Bide your time, wait for the right bike, and then strike. IMO, getting a 'good' road bike at the start will make a world of difference if it's performance you're looking for. If you get a nice roadie, you may find that you don't want to take the shortcut anymore (depending on distance of course) I started on a 15 year old Peugeot ($15 - thift store) and then moved up to a Trek 1000 (lbs) In my situation, both bikes were beautiful machines - I went from zero to 50km a day on the Peugeot which simply proves than vintage bikes don't lose a lot with time. Yes, the 2005 Trek was a world of difference but in terms of performance, that's where you come in...BOL in your search.