Originally Posted by
subzerobiker
Thank you!
I am still not 100% committed to building--- if i could just find a MTB I like I will definitely just buy, not build. But I have done a lot of searching and looking both online, at local bike stores, and in a bike magazine of 2017 models. Nothing is working for me. I sort of have a geek/OCD thing, e/g I build my own desktop computers to get exactly the look and components I want (small cube PC on my desktop that is almost silent), I've made my own dinnerware and mugs from clay, I search long and hard for the laptop and phone that work for me (ASUS Zenbook laptop, ASUS Zenfone). I have not given up on buying, but just wanting to go down the build your own bike rabbit hole a bit to see if that is an option. I don't mind paying an extra $500 to build my own, the life experience and getting what I want would make that worth it to me.
I recognized your geek/OCD thing right away, and I immediately thought about PC modding as a corollary. I had my bike building (and PC fabbing) phases too, as a younger nerd, and there wasn't Internet then to bounce my angst off. Specs are your friend. There is more commonality between frames and their specifications than differences. Bottom brackets for example, will be almost (99%) always 68mm wide. But why wonder... take an earlier posters advice, and buy the frame you like (with fork!) and it will come with a spec sheet that will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about the threadings and dimensions of the various holes that need to be filled with stuff. You should also know that a new frame has BB's and Headtubes that should (need?) to be "faced", and these procedures need specialized toolsets that you will not have. BTW the XL thing is a doddle. With the right seatpost and/or stem you could fit a M sized frame. Especially in a MTB type config. FWIW.