nathand

I bought an unassembled bike 2 years ago - it shipped to me exactly as it was shipped to the shop. Cables were already in place, with fluid in the hydraulic brake lines. The handlebars were neither installed nor wrapped; there was a standard box of bar tape in the package. So the major items were to install the stem and handlebars and wrap the bar tape. There were some minor items: install the wheels (through-axle), set the seat position and seatpost height, check that all the bolts were tight, inflate the tires. Of course there were also some adjustments to make, for example setting cable tension and limit stops on the derailleurs. It took me a while to figure out that the front derailleur cable hadn't been installed quite right (it was usable but didn't shift as cleanly as I'd expected) so eventually I re-did that. Overall, though, I was surprised at how little assembly was required, versus building up a bike starting from a bare frame (which I've also done).