1- Are there any helpful books, you-tube videos, web-sites that are helpful?
Others have covered this pretty well. Lenard Zinn's book on road bike maintenance is also pretty good.
2 - Where does one start when wanting to do a build-up?
Start with the frame, because it dictates your bottom bracket and headset needs. It is also the most critical piece for enjoyment of your bike, both functionally and aesthetically.
Study eBay, whether or not you like to use it, as it is a good source of info about what is out there and wht the market will bear for it. Do searches through the "completed sales" section, as that will tell you what stuff actually sells for, not what somebody's pie-in-the-sky dream sales price is.
3 - Are parts readily available?
For anything after roughly 1970 that isn't Swiss or, to a lesser extent, French, yes. Older than that and things start getting harder to find. It also depends on how much you want to remain "period correct" in the componentry. If you want everything to be period-correct "just so," or exactly the way it would have been when brand-new, you will inevitably run into a part or two that is very hard to find, stupidly expensive, or both. If you just want to make it a good-performing fun to ride bike without needing it to be concours d'elegance perfect, parts are generally not hard to find. My frames range in date from 1967 to 1986, and I'm running modern 9- or 10-speed on all of them (one 9-speed Shimano, three 10-speed Campy). It's a great way to go.
4 - Is this a more cost effective way to get on a nice bike?
Actually, I think it is. There are plenty of very nice classic lugged steel frames out there for reasonable money, especially if it isn't a super-popular name. De Rosas will always come at somethng of a premium. Confentes will always go for a king's ransom. But there are others that are excellent frames that will go for much less, not because of the quality, but because of the name recognition (or lack thereof). I picked up my Ron Cooper, one the very best builders ever in Englandm, a few years ago for reasonable money - mainly because his name is not as recognized as Faliero Masi's or Ugo De Rosa'a. Go study Classic Rendezvous on the web for a good introduction to more and less well-known makers.
Caveat: If the frame needs a repaint, you will not get that money out of it. I am not saying you should not get the repaint if the frame needs it (I have and never regretted it) but assume that you will never be able to sell the frame for a price the recoups the paint job. There may be occasional exceptions to this, but they are rare.
5 - Am I nuts to even try?:twitchy:
You may be nuts, but this will not be the reason.
I know these are very general questions, but any advice to a possible first-timer is appreciated. And to all of you highly skilled mechanics who can build a bike blindfolded, please be nice!
But how can we pretend to be superior if we don't beat up the newbies?
