>>1057387what
>>1057393 said is true
bike companies get discounts on parts for buying in bulk
bike shops get discounts for having deals with the distributors
in general, building a bike up piece by piece will cost more than buying an equivalent bike from a major brand
that being said, you can build a bike up for very cheap if you look around for parts
at the local coop in my city, if you volenteer enough hours they'll let you build a bike up from any of the spare parts they have laying around for free
if you have a friend with a wheelset they don't need, snag that shit
if you see a bike selling for almost nothing on craigslist with ruined wheels, a trashed drivetrain, but with a good, straight frame, snag that shit too
if you see a bike for sale with a bent fork and trashed frame but the crankset is still good, bam, there's your crankset
check your local goodwills and thrift stores
even ask in at a lbs and ask if they have any spare shit they want to get rid of cheap
you can definitely build up a rideable but kinda mismatched bike for very very cheap if you're willing to look hard enough for shit
