triathalon bike advice for a newb...

If thats all you have to spend buy any road bike that has 2 wheels and has been well maintained. You are not going to find much for $200 so worrying about brands is not really neccessary.
At this price point I would even suggest KMart/Walmart is a realistic option

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by ccrnnr9
Hey all, I am new to cycling, but have been a decent runner for the last 5 years. Now that high school is over and I wont be participating in track&field or cross country I want to take a dip in some marathons and triathalons. I have a friend who is at about the same preformance level of running that I am at, so we will be training together. I have quite a few schedules planned, but unfortunately I dont have a bike. Being a student saving up for college, I dont have a whole bunch of money so I will have a budget. I have done some research and read the sticky on this site. I would like some advice as to what to look for. I want to spend under 200-300$ at first (obviously the used market is what Im looking at) before spending the money on a nice bike. I dont want to drop a ton of cash and then findout I hate cycling. Any brand names would be helpful as well. Just anything you can tell me would be great. I am borrowing a road bike from a friend's dad right now that is fine until I can buy something myself. Any help is appreciated.

Doubtful you'll find anything. I keep an eye out for cheap road bikes for my wife on eBay, and it really just begins at $500 in the used market.

I'd suggest finding a way to raise more money. With $750 or so you could get a decent used tri bike or a bottom end new road bike.

Search around on eBay. Then try your local bike store, used sporting goods place, etc.

I would spend more and buy used. If you hate it, sell it.