Originally Posted by
ryanleegr
Yeah I know I’ll be spending more overall to do it myself, I’m ok with that to learn how to do everything myself. I’ve done some basic brake work and other small things, but have never built up a complete bike, and would like to do so to learn the intricacies of how everything works. I have been keeping an eye out for a used one, but you’re right, they are few and far between.
Building it yourself is a rewarding experience, but when it really becomes the best option is when you have strong preferences on your parts. It's rare that there's a complete bike that I don't immediately want to swap out components. I may spend more than the cost of the complete build in the long run, but I also get the bike I want.
Also it can be more economical if you're currently riding a bike with compatible parts. I've built up two bikes from a frame, and both I did by stripping my previous bike of parts and using as much as possible on the new frame. Again, in the long run, all those parts were replaced until I had a bike built to my specs, but it was good way to go from bare frame to working bike without emptying my bank account all at once.