I educated myself in the art of building bicycles and made sure I had a pretty clear idea of what parts I wanted to incorporate. That means, I had a picture of the bike in my mind before I even bought the first part. Then, I started collecting parts over a long time and waited for good offers to safe money. It was hard to stay patient at times, but it was worth it. When I had all the parts, I did go through all the steps before taking a tool in my hand. I made sure every part was in good condition and started putting everything together. Again, I had to be patient in order to get the best result - it was tempting to go on the bike and try it out before all settings were made properly. The first test ride put a smile on my face :)