Before you decide that $$$ is going to be your only criteria for making what many consider an INVESTMENT and not a purchase, I need to know what exactly do you plan on doing with the bike. Do you intend to use it for long distance, around town, for fitness, for speed, etc. I asure you that if you get bitten by the "cycling bug" your 200-300 dollar purchase will come back to bite you in the rear because you WILL be upgrading inside of six months and there insn't a decent bike shop out there that will give you any kind of money for a trade on that range. So, you will end up buying this inexpensive bike with bottom of the barrel components and then you will want the next model up with the best components that you can afford.

Here's my bike story,

I started looking at Trek 1200 and 1.2 and 1500 with Shimano 105 but I could not get a triple or carbon at that level(around $750-$1200) after about a YEAR of looking I settled on the Specialized Allez Elite $1,500 (carbon fork, seat post, and seat stays with manipulated aluminum frame and Shimano 105 group). When I went to put the bike on lay-away in November last year, the sales person told me that Specialized was having a year-end model sale. It turned out that the next model up (The Allez Expert) had everything I was looking for AND FULL SHIMANO ULTEGRA GROUP all for 1799.00 from 2300.00. Guess which bike I own now? Yep, the Allez Expert, because I'm not going to outgrow it in six months or perhaps years down the line. Therefore, I consider it an investment. I use it for fitness and group riding and long distance riding. I have a Trek 3500 MTB with road tires for "around town " stuff.

Here's a pic of my baby:

So there you have it in a nutshell. What are you going to do with the bike?

Regards,

Luis

I know it's a bit over budget but buying a bike is like buying a house, you need to get into as much bike as you can! Based on your answers and future plans to better yourself (btw congratulations on going to college!! I worked my way through college also, electronics engineering.) here's what I would choose:

2008 Specialized Allez Triple, (here's a link to the web page) http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=32192

It runs around 800.00 but that's what Specialized sells it for. I'm sure a local bike shop will give you a decent discount, especially if you're paying cash.

The other bike for you would be the 2008 Trek 1.2, (again, here's a link) http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2008/road/1_series/12/

This one has MSRP of 769.99 again, good solid entry level bike that you won't outgrow in six months. Now, it's very rare that you will find a LBS (Local Bike Shop) that carries both brands because they are both pretty exclusive of each other. Don't be afraid to ask for a test ride!!! Don't be afraid to ask for a test ride!!! Don't be afraid to ask for a test ride!!!

Did I mention don't be afraid to ask for a test ride? Think it's important? You bet!! It's your hard earned money we're talking about here and I would hate for you to buy a bike that doesn't feel right because then you will absolutely hate it!! What you're looking for is comfortable positioning, ease of operation, and the feeling that you can really get into it. Ask questions!! Ask questions!! Ask questions!!

Since both bikes are about equal in components you will have a pretty solid idea of what you're getting. Personally, I prefer Specialized but then again I'm partial to them because that's what I ride (lol). So, I hope that I have not overwhelmed you with information but based on what you told me I'm able to weed out the junk that's out there and save you a whole lot of time.

DON'T GO TO WAL-MART AND BUY THAT GMC BIKE THERE, IT IS JUNK!!!

At Wal-Mart you buy bikes to re-cycle, what that means is that you buy it, you use it, you throw it away. WithTREK or SPECIALIZED you're getting maximum bang for your buck and you can upgrade components later if you wish.

Good Luck and Good Hunting!!

Luis

P.S. Welcome to the riding world!! Always wear your helmet!!

I just don't want the kid to get bamboozled into something he'll hate later on.

Thanks for the kudos!