Originally Posted by
Ekdog
There are lots of second-hand road bikes around. Cheap as chips.
There are lots of used bikes around and this might be a good idea for a newbie, since newbies frequently need some experience riding to get a sense of that they need. That was my strategy when I started. But if you somehow have figured this all out, then I would say go for what you want. (confession: I'm still buying used bikes
)