Originally Posted by
himespau
hey, I bought a low end used lbs bike and have done all that and more and probably spend 5 times what I did for the bike itself (and will have spend more once I build wheels for it), but I know that and accept it and consider it an expensive hands on clinic in bike repair having serviced/replaced pretty much everything on it.
Instead, find bike shop quality bikes on craigslist and fix those up. Many can be had in the $20-$50 range if you look carefully. Then when you're done you might actually end up with a nice bike that doesn't weigh 30-40 pounds.