Help me buy my first road bike

So yesterday I checked out a new local bike shop. Nice, knowledgable sales guys and a whole bunch of specialized and jamis bikes from 2008 in my size!

The top three bikes I want to ride:
Jamis Ventura Race ($880 from $1350)
Jamis Quest ($1100 from $1650)
Specialized Ruby Elite (about $1500 from $2000)

Good deals on all, plus we get an additional 10% of the price of the bike back in free accessories. I need a helmet and bike computer.

The Jamis Ventura Race has exactly what I think I want in a bike. The Quest is steel, so I'd like to see how it feels. The Ruby is all carbon, could be sweet. It's a little above my price range, but we just discovered the tax rebate is going to be a little bigger than we thought this year. So maybe...

You can't go wrong with those three. Get the one that fits you best. Can't wait for a ride report.

So after riding the bikes at Veloce Velo (the new local bike shop), I was very happy with the Jamis Ventura Race. It has components similar to many bikes in the $1200-1500 range, but was on sale for $880. Overall it fit well, and the shop swapped out a few parts to make it fit even better. The shop gave me $88 in store credit towards other accessories (I need a computer, new helmet and pedals).

I'm so excited to get out and ride...and so bummed it's raining cats and dogs today!!

Oh happy day! Glad you found something that was perfect for you!

Please let us know how your first ride went!

Great news! Jamis make really nice bikes at a reasonable cost--I love my Jamis Coda Comp from way back in 2003. Congratulations!

I bought my first road bike, Novara Carema with Tiagra components, from REI in 2006. It was a great package for the price. I fell in love hard with riding and the bike. I love the bike so much I now want the 2009 Pro so I can upgrade to the 105 components and ........ just because. I just can't justify the purchase, the current bike is great (and the paint job is not like everyone else's). I have never once regretted the purchase, and if I had, REI has an incredible return policy.

If you are willing to try a mail order bike there may be something on this site that would work for you in your price range. My daughter bought the Gigi a few years back and has had good luck with it.

Oops! I didn't get to page two before I replied. Congrats on the new bike. Enjoy!