FWIW, I tend to agree that rebuilding the old bike with new and upgraded parts simply isn't worth it, especially considering how much more parts cost on their own as opposed to when all put together in a complete bike! Also, I'd like to get a 1x11 setup myself as I currently use my 2x10 setup mostly as 1x10 anyway. Then again, being in Ontario also, I just have to deal with the 'small bumps' that we call hills as opposed to the large mountains that pass themselves off as hills on the west coast!
Have you looked into buying a new bike from an online direct seller? Fezzari appears to offer a fairly good value for money with very good quality. They're sort of a bike selling equivalent to Axiom in that way!
