I know very little about bikes (my 'bike' is a 2005 Suzuki Boulevard M50
). But I did tag along when my wife bought her first 'good' road bike a couple of years ago and learned a few things.
Buy local, because these things do need to go in for a 'tune up' every so often, and it's easier when you can go back to the local shop for service. And if it's a decent shop, they'll take the time to really measure your body and figure out the correct size bike you should be riding. The size of a (good) bike is as specific as the clothes that you're wearing. You've got to know what size bike you need.
If you're getting into "really" nice bike territory ($1,000+), look at last year's models. It's like a car. You can save a lot of money by buying "new-old-stock". My wife fell in love with this particular Cannondale road bike, but it was about $2,500. Much more than we were looking to spend. A different shop had the same bike at a similar price, but he also had a 'previous year's model' of the same bike. The bikes looked identical to me, other than a different color scheme. Little things were different, "oh, the V2008 has the flibidygibit 3.0 deraileur system while the V2007 has the 2.0, and the V2008 weighs 3 ounces less". Alrighty then.
My wife couldn't tell a difference between it and the 'new' model when she test-rode them. So we bought it, plus a water cage + computer for about $1,000 OTD. Saved well over $1,000 from what the 'old' bike had been priced when it was the 'new' one. It's been a really fantastic bike, and it seems extremely well made.
And if it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, Cannondale bikes are made in the US. In Bethel, PA.
