i’ve been getting more into road cycling, and have been looking to build up a chinese bike for some time now. i’m thinking of a shoe-string budget build, and from what i could gather on this website and across reddit, velobuild seems like the best option for consistent quality and cheap price.

any other super-budget options in the $400-$500 range? i dont care much for aero/performance, as i’m mainly upgrading to get ride of my old, heavy, alloy rim brake bike.