[joelh]

Is there a good reference book on building a bike from the frame up? I am currently riding a Specialized Sirrus, but would like to upgrade next year to a bike that is built for longer distance riding.

I am think about buying a frameset and building the bike over the winter, Is this feasible, and or advisable for a newbie?

I do have decent tool skills btw

 

[Kenacycle]

park tool site will help you get started. It covers various regions of the bike to work on
http://www.parktool.com/repair/byregion.asp

 

[PJ352]

Is there a good reference book on building a bike from the frame up? I am currently riding a Specialized Sirrus, but would like to upgrade next year to a bike that is built for longer distance riding.

I am think about buying a frameset and building the bike over the winter, Is this feasible, and or advisable for a newbie?

I do have decent tool skills btw

As mentioned, Park tool site is a good source of reference. Also, most component manufacturers provide installation instructions (packaged and/ or online) - and there's always the forums. So if you have some mechanical ability, IMO it would be a good experience to build up your new bike. You'll learn as you go and in the end know it pretty thoroughly, making any future repairs/ adjustments easier.

The only word of caution I'd have is to make sure you understand bike geometry enough to know what will work for you, because a test ride may not be possible before purchase. Fit matters most, so make sure that 'yet to be built' bike will... fit.