BEGINNER IN NEED OF BIKE ADVICE - THANK YOU

I think you need to work this through and decide what you want out of your bike. No one bike is going to satisfy all your needs. A hybrid may be as close as you come to a "do-all" bike, but in addition to having the "spin-out" limitations of which you speak, it's going to be heavier than a road bike, have fatter tires (more rolling resistance) and a more upright (less aero) position. If you get into this triathlon addiction to any degree (and you indicate that you are someone "who likes to push myself athletically") then you will find this is not very appropriate for a tri-bike.

As for as your bikeshop's supposition that the smaller crankset will have you "max out" your speed relatively easy, I did a little research. That bike comes with a 48/38/28 crankset, a little smaller than the 53- or 52-tooth you find on your standard road bike. It also has a "megarange" 11-34 cassette. Assuming a couple other things (700X35 tires, 170mm cranks), you can calculate that in the 48-tooth chainring, and the 11-tooth cog, if you pedal at a 100-rpm cadence, you will be going 35.3mph. The day you can max out and sustain 35.3 mph (on that heavy bike) would be the day that you would need a new bike.

I'm brand new to this also, I've done just one race so far and have only been training for a few months. I also have a hybrid and it's my only bike. I bought it (13 yrs ago?) for city commuting and it was great for that. I never had a problem with it until I started tri-training. It's a great general purpose ride, but when I'm on a training ride and during that race, around mile 8 or 9, a more aero position starts to sound really good. It's just not a comfortable position to race in.

If you're looking for a general purpose bike to test doing tris on, that you'll also use for general transportation, I recommend a hybrid, but be forewarned that if you decide to continue pursuing triathlon, you will want a second bike for next year.

If you are looking for one "do it all" bike I would reccommend a cyclocross CX bike over a hybrid. CX bikes can be fitted with skinny tries and hold their own on a fast road ride (or triathlon) or they can be fitted with fat tires and run (almost) like a MTB. The bonus ios that there are some very reasonably priced ones out there. The Redline Conquiest comes to mind first http://www.redlinebicycles.com/. Also check out the Surly Cross-Check http://www.surlybikes.com/bikes.html . These are not VERY cheap, but they are pretty cheap, as quality bikes go. Also look for used CX bikes (of course, some of these are likely to have been abused.) Good luck

Just get yourself whatever bike you can afford for now. I would suggest that you get a road bike--Fuji or KHS in your price range--but that is only my personal preference. Whichever bike you get, hybrid, cyclocross, or road, you can simply alternate between a commuting tire and a racing tire to save money. I race with Pariba Racing 23's and commute with Vittoria Kevlar 23's but you can shoe your wheels with 25's, 28's, even 32's for commuting.

Agreed! Look for used ones. CX bikes have beefy frames, and can take a lot of abuse (trust me, I've abused mine). Fit one with slicks, and it's a road bike. Throw some knobbies on it and hit the dirt. Or use semi-slicks and commute on it. When mine's in the "road bike" look, I love to hop off of curbs. Makes the roadies look twice.

I've used mine as a race bike for MTB, CX, and road races, and will soon race it in tris. It's also a commuter, and a favorite bike to ride on the singletrack trail up the street. Definitely a "do it all" bike.

Check RoadBike Review for reviews of different CX bikes. Just click on "cyclocross bikes" under the different years.
http://www.roadbikereview.com/reviewscrx.aspx

P-)