My 2 cents...

Based on my research lately into bikes for a family member, the two best buys in the $1000 range are from Felt and Jamis.

Felt FW35 (women's) or F85 (unisex) are great buys.
Jamis Ventura Race in men's or women's model is great too.

Both of these bikes offer shockingly good components for the price and both are under 20 pounds. The Jamis has carbon seat stays which might make it a slightly better buy than Felt.

So, yes, the bike must fit, but these two are big winners if they fit you.