wearyourtruth

this is my thought as well. i see sales ALL THE TIME of someone who built a bike/bikes and is trying to get out of it what they spent on it, when the reality is that places like bikes direct get their parts at such ridiculously cheap prices that they are always going to be able to sell for less than an individual.

my thought is that if you got your parts cheap you would be spending
wheelset - $100
cranks - $40
tires - $30
tubes - $5
cog - $10
chain - $10
stem - $25
bars - $20
bar tape/grips - $10
seatpost - $10
saddle - $30
pedals - $15

now you've already spent $305 without even the cost of the frame/fork/headset! (since you mentioned something about conversions) and even now if you got those for free and have ended up with a $350 bike (making a $45 for your troubles) who would spend $350 on your conversion when they can get a kilo tt, motobecane, dawes, etc?

if you are going to be selling conversions, even with all new parts, i would say that you need to keep your SALE price under $300 at least. if you can do that then you might have something, but i don't know how. buying it bulk may end up with cheaper prices than those on some, but they won't be wholesale, you are still buying them from someone else who has to make a profit too.