>>1503677Depends what style of bike you want, but $2.5k is probably more than you need. At that price you'll probably have carbon fiber everything, which means you'll be replacing the frame in a couple months after you crashed it because you're rusty. In theory carbon fiber is stronger than aluminum, but in practice it shatters if you breathe on it wrong. Aluminum has a fatigue life so frames won't last forever, but a good one should last a decade easily.
If you don't mind spending a lot, I'd say figure out what kind of bike you want (road/mountain/etc), then find a shop/shops nearby and get the nicest aluminum bike you can find. You probably won't be good enough to take advantage of the fancy shit but you might be happy to have it later.
