Getting equipment for a newbie

Do you mean half-Ironman?  Because you definitely don't need a bike to run a half-marathon.   

Chris

Buy the best you can afford...it will do just fine and dandy...if they don't do fittings for free with a bike purchase...leave...there are a whole lot that will and its by far the most important part...a bike thats the wrong size or doesn't fit right will not get ridden no matter how much you pay for it...

I find that very odd about the Trek store...they should have jumped at the chance to help you out no matter your riding level...just search the yellow pages for another local bike shop if you don't want to go back there...

 I bought an entry level road bike for around $700 from a bike shop that had helpful employees (sounds like the ones you were at weren't). You can get the bike fitted to you and purchase a few extra pieces of equip. A few I bought were:

-clipless pedals/shoes

-bike computer(speed distance cadence etc)

-An extra tube/flat tire repair kit (fits in a bag behind the seat)

-Helmut

-Bike shorts (with the pad built in)

-Water bottles etc

I got all that for around $1000 and they put it all on the bike for me.

My previous option was a $100 bike from Target which didn't fit me ,etc, etc and honestly that program can lead to injury.. but it was okay while I was deciding if this was for me!

I'm brand new to the game as well,  I'll echo the earlier advice that a good fit is the most important part.  I finally settled on a Trek 1.2, its an entry level road bike and was a bit more than I initially wanted to spend but I was able to ensure that the bike was a good fit and got the added bonus of free tune ups for a year and establishing a relationship with the local bike shop.

I experienced something similar to the OP, there are only two bike shops in the town I live in, at the first place, the salesman told me about how much he liked mountain biking and suggested that I would probably be best off buying the $2500 full carbon fiber tri bike they had on display.  When I inquired about proper fit, the salesman stated that I was probably a "Medium" and since I was 5'8 just like him a "Medium" would do just fine.  I happen to be 5'10... when I asked about test riding a bike before I bought he happily proclaimed that he would let me take any bike in the shop out for a 10 minute spin.

The other shop in town took a genuine interest in what I was looking for, made several suggestions and allowed me to rent the model I was looking at for the day free of charge, and took some time both on the rental bike and on the one I purchased to make sure it fit properly.  As a fairly uneducated newbie, I did as much research on my own as possible, but in the end it was as important to buy the bike from the right place, as it was choosing the bike.

I keep hearing rumors that some places have helpful bike shop employees, but so far I haven't found any.

They seem to enjoy the smells of their own farts, and the smugness is sickening.

I keep waiting to meet some nice, helpful, down-to-earth bike shop employees...and trying my hardest not to stereotype them in the mean time.

Good luck on your equipment search.  Have you checked bikesdirect.com yet?  They have very cheap off-brand frames with name brand components.  Only thing to keep in mind is you need a professional to help pick out a size for you, and then you will have to take the bike once it's shipped and have it professional put together and then fit to you.

I also find it hard to believe that Trek came at you, an admitted beginner, with a $2,000 pitch.  One of the great things about Trek as a company is that they've got a fantastic range of products from entry level to pro, and *everything* in between.  They know better, and should have worked with you in the $600 to $1,000 range ... which is a great range for you to be in if you've got the budget.

Is it possible for you to go back with a friend that knows a thing or two about bikes?  I love my new Trek (and my old one), and would hate for you to have a bad experience.  You shouldn't have to bring someone with you, but it might help.

Or shop around.  No need giving them your money if you feel you're not being treated well.  The experience should be fun and you should walk out of there excited about your first ride on the new bike! 

I am not asking out of snark, I am really curious to your opinion, because I am also bike shopping, and I am highly considering bikesdirect.  From my findings, you will get much higher level components on a similar frame for the same price.  Downside being no "name brand" and no bike store or name brand warranty.  What other pitfalls might I be missing that cause your dislike for that site?

Me and my wife just went through the bike purchasing experience. I'll offer our experience for example of what I believe you should be looking for.

First store we went to scared the crap out of us. The guy just pointed across the room at some bikes and said which model he'd recommend for us before even asking what we were going to do with the bikes. We ran!

Second store was amazing. The owner happened to be working that night and talked with me and my wife for over 2 hours about our plans, the bikes he sells, the different models and their pros/cons. I also learned that he sells raleigh, specialized, lightspeed and quintana roo bikes/accessories. Oh, and while he no longer races, his wife is racing in kona this year. So that made me alot more comfortable with his knowledge. He recommended specialized bikes for both of us in our price range, sub $1k (and roughly matching what i expected based on digging through the forums here).

We didn't buy the first night, as I wanted to read some more, but ended up back at the shop a week later for test rides. Owner wasn't there but we were just as pleased with the sales guy, who happened to be his head mechanic. We learned even more with him and ended up putting deposits on bikes to pick up in a couple days with pedals and computers installed.

I got the specialized allez and my wife got the dolce. Both came with free fit and tune-ups for as long as we own the bikes. During the fit, he put us on a trainer with our bikes and walked us through all the bikes features. I felt really comfortable leaving with 2 bikes on the back of our car and the bikes have been a real pleasure to ride since.

As stated above, plan on some accessories: bike computer, bottle holder, water bottle, bike shorts, helmet, gloves, saddle bag, extra tube or two, tire levers, CO2 pump or tube pump, floor pump, patch kit, shoes, pedals, car rack. I believe I paid 900 for the bike itself and about 350 more for all the accessories i needed to get going. Same for my wife, and then obviously shared cost for the floor pump and car rack another 200.

Look for someone like that! And if you live in the DC Metro or Balt Metro area, stop by Patuxent Adventure Center in Solomons, MD! Dave was awesome!

I see your point kmill23, I am just having a hard time swallowing the difference in component quality for around an 800-900 dollar budget.  On one hand with 900 bucks, I can get a Specialized Allez (with Sora/Tiagra) or a Giant OCR 2 (with Sora).

Or, from BD, I can get a bike with full Ultegra, upgraded Vuelta Pro wheels, free clipless pedals.  Keeping in mind that I would have to pay to have it put together and fit.

I guess the question I need to answer for myself is:  Is the huge upgrade in component quality worth the lack of free tune-ups, customer support, and a quality name brand and warranty?

(p.s. For what it's worth, I do not think frame quality is an issue worth considering.  Most of their frames are Kinesis, which I have heard is a good quality frame.)

In the end, I am the only one who can answer the question I posed above.  Luckily, I'm not looking to buy tomorrow, so I have some time to still think and agonize over it.