Originally Posted by
pdlamb
If you haven't already bought a bike, my suggestion for beginners is always to find a good local bike shop and test ride whatever looks interesting. There's a number of reasons for that recommendation. First, you'll get a well built bike that should be assembled well. The shop staff can help you pick out something appropriate for your intended use. If you have problems (hey, stuff does wear out!), the bike shop can help you get back on the road. Finally, and I've experienced this, some bikes look really great on a web page, and they just don't feel right when you ride them.
I second this. My first real bike came after going to our LBS and finding what I liked about the bike and getting the proper frame size and fit for it before I ordered it. Looking at the Falcon you posted it seams to only come in one frame size and the price point (new) is quite low for something most people would feel comfortable riding to work on.