Originally Posted by
wearyourtruth
off the shelf = cheaper, instant satisfaction/ridability
building = more $, more time, more gained knowledge and experience
just depends what your priorities are.
I'd agree with this. I just bought a second hand IRO frame and am trying to build it up. Since I'm a complete novice this has required lots of reading and lots of questions. I'm still in the deciding what parts I want and buy those parts phase. I've decide I'm going to build it at the local bike CO-OP so I can get help when I need it. Assuming things go well I think this should be a great experience and I'm sure I'll be much more satisfied in the end. However, it does end up costing more. You're always tempted to get something a little (or a lot) nicer than what would have come on a stock bike.
One thing I'm realizing is that some of the basic/no frills parts are so cheap that its almost not an issue to make a build with them and then upgrade later. You can get Bulletproof cranks for $35, ride them for a while and get a Sugino later. Your out $35 bucks and maybe less if you can resell it. Also you're not going to need to upgrade every part.