I recently ordered a Polygon Sikiu T7 (link: https://bit.ly/32RTOSf ), however, as I searched for alternatives, I stumbled upon the Chinertown forum where I learned that I can order a quality frame from China and save some $$ building a much better bike myself.

The idea is to start with an ICAN P9 frame, however, I am not sure what set of components I can realistically procure to get the build under the $2k mark as I am quite new to the MTB space.

Any advice highly appreciated on which components I should be looking into as well as whether or not this is a worthy endeavor for a first timer with some mechanical skills.