Originally Posted by ColinL

Good plan. Another thing a longer-term plan can do for you is let you shop for the best deals over time. New bike take-offs are often discounted 20-50% on ebay, so if a hybrid or 29er rider upgrades to Mavic Crossmax wheels, you can get their original wheels -- often never ridden-- really cheap.

You can hunt for bargains through conventional online bike shops too.