$1500 to spend (suggestions please)

I'd go to one or more bike shops first and test ride several bikes. That way you'll find out what's available in that price range and what size you need if you don't already know.

That'll help you make a short list and then you can post specific questions about those bikes.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by 64Paramount [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I'd go to one or more bike shops first and test ride several bikes. That way you'll find out what's available in that price range and what size you need if you don't already know.

That'll help you make a short list and then you can post specific questions about those bikes.

+1 to that!

I was in the same budget range. I went to a local shop and asked questions and narrowed down what I was looking for. Now the shop wasn't a huge shop and only carried two brands, Specialized and Fuji. He didn't have any specialized bikes in stock and had a few Fuji's across different models. After talking to him and figuring out what I wanted to do with the bike, he broke it down and I narrowed it down to the Fuji Roubaix 1.0. I was leaning towards this cause it had the 105 setup already on the bike and the 2.0 had the Tiagra which wasn't as appealing to me. I ended up paying just over $1200 for the bike. I've been very happy as it is my first bike and I couldn't be happier at this time with my decision.

Now there are many other models and I only tried one brand, but was satisfied with it. Make sure you save some $ to take into account the pedals, shoes, and whatever else you end up picking up if you do not have other accessories yet.

Find a shop that is not pushy and willing to help. Don't let them make the decision for you. Also sometimes the smaller shops help out with other things. I got 10% off anything I purchased when I got the bike.