Wookie - get a bike with decent components. If going with Shimano, you want to have at least Tiagra, or better yet 105 components. Avoid the Sora level of components - you would be stuck with an 8-speed cartridge and the shifters are not as good or sturdy. Consider buying used, but use caution. There are some pretty good used bikes on the Bow Cycle classified ads (
www.bowcycle.com - select the Online Classifieds). Also check out pinkbike.com for used bikes. MEC also has a gear swap section where you can look for bikes (
www.mec.ca).