[whalesalad]

If you are comfortable/familiar with wrenching - it is often cheaper to build a bike yourself. It can be a pain - but in this situation I think it is the next best option.

One of the bike shops I had contacted suggested it, since a lot of shops around the country have a good stock of parts and you can usually find a nice used frameset online.

[petre]

There's also a problem with component availability. If you just want a fixie or a frankenbike it's okay but for anything else be prepared to wait and compromise. I just managed to order the last components I need for the bike I'm building this year. I had to compromise a bit, mix hubs drivetrain components from several Shimano lineups, past and current. The frame was preordered and paid in full in June, it should have arrived in August, finally got it in October.

[busterarm]

Yes, several of the things that I want are unobtainium at the moment, but do come in some completes.

[busterarm]

It is almost never cheaper to build a bike yourself. Labor cost is not a factor. Completes are 99% built by the time they get to a store for selling.

Complete bikes are a highly competitive market whereas bike parts are mostly not.

You will get much more mileage for your dollars buying completes that have exactly what you want or with some small delta of upgrades.