Originally Posted by macnab

It's a classic build vs. buy choice. Do you just want to get on the road and ride, or do you want to build up something unique?

My thoughts: If you have a bike to ride around on already (meaning you can take some time to build the bike - you're not desperate for a ride) and you have any patience, then build. Get the IRO and have fun building it up your way. Seek out decent cranks (and BB), choose a decent wheelset, cog, and chain. Find a stem and post and saddle. Study and select all that stuff. Use your MTB takeoffs (stem, post, saddle) to tide you over or fill in the gaps while you wait for killer deals to come up.

Then in X years or sooner, you can sell the IRO frame and move your stuff over to some cool new frame.