OK, quick history, I was an avid motorcyclist, riding about 10,000 miles a year. I had a Suzuki Vstrom, a dual sport bike, and mainly commuted to an from work on pavement. On weekends I went on a lot of unpaved roads and a few fire roads. Then I had Irish twins (oops), and had to give up the motorbike.
I miss being on two wheels! I found a local bicycling group through meetup.com, and decided to go on rides with them once a month or so. They do similar rides to the ones I went with my motorcycle group, easy-going stuff anywhere from 20-60 miles long. I started looking for a bike, and woah...there's a lot more selection.
After much soul searching, I finally think I got in mind what I'm looking for. I was looking at hybrids, mountain bikes, fitness bikes etc., but then I saw this:
I'm sold, the road bike has basically all I'm looking for--drop handlebars, 700c tires, able to clock up the miles on long rides. I just need a slightly beefier one to handle light (very light) off road stuff. I'm putting a cushier seat on it for day long comfort. Being able to add luggage will be a huge plus. My price range, for the initial purchase (stock bike) is around $500-$600. I saw this at [censored]'s: http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11031785&cp=4406646.4413993.4418012 Think it will fit the bill? Should I be looking at used better bikes instead?
eta: Sorry, the [censored]'s link is not working. The bike is called Diamondback Men's Podium One Road Bicycle 2011
Thanks!