choose a machine but to offer an instant price and weight check as each new component is selected.
Named Bike Builder, it is easy to find on the De Ver Cycles Home Page. Once opened, it shows nine pods, each devoted to a specific cycle part such as frame, groupset or wheelset. Click on each and you get a drop down list of the particular range on offer from De Ver. Click to select an item, and the Bike Summary pod in the top right hand corner immediately recalculates the price of your cycle and its total weight. Once the basic specification of the entire machine has been chosen, the buyer clicks to register the specification on the website. De Ver then contacts the buyer by email to confirm exact specifications such as crank length, handlebar tape colour and even handlebar width before proceeding with the build.
Bike Builder prices are lower than those that would be paid for the same parts bought separately, and are only available on complete cycles. De Ver also offers riding position setup through BikeFitting.com.