I'm shopping around for road bikes and I'll be transitioning from my old hefty, but tried and true, Cannondale hybrid. I would really like to finish a first century ride this summer. My budget is about $1500.

I tried out a ladies Cannondale CAAD10 alumninum frame today, and boy it felt like quite a transition. Mind you I was wearing regular street clothes, and it is an aluminum frame, but I really felt like I could sense every bump and texture in the road on the test ride. Is this pretty typical for the switch to a road bike? The narrow tires and such. The young man helping me related that in this price range this bike with this frame was a great choice before jumping up and spending considerably more. Any thoughts... ?