Originally Posted by
qualia8
Can anyone explain to me why groupsets are so pricey, but fully-equipped bikes are dirt cheap? How can this be?
Market dynamics and rate of sales. There are fewer purchases of groupsets than bikes WITH groupsets. Demand & supply dictate prices.
Originally Posted by
qualia8
Why aren't these bikes stripped down and sold part-wise for profit until the groupset prices come down?
The groupset prices won't come down, but what you can do is buy that full bike, strip it down. Use the parts you need, sell off the rest. Again, you'll need to price it out (search ebay, completed sales) on each part and do some math - it may or may not end up financially viable.