Advice for a new biker

[Bikingmomof3]

Either would work. I know my bike store bought my old Giant bike off me (it was only 3 weeks old) and promptly sold it at a very decent price. Yesterday when my DH was in to buy his Trek the bike store had a used Giant OCR at an awesome price-wrong size. My point? My bike store checks out all bikes before they buy them off customers and tunes them, etc, and sells them at awesome prices-it is rare to see a used bike in that store, thye are iommediately snatched up.
Also, this time of year there will be sales.
I think your friend should be able to get a very good bike for $500 or under.

[pooks]

Thanks for the feedback! I just need to get her here on TE, don't I?

[mimitabby]

I find that when i go into the LBS for a used bike, they have a limited supply and both times I ended up buying a new one instead.
If you want a used bike, it will probably take longer to find the right one.

[Bad JuJu]

Thanks for the feedback! I just need to get her here on TE, don't I?

That's what I did. I've got a neighbor who (1) bought a used Cannondale--much too big for her, then sold it and (2) now is road-riding on a heavy Trek mountain bike that she got with saved up credit card points. Both nice bikes, but neither one of them is really right for her. I sent her straight to this forum, as well as craigslist and our LBS, where they already know her since the used-gi-normous-Cannondale debacle. She hasn't found "her" bike yet, but it's only a matter of time. Meanwhile, she's tearin' up the road, as much as possible, on her Trek mtb.