Buy the best bike you can afford and like. In the grand scheme of things, it's small change with huge returns in personal satisfaction and enjoyment. Have you checked out Jamis Bikes lineup of Codas and so on? Great bikes there IMHO, though somewhat underappreciated due to limited distributor network, lots of folks just never see one. Steel frames at reasonable prices with good components. Just sayin...
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It's all downhill from here. Except the parts that are uphill.