I've been bike shopping for a couple of months and really struggled with finding a stock bicycle that meets my needs. I really want a road type bike that I can commute with, as well as take on longer rides. WSD bikes fit me well, but it seems they are all either hybrids or not fender/rack friendly.

Today, I went to a very small shop near me and found what I think could be the perfect bike. It's a Salsa Casseroll. It's steel, ready for racks, fenders, 2 bottle cages and a frame pump (all at the same time). Plus, it's a pretty color too! Looking at the dimensions online, it looks to be very similar to the Trek 5000 I rode and liked, so I think the geometry will work for me.

The only thing with buying a frame is that I have to/get to choose the components. Let's see if I can even name them all - headset, stem, handlebars, brakes, front derailleur, rear derailleur, bottom bracket, cranks, cassette, wheels, pedals...I'm sure there's more. Beyond searching these forums for each of those things individually (which I'll be doing over the next few days), do folks have any recommendations for what I should be thinking about as I consider these choices? On stock bikes I was looking at 105 level components, but never really paid attention to the details beyond that.

BTW, I'm totally open to critique of the frame if anyone has and positive or negative things to say about it.