Originally Posted by therealjoeblow

Well, that depends on what you want out of the bike.

If you're going to ride it occasionally (say once a week, for a few KM's around the block) then the lower end Tourney/Altus/Acera are probably OK.

But if you're going to ride it say 3 nice long rides a week (50 km's each) for 1/2 the year (this is pretty typical of an enthusiastic rider out for fitness), they you're looking at about 4,000 km per year, and after 2-3 years when your low end parts are worn out and don't shift properly anymore you're going to be ticked that you didn't buy a better grade of bike.

If you are in the latter category, I would suggest you look at something with Deore in the drivetrain - Deore or better are "lifetime" components for most people, and you should get 10+ years of heavy use out of a bike in that range, but for sure not with the entry level parts if it is used extensively.

At the end of the day, you have to be realistic about how and how much you are going to use the bike and buy it in the appropriate feature and quality range.

Cheers
TRJB