Peter Cole wrote:

It really depends on how good a deal you can get on components. I
think it's impossible to get a deal on a full set of components at
once, so you need to be prepared to collect them over some period of
time. Closeouts, Ebay, flea markets, etc. are good sources, you'll
wind up with a mixed collection -- not necessarily a bad thing.

I've seen entire groups on sale at times, either from discount bike stores or
eBay. Under $400 for a Veloce group, for example. This was about a year ago.

Sometimes you can get an entire bike on sale from a discount place for less than
the same equipment group would cost otherwise. So people buy the bike, strip
off what they want, and sell the rest.

Matt O.