Originally Posted by
Santaria
If you were going to use this as a base for commuting, touring - which would you go with?
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I would eventually be using my Handsome Devil frame/fork, paul seatpost, brooks saddle and R600 double w/ 105 BB. So the valid parts are really the wheelset and shifters.
I would just buy the "valid parts" somewhere else. Spec nicer stuff and you'll still have money left over, even if you have some 20% coupon at Nashbar. Use the money you save to have a mechanic do whatever build stuff you can't handle. In the end you'll have a better bike, and fewer junk parts lying around. You know those Nashbar wheels are going to be machine-built, with zero improvements by humans.