The beginning

I've started this blog to record my attempt to build a bicycle. The beginning of this project is going to coincide with the beginning of the New Year (2007).
I have been cycling regularly since February of 2002 and have, from time to time, attempted maintenance and/or repair operations on various bicycles. The most involved bicycle maintenance project I completed to date was the recent replacement of a fork, headset, front brake, crankset, bottom bracket, chain and cassette on a 2003 (might be an '02) KHS CX 100 cyclocross bike. This job taught me some things including the wisdom of being certain you have all of the tools you need before you start (I had to 'pause' twice, first to order a crank puller, second to get the proper bottom bracket tool.) There are also some things I simply prefer not to do - after determining appropriate size, I had the fork steerer tube cut by the local bike ship and will likely do the same for the new bike. My decision-making process about whether to purchase tools or to pay someone else to do something is influenced by both the perceived difficulty of the job and the potential future use (and cost) of any new tools. I probably could have sawed the steered tube with a hacksaw (after buying a guide) but I was certain that it could be done more quickly, more precisely and given a smoother finish by a bike mechanic. Along with that, all I had to take to the shop was the fork (with approximate measurement marked). It turned out to be a relatively low cost job and I was very happy with the result. Pulling the crank or bottom bracket, on the other hand, are things I assume I may do again in the future (although some cranks are self-extracting); the tools were each relatively low-priced; I could get them shipped to me quickly (the bike shops in my small town don't carry a very large selection of tools); I didn't have a dire need to ride the bike I was working on (had a couple of others to use instead); the bike was in pieces on a workstand and I would have needed to do some reassembly to even take it to a shop; and I hadn't planned to finish the job all at once anyway since I was doing it during the school semester (I am working on a MS degree).
I also replaced the wheels on the CX 100 with Neuvation M28 Aero wheels which I couldn't be more pleased with.
Building an entire bicycle is a task I find somewhat intimidating. However, I decided that I wanted to acquire a bicycle that was truly unique and, given limited funds and evolving needs and priorities, building from 'scratch' seemed like the best way to proceed.
I started collecting parts about two years ago with the purchase of a used frame on ebay. The frame, a 2001 Homegrown (built in USA) aluminum Schwinn Factory frame cost me around or under $50 including shipping. I picked up a no name carbon fork (also on ebay) for about $70 and, coincidentally, the label that came on the fork indicated that it had been produced for Schwinn. Another 2001 Schwinn Factory (complete bike) resides in my household and is in the photo at the top of this post.
Next post: more about the CX 100