Originally Posted by
noglider
Yeah, really, putting it back together is costly, so spend the money only if you enjoy it and understand that there are cheaper ways to get the same thing. It's like a game of "52 pickup," that fake card game where one tosses a deck of cards in the air and the other has to pick up the fallen cards one by one. One person has a complete bike and dismantles it and sells the components and the frame. Then lots of people (where this differs from 52 pickup) buy the pieces and reassemble bikes like the dismantled one. If I did that, I'd feel like the second (fool) player in 52 pickup, but clearly, not everyone does.
I have mixed opinions about the dismantled frames and bikes. I dislike it when parts that are very specific to a build (main frame & fork), and those pesky 28.0mm seatposts are separated from the whole (although it often happens when significant damage would pull down the value too much)
On the other hand, the bare frame allows one to build the bike back up as you see fit. Change 9s to 11s if you wish. Add a cassette when the bike had a freewheel. Get the gearing right. Get the crank length right. Get the stem and saddle right.
And just have fun doing it.