eribrav

Good question. I've got a couple of those. In fact, when I put one of my road bikes in my old hunk of junk car, the value of the total package doubles!

I'd say most of the improvement comes when you go from $300 up to about $1000. You will get a much lighter bike, with more advanced and reliable components, and a much more comfortable ride over longer distances. If you're just riding to the local library and grocery store, it really doesn't matter much.

North of $1000 you are looking at small incremental improvements, if any, and spending increasing $$ to get that last 5% improvement in performance. Much of the time that extra money is going toward the latest trend or fad, which may look hot and be really popular, but do nothing for you as a cyclist. Some current examples would be carbon fiber seatposts, handlebars, and other carbon doo-dads. They're really meaningless in terms of performance, but they're the in thing, and people want them.

I think the best value in road bikes right now is to buy a classic lugged steel frame on EBay, and build it up with components. I realize that takes some bike knowledge and tools which may not be easily available. The frames are going for around $400 and ride like a dream....probably better than most bikes on the market for triple that price.

One final comment: Don't get a mountain bike unless you plan on mountain biking. They're heavy, inefficient, and ultimately uncomfortable for road riding, which is what many people end up doing with them.