By components I almost mean a groupo, but for a TT, so I don’t need the brake-lever/shifters. So I either need to find a place that sells groups without the levers or I need to buy each part separately. And by “best” I also mean price for DA, Chorus, or SRAM Force.
I’ve been all over and have found a few leads, but am still looking for that best buy.
Ebay by far.
Grant
Dude, you just had a baby! Congratulations by the way! So what in the world are you doing looking at expensive bike parts? You should be buying stuff for your kid… I mean at the very least a swim suit to get that boy in the pool! (And maybe splurge on the wife a little too!)
Hope all is going well!
I like this site:
The baby has way more things than I have and he’s only 11 days old. He got everything on his registry plus way more. I cant really register for new components. If I could I would.
Anyway, it was inevitable…sitting around online all day dreaming of my dream build. Or at least my “reasonable” dream build.
Whichever place is cheepest. I know that might not be helpful, but I’ve built up a couple bikes this way, and I always anded up buying different components at different places depending on the sales they were having, and saved a lot of money on the same stuff (DA mostly) I would have gotten someplace else. I used to get a lot of stuff at Supergo before they got bought out.
The classifieds is a good place.
Try lickbike.com, qbike.com, and probikekit.com
I replaced the entire drivetrain on my bike a couple years ago and saved some big bucks by comparing prices between my LBS, Performance, Nashbar, Excel, and Colorado Cyclist. My LBS quoted over $600 for everything, but by looking for good deals I spent just a little over $400, including shipping, tax, etc. I just put together a spreadsheet with everything I needed and then checked prices over a couple weeks (figuring in shipping & handling) to find the best deal. It took a little effort, but the $200 savings was worth it. I wound up buying some stuff from my LBS, and on line from Performance, Excel, and Colorado Cyclist (which I always thought was pretty pricey but had a few good deals).
www.probikekit.com has really good groupset prices. Ebay or craigslist the STI’s and buy the barend shifters on your own.
This is exactly what I plan on/am doing. This build is technically for next year, so I have time on my side.
i’ve had very good experiences with Universal Cycles in Portland, OR (I’m in Philadelphia). They are normally the cheapest, they have lots of stuff (but not everything) and they have great customer service in the event you need to exchange/return something. I got almost everything for the two instances of my wife’s dream bike that i’ve built so far, and when we switch her back from an aegis T2 to a replacement spectrum custom Ti, i’ll get the few odds and ends i need for the transfer from them too. If they don’t have something I want, I typically end up at either Excel Sports or Colorado Cyclist, both of whom have also been excellent but just not as cheap as Universal.
I ended buying a lot of stuff from this store in Japan via Ebay, who were pretty consistently cheap and had rapid delivery
Try: gvhbikes.com, brand new components, pick and choose what you want and cheapest prices you’ll find.
Performance bike having free shipping and 15% discount right now (till 8/15)… Not saying it’s the best price but… However, it’s hassle free, I spent all of 5 minutes putting it all in the basket… Not sure if any cables come with it so it maybe a few bucks more…
DA Crank & Bottom Bracket
DA Fr Derail
DA RR Derail
DA Bar End Shifter
DA Brake Front and Rear
Wipperman 10sp chain
$823.58 to your door…
You’ll probably want a cassette with that.
Performance bike having free shipping and 15% discount right now (till 8/15)… Not saying it’s the best price but… However, it’s hassle free, I spent all of 5 minutes putting it all in the basket… Not sure if any cables come with it so it maybe a few bucks more…
DA Crank & Bottom Bracket
DA Fr Derail
DA RR Derail
DA Bar End Shifter
DA Brake Front and Rear
Wipperman 10sp chain
$823.58 to your door…
Call lickbike.com and they will beat that price 
If you call lickbike.com do they really beat any price?
I found a great deal on a Dura-Ace groupset, lickbike’s price is good, but I found a better one. However, if lickbike is going to beat it, I will call them. Do you have any personal experience with lickbike.com? Are the decent to work with?