Originally Posted by (BB)

Eventually you will need

1 road bike to ride on fast rides, possibly more
1 road bike to ride when it is raining, possibly more
1 commuter bike, possibly more
1 bike to for when you get the itch to leave the pavement, could be a mountain bike, could be a cross bike, could be one or more of each
1 classic or vintage ride, possible a dozen or more
It also helps if you have 2-3 bikes worth of parts on hand at any one time. You know, just in case you might need them.

So, where you start isn't really that important.