Originally Posted by
safariofthemind
Building bikes is fun, but it does not save any money versus off the shelf bikes. It's just a way to understand the mechanical marvels we call bikes better and to make them "our own".
That goes back to the OP's original point, off the shelf bike + parts not happy with = more expense than if you were to do it right from the first get go.
Another thing to point out, when I say "build your own bike", I am not necessarily saying "physically building the bike with your two hands". Although, that is how I personally do it (minus the wheels) you can plan/buy/organize the parts and have a shop do the hard work, and IMO, still constitutes as "building" a bike.