Originally Posted by
Retro Grouch
Just do it!
All those smart guys who pointed out your lack of experience - where'd they get theirs? Unless you have a stash of bike stuff they're probably right when they say that buying complete will be cheaper. On the other hand, you don't learn much if anything when you buy complete, you won't build your stash of bike parts, and you'll probably have less fun. There's also a pride of ownership thing with a bike that you built yourself that you just can't get from a store-bought bike.
I learned from maintaining my bikes. I didn't learn from the frustration of being a newb trying to build a bike from scratch over the course of weeks/months.
Seriously, I still haven't seen this "FUN" that people swear happens when you build a bike from scratch. I have fun when I'm outside riding my bikes, not when I'm at home waiting for parts to arrive.