Starting the buying process

For the money a Cannondale CAAD 10 is hard to beat. You should be able to pick on up within your price range.

The CAAD series of bikes has a storied lineage - including Giro ditalia overall wins and Tour stage wins.

The old "debate" about aluminum frames being overly harsh is a crock. The CAAD 10 is almost as comfy and refined as their top of the line SuperSix Hi-mod carbon bikes - and a lot of the difference there comes from the use of more forgiving carbon bars/stem.

There are quite a few other brands, inc Specialized, that make great bikes at that price point and they'd probably work well for you but I think the Cannondale is the best all round bike for the money...

... That's if the frame sizing fits you.

Fit is more important than anything else at this stage of the game. If you can get a comfortable position on the CaAD's fairly aggressive geometry then you'll do fine - otherwise consider something a bit more "relaxed" with a taller headtube.

Fit > Fashion.

Dont be that guy that has a pro looking position but has to ride with his hands on the tops because even reaching the brake hoods is a stretch and the drops are only ever used when you're stopped at the lights and you need a different place to grab the brake levers from. :p

Swampy is right about the fit. It is the most important aspect of the perfect bike for you. You won't want to ride a poorly fitted bike any more than you would want to try hiking 50 miles in poorly fitting shoes.

Aside from that, take a trip to Houston and ride a bunch of bikes of from as many different manufacturers as you can. Ride bikes made of different materials. And then after you have been fitted and found which bike you like best based upon the fit, fun of riding it, and how much you like the looks, buy it. Just remember, what works for one person doesn't work for everyone. If a salesman is pushing you to buy a certain bike because it is the most popular bike they sell, don't listen to him. If there was one bike that worked perfect for everyone, there would just be that one bike on the market and all other bikes companies would be out of business.

Good luck and I hope your Houston Texans beat Baltimore tomorrow.