Well, $328 of that was the purchase price of the bike itself, including shipping. Also, to be fair, that's 22 hrs of labor from me, an untrained amateur, and most of it was the initial assembly. I'm guessing I still would have had to put the Worksman together had I ordered one, and I really doubt it would have taken me that much less time.

I specced out a similarly equipped Worksman and after shipping it would have been well over $700. Even with the parts I've bought I'm still way ahead financially, and I'll bet that even by the time I have every questionable component on the Pigeon replaced with something durable I'll still come out ahead. That's a large part of why I started this thread; to find out how much it would cost to make a Flying Pigeon as reliable as a much more expensive bike. I didn't go into this unaware of its shortcomings, I just believe they can be overcome.

As to why I would choose to go this route instead of just buying a reliable bike from the get go, well, look, the Worksman is unquestionably a much more durable and mechanically sophisticated bike, but those aren't the only things that matter. Case in point: we have two cars, a 1989 Ford Probe and a 1968 VW Beetle. The Probe is the superior vehicle in every way; it's faster, quieter, more reliable, more comfortable, more efficient. But when I pick which car I'm going to drive I almost always take the Beetle, because it's interesting and the Probe bores me to tears.

Same deal with the Worksman. I genuinely considered one when I was looking for a bike but I just couldn't bring myself to drop that kind of cash on yet another coaster brake equipped cruiser with 26" wheels in a virtual sea of the things. It's boring. The Pigeon, for all its mechanical flaws, is a gorgeous bike. I could sit there with a glass of wine and just look at it. It gives me a fun and interesting riding experience, too. The Worksman is the kind of bike that I could forget what I'm riding if I didn't look down, and that's just not worth it for increased reliability, IMO. Interestingness is worth a lot to me. I figure I've only got one life to live, why spend it on the safe, reasonable option when I can do something fun?

Also, I could out and buy a nice reliable modern bike, but where's the challenge in that? There are no obstacles to overcome, the battle's already won before I can begin to fight. I like to have to put in some work for a good possession. It gives it a certain meaning and soul, it has a story. Otherwise it's never really mine, it's just something that I happen to own.