Originally Posted by taras0000

That will depend on where you are located, as some bikes are cheaper in certain parts of the world compared to others.

My generic advice to people is if you know you're going to stick it out and are in the sport for the long haul, then buy the bike with the best frame that you can afford that fits you properly. Why frame? Because this is the "hardest"part of a bike to upgrade. You can swap out components relatively easily, but the frame is another upgrade all on it's own. Granted, I've seen a few riders buy a dirt cheap used bike of not that great quality, and upgrade the components before stepping up to a much nicer frame. The only problem with frames lower down in price points is the geometry. Many low end frames/bikes have "fixie"geometry. In other words, they are fixed gear bikes but have road geometry for the streets. They will be shorter in reach, and usually taller as well, more closely resembling a road bike. This can make it hard to get a low position for track racing, so while it might be okay for the first few months, you will quickly outpace the frames performance and end up purchasing components to make it work that you may not be able to use on your next frame.' I see this as a waste twice over.

Either way works in the end, as generally, after a few years, most riders want to upgrade their frame anyway. I tell riders to budget $600-1000 for their first bike, or if looking for a used bike or frame, to use this retail price as the lower floor for bikes to look at. Below this retail price point, the waters quickly get muddied with street fixies. Used is a great way to start, as unless the frame is crashed and crooked, you get a lot of value for your money as track stuff tends to get low mileage and wear.