For your price range, I would seriously consider buying a used, older road bike. Hopefully one that was well taken care of.
As far as the BD bike is concerned, there are quite a few people here who have bought them and find them to be a good value. Do a search for "BD Bike" "Bikes Direct" and you will see that much of the discussion is in regards to "aggressive phrasing" found in their ads.
We do want you to find a bike that fits and that you enjoy riding.