Heya Keith, from one noob to another perhaps I can offer another angle... In Cape Town there is a shop that deals is pre-ridden bikes and I found that in all performance respects I got more "suck for the buck" - that's a cycling phrase meaning good value, ability to stay with more expensive bikes in races - by buying a second hand bike at around the same cost of buying an inferior bike new. Being a noob to cycling I was quite hesitant, but I have never regretted the decision. In fact my "upgrade" was to buy a second more expensive carbon bike from the same vendor a year later once I had satisfied myself that I could call myself a cyclist. The great thing about this approach is that you do not lose as much value when you wheel it out the door (similar to car buying I guess) if you elect to take up chess as someone suggested earlier. Not sure if there is a business in your neck o the woods that does this - PM (private message) me if you want any further details.
