Originally Posted by
longbeachgary
There's nothing wrong with wanting to put a bike together. It can be expensive but anytime I see a sale on components, I buy something. Last year Competitive cyclist had a sale on DuraAce shifters for $200 - thats less than half of what regular price is - Performance has a sale on Ultegra cassettes and DuraAce chains, bought one of each. I haven't installed them yet - I'm waiting for the right bike to come along.
This thread isn't just about cost. The OP doesn't have the knowledge of either mechanics or components needed to even begin a project like this.
Sure, judicious choices of components and shopping for bargains, closeouts, etc. can get you a very good bike at a good price but you have to know what you need and what to do with it.