+1 Get what you can afford and you want to look at. (lets face it 30% of this sport it vanity) And learn and enjoy cycling while you contemplate and upgrade or a newer bike in the future with a larger budget. Once you are hooked. You will figure out a way to expand your budget. It just always seems to work that way. (Lots of times it comes in the form of understanding what you're buying and waiting on deals) More like your money might go farther. Plus you'll already have all the basics out of the way by then.