This forum has been great ! But...after fixing up my new/old shogun I've gotten a wild hair and decided to build a touring bike from the ground up. On a whim I ordered the Nashbar Touring frame ( lots of post about builds with this frame). Today I went to buy one Trek 730 to rob parts and ended up with it and a Diamondback Response to rob parts off of( paid $55 for both). A touring bike usually has a mix of road and mountain specific parts so I thought "cool". Got home and realized I was in over my head as far as matching parts that will work together.
So instead of asking a bunch of dum questions I was wondering if there are any cool threads or links that cover the basics of building a bike. Like what parts to put on first, how to know what parts match other parts ( like I have a 7 speed rear hub on 700c rims from the trek I want to use as a starter for my build, but wanted to use the cranks off the diamondback and am not sure now if they would work together- the diamondback didn't come with wheels) - so I got to thinking before I make a whole bunch of stupid mistakes fast I might should do a little reading about how to build a bike- basic stuff.
Any help would be appreciated, and I know I'm in over my head, but what the hec- what's the worse that could happen.
Thanks again for all the help so far- took a 25 mile ride yesterday and enjoying being back on bikes again.
Ben

Ok- Sheldon Brown has made me feel better once again. Stumbled on his speed specific parts requirements and realized most of what I have should work fine- good to know. I'm just gonna break it down one step at a time and see where it goes.

Good plan. After all, what's the worst that could happen?

Oh no.... you just HAD to say that?....... Dang it, I KNEW I should have included a shelter for an EOTWAWKI event.....

Benwahl, good for you for forging ahead. Just go slow, check with Sheldon's site and for a bit of backup look at www.parktool.com/repair for some added help and information.

and +1.

If this is not your only bike (so you can still ride) what's the rush? Take your time and make sure everything is perfect. It will be reflected in the quality of the ride when you're finished.

Make sure you have the right tools, they'll make all the difference. In the same vein, don't use a hammer.

Ben, Reads like you're well on your way. I used my parts bin (you'll soon have one ) to rebuild a touring bike earlier this year. I made several searchs in the touring forum as to what to use. I hope your bike comes out as good as mine... keep everyone updated during the build if you wish to.

Brad