What he said^
A used bike is the way to go and will likely end up saving you a lot of money in the end. At 3k, you can afford to check out a whole lot more types of used bikes than you could new. If you are not the more mechanical type, get a friend who is, and preferably rides, to go with you when you purchase in order to check for those things which you would not think to check. It is also important to not rush into anything when buying new. If it sounds too good to be true, it typically is.
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