You're doing the exact thing I am: struggling with value to the point of turning to Excel to micro-manage your components.
I've been looking at a new full suspension mountain bike, and coming to the conclusion that the Ghost bikes at MEC are a good deal, but (and here's the kicker) they're just not pretty enough for me. For $2500 I want something with some sex appeal, not just a carbon frame and half decent components.
Don't forget to put that on your spreadsheet. Looks count.
And bikes are like Harleys: they're worth twice as much when you break them into pieces (though a $250 frame leaves a lot of money to build with, I don't like your chances of keeping it much under $1500 if you're going to put in quality components). Better to go the Pylon route and have a hobby bike you build up a bit at a time over a year or so.
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