Tldr: Linked spreadsheet is what I used to determine what I should buy, few different price points. Also I have a collection of discount codes
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fy4op-Zab2_uQ7Q71fPE9zrVnLoIcBQjucV7uYBvkPY/editI have gone down the rabbit hole and collected my findings in one sheet so that others could benefit from it. My goal years ago when I started dreaming was to have a $3000 build that outclassed entry level 105 equipped bikes from the mainstream brands. The sheet does not include pedals and saddle cost, mainly because they will transfer between bikes.A few criteria guided my decision
1. Brands must have card payments or Paypal Transfer… Bank transfer to China too sketchy for me
2. I wanted something “aeroish” as I live in East Tennessee. All my rides have at least 1000 ft of climbing as a result
3. Groupset had to be from Shimano or SRAM. Merlin cycles has great group prices, and I did not want to be a LTWOO test subject. I settled on Shimano 105 due to budget.
This really narrowed it down to the “Mainstream” China Brands like Winspace, Yoeleo and ICAN. To me personally Winspace was always my #1 choice, but after they increased the prices with the T1550 released I looked at cheaper options. This Black Friday I started to pull the trigger and got the T1550 with bar and Hyper 2023s for $2205 after another 10% off with discount code. Honestly I could have saved some money if I got the Hyper SE wheels, but hell with it. FYI, I know there are many frugal KINGS in this forum who will point out how I could have saved $ here and there, but I wanted a straightforward build with no scary china shipping limbo. Hope this helps any newbies out there, and feel free to ask questions. Hopefully it will be assembled by the end of January. Special thanks to everyone in the forum for guidance and knowledge I have learned. I will update the “Actual Build” column after I finish buying everything.
