Quote Originally Posted by celerystalksme View Post
i befriended a bike fitter at the LBS. we got fitted for free. so we have an idea of the general geometry we need. now we're just looking for cheap. me...i spend thousands on bike stuff...i've probably spent $15K in the last 8 months. she thinks i'm the dumbest person on the planet for it and refuses to spend more than $350...i figure i can get higher quality by going used on such a low budget.
Have you tried craigslist? There are generally lots of bikes for sale for pretty reasonable prices and they'd be in your area so she could give them a test ride first. I think that it is nice that you are helping her find a bike. I must have ridden 20 different bikes before I found one that I liked. Even though they all had the same basic geometry, I was amazed at how different one bike was from another. I agree with your thinking that you can get higher quality by going used. Another advantage to finding a bike on craigslist or local is that you don't have to spend some of that $$ for shipping (usually around 50+ bucks). Good luck and check the forum on a regular basis. You never know what might pop up!
I am one of those who bought the budget bike first and then found a nicer bike later. I think that overall, this is a wise choice. In my opinion, it is better to shell out a little $$ and test the waters instead of shelling out the big $$ and finding out that riding really isn't your cup of tea.