My first bike cost $80- was secondhand- was just a bike type object but it got me cycling. Gears were wrong for our hills and my mates kept taking me up them. Only had 10 gears and they were higher than the road bikes I have now. But it got me cycling and taught me a lot. First of all the type of riding I was going to do and I needed an MTB. The size was not bad on the first bike but I knew the size had to be correct. And that all important gearing --I had to get that right.

That was 22 years ago and I gradually progressed up in quality and now have a shedload of bikes.

But that first bike--Just get one and use it.