Originally Posted by icemilkcoffee

A lot of people have pointed out that putting together a bike will cost more than buying a complete bike. What they neglected , is that the complete bike will also cost more than the complete bike! You see, when you buy a complete bike, you will almost always replace the seat , stem, and pedals. Maybe the handlebars. If you're replacing handlebar you'll replace the tape and most likely the cables. You might replace the tires with wider tires which are fashionable now, and these are expensive. Some people have a known preference for crank length also. Crankset. Depending on the terrain you are riding, you might want a wider range cassette. New cassette and chain.
So you see, a complete bike also costs more than its price tag. I would lean towards the build-your-own route, not because it's cheaper, but because I am getting exactly what I want.