overwhelmed. Bianchi?LeMonde?Trek?

[aly]

Sorry this is so long (and I know you all have read this same stuff before), but I'm overwhelmed and need help.

I am brand new to road biking. After talking about it for months, my boyfriend and I have decided to jump in, buy bikes and ride. For him, it has been easy. He basically picked out a bike before we even started looking. He rode it and one other in the first store and was done. I fit/feel best on a 49 or 47 wsd. However, not many stores have many in stock for me to try. After much looking and some test riding, I've narrowed it down to Trek 1600, Bianchi Eros Donna, and LeMond Tourmalet. I'm going to do another test ride on each, but just wanted some general feedback.

I know I need to find one I'm comfortable on and that fits, but it's hard to decide which fits best when you don't know what a good fit should feel like or what your preferences are. I've been measured, but they just used that for a plug in to find the best sized frame. Should I feel a little stretch initially or no? Can't most of this be tweaked later?

Our plans are to go into the local canyons, so we'll be doing some distance and a decent amount of climbing. I may end up wanting to race and do longer rides with a local bike club. I want a bike that I'll be happy with for a couple of years (I don't want to go strict beginner's level and then wish I had spent up a little).

The Trek and LeMond both have Shimano 105 while the Bianchi has Campy Mirage. My boyfriend seems to think the components on the Bianchi aren't as good and the bike is more expensive (the Trek is on sale for $1040, the Lemond is on sale for $980 and the Bianchi is $1299). However, I love the woman who helped me at the Bianchi store and she highly recommended the steel frame for the smaller bike. She also thought I would like the Campy over the Shimano.

I actually haven't even been on the Bianchi yet, but I felt like the saleswoman (who was a similar size and a very experienced rider) knew what I needed. She also said that they would trade out the saddle if I wasn't happy with the one it comes with. It just seems like an excellent store to work with. However, the people at the other store, where my boyfriend is buying, are also very helpful, and they are reluctantly ordering the Lemond for me to try on the assumption that I'll also buy (I'll at least buy some gear...).

I'm just so confused and my boyfriend is ready to strangle me... Anyone have any advice?