I'm absolutely a fan of custom bikes (that's all I own at this point in time).

But - if I had started in the road bike world by buying a custom bike I suspect it would have been replaced sooner rather than later. Not because there is anything wrong with a custom bike - but do you know enough about road biking and your style of riding to make the right long-term decisions on a custom bike? Are there standard bikes available that will fit you with a few tweaks, or do you really need custom to fit your body to the bike correctly?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'd recommend that you look at both. Maybe buying a non-custom bike and riding it for a year or two will give you a better idea of what you want from a custom bike. Or maybe custom is right for you from the beginning. I suspect that the only way to know is to start test-riding bikes.

Happy dreaming, and happy bike shopping!

--- Denise