Quote Originally Posted by kacie tri-ing View Post
Bikes are awesome. She will LOVE being on a bike. Personally, I love my carbon, and I am glad that I did a big upgrade after my aluminum hybrid. Granted, it always gets love and time, and it wasn't a waste. If you KNOW she is going to really enjoy riding, I am on the "buy the nicest thing you can manage and fits her," camp. She can "grow into" a nicer bike, and will appreciate being able to do that. Otherwise, you will end up buying more than one bike, and the cheap one will sit in the corner.

That's my opinion though....
I agree 100%.

If she wanted to buy the first road bike on the spot - then she's likely going to love this sport. I fell in love in one short ride and I do wish I'd gone with better (and better fitting) bike the first time around instead of 'upgrading' twice in the first two years (all three were road bikes, so it's not like I couldn't have bought my last bike the first time around!). This is particularly important for people who might be a hard fit (like me) because bike shopping can be very frustrating. I say, go with the best fit on the best bike you can afford. She'll thank you for it!