If you want a road bike, you might want to look for good used rather than new cheap. It's really hard to get a decent road bike for under $500 new. That will require more resaerch, and self education to get a good one that fits, but if your so-inclined the homework can pay off. Lots of really nice older bikes are under-appreciated and you can get really nice deals. The trick there is to know what you are looking for really well. Upgrading bikes can get costly fast, so wether it's a new bike or a used one try to make sure it's very close to how you want it, or you can very quickly spend a lot of money on parts to get it there.