First of all, I would like to apologize for my ignorance in advance. I am curious about getting into cycling, but have no experience with the sport at all. So, before I decide to invest some money into the sport, I thought I'd ask some questions:
1) First of all, I am curious about the difference between a road bike and a triathlon bike. While I have no intentions of competing in any triathlons, I do like the idea of the elbo-rest aero handlebars. I read THIS article and liked what it said about triathlon bikes.
2) Second, I read somewhere on this board that buying a used bike isn't a good idea, but what should I do if I don't have a ton of money to dump into a sport I haven't even tried yet. Is there a way for me to find an affordable bike that isn't a piece of junk?
3) Third, what equipment/clothing do I need as a beginner, and where is the best place to get that at a reasonable price.
4) Fourth, based on my newbie questions -- should I just scrap the whole idea of buying a bike and stick to Spinning classes at my local gym?
Thanks for your help!