The intent of this little application is to assist anyone planning a mountain bike build.
The application is a worksheet that calculates the cost and weight of the completed bike based on the user's choices.
The worksheet is divided into component parts of the bike; Frame, Derailleur, Breaks, Wheels, etc.
Every component needed to make up a bike is listed, so that the end calculations can be as accurate as possible.
Each component has a list of possible options based on price and weight.
The component list is ordered from lowest priced to most expensive.
By selecting a radio button next to the line item in the component group that item becomes part of the bike build.
The default on a new worksheet is the cheapest item in each component group.
Each component group has an "I have my own" selection. By selecting that radio button, the user can enter their own weight and cost for that component group. Leaving the weight or cost at 0 will eliminate that weight or cost from the final calculation.
Example: the user has their own bike frame. They can enter the weight of the frame and leave the cost at 0 to get the resulting cost of the parts, and still get a final weight for the completed bike.
Cost and Weight calculations are done when the user presses the button.
The button will save the users choices in the form of a cookie to their machine so that on a return to the worksheet, the selections will not be lost. You must allow for cookies on your computer for this to work otherwise the default values will be displayed.
I have also provided two fields to convert from pounds to grams or grams to pounds. Enter a value in ether field and then select (or click) the results field for the value to be converted.
Print a copy of your selection by clicking on the Print This Page link. This
will open a new window containing the components chosen with their list price
and weight. There is a total cost and weight at the bottom of the page. Note:
FireFox is the only browser that I had issues with; it uses a font that is
larger, causing the page to spill across onto a second page. In FireFox reduce
the page to 90% for single page printing.
Pressing the button will
generate a downloadable file from the selections you have made. The file has a
.csv extension that is recognized by Excel so that the file can be opened as a
spread sheet. The download app has been tested with IE9, Chrome, and FireFox. IE9
is the only reliable browser for downloading the file, Chrome adds line feeds and
extra spaces to the first line item and FireFox does not recognize the button so it will not display it.
Downloadify is the client side application I am using for the download operation so that I don't have to support server side
coding.
If you don't see a listing that you would like to see included in the worksheet, drop me a line and I will do my best to get it in the listing. Sometimes finding the weight for certain items can be challenging.
Finally, the prices are subject to change. Some items go on sale and some items see price increases. I check and update the prices periodically.