Thank you all for your responses.

After running around this weekend, I think I'm going to go with the Avail. I did go to Performance, and they a) didn't have any in stock, and b) didn't have anything in my price range in stock. I can get the Avail for less over at the LBS than the cheapest entry-level road bike they had at Performance. The other thing is, the gear range on the Avail is wider. The Performance bikes seemed to be geared for climbing. Great, but not what I need right now.


(I did pick up a helmet at Performance, and they were willing to give me the online price (67) rather than the store price (87), so good for them!)