Bikes direct store----new biker looking for a good bike

Hello everyone,

I am a college student who is looking for a bike to get me to and from my university. I live about 8 miles from it and am looking for a beginner road bike that can serve as a solid option for transportation but can also allow me to have a lot of fun with it riding around recreationally. My options are of course the local bike shops, but I actually have a bikesdirect store in my city. This has seemed to be the best option for me because of their prices being much cheaper than the local bike shops, and they sort of are a local bike shop for me. The people in there have let me test ride bikes and taught me a lot about biking since I'm BRAND NEW to the big world of cycling.

Now from what I have seen on this forum most people don't like buying from bikesdirect because it is an online store but I actually have a store to go to which have about 70% of the bikes they have online. They also order and assemble the bike for me and have a free lifetime tuneup warranty. My budget is up to $500. I wanted to know what you guys think about my situation and if buying from bikesdirect is a good idea?

I have listed some bikes below that I have test rode and like a lot.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...afe_sprint.htm

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...e_express8.htm

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...d_record_x.htm

If you have any recommendations on bikes please share!

Thanks, ZMQ

All I can say is that a good bike shop is a great help to someone new to bikes or returning to biking after decades away. I had originally considered a different bike I found online, but the difference in the expertise and support available at the bike shops I visited made it clear which shop I needed--and they found a bike that fit me and my needs better than my online choice. I don't know anything about bikesdirect.com, so can't comment on them, but just saying a word in favor of using a good bike shop for advice, fitting, and service when you aren't expert yourself.

(Wouldn't begin to suggest a bike at my level of ignorance...and my needs are v. different from yours anyway.)