Tried out some bikes - any thoughts on these?

[Grog]

I agree that a good bike won't be a waste.

Do keep in mind thought that you will need to buy other things on top of the bike itself, like automatic pedals (the ones you clip into), shoes, gloves, a seat bag to hold your repair kit, spare tube, etc., bike shorts if you don't own a pair already, helmet if you don't have one, etc. These things are important, but they add up. So if your budget has an absolute upper limit, make sure your bike AND the accessories fit in it. (Be aware that although you cannot really get a discount on a bike, you can get 10% or more on the accessories very often...)

Enjoy!

[wurkit_gurl]

I agree that a good bike won't be a waste.

Do keep in mind thought that you will need to buy other things on top of the bike itself, like automatic pedals (the ones you clip into), shoes, gloves, a seat bag to hold your repair kit, spare tube, etc., bike shorts if you don't own a pair already, helmet if you don't have one, etc. These things are important, but they add up. So if your budget has an absolute upper limit, make sure your bike AND the accessories fit in it. (Be aware that although you cannot really get a discount on a bike, you can get 10% or more on the accessories very often...)

Enjoy!

I have a helmet and bike gear (padded shorts, gloves, jersey), because I do at least have my crappy hybrid. The helmet is not specifically a "road" helmet, but it will suffice for now- it's not as if I'm planning to race, so I can find a good deal on a better one down the road. I am going to go without the clipless pedals for the moment until I'm more used to it, which was advice given to me by a few people I know who ride. So I don't need to spend money on that right now. And I can certain afford a repair kit and tubes, etc, so I should be all right. My main concern for the bike, pricewise is that I don't have a ton of extra cash to drop all at once, know what I mean? Buying a pair of bike shorts and a jersey is a smaller hit to my bank account than the actual bike itself. Plus, I'm a newbie and don't need to spend a fortune on the bike.