Road Cycling - my first road bike

First of all i must apoligize if you get tons of these topics asking for bike recomendations and if i just didn't look hard enough through the old topics to find what i'm looking for.

Having gotten that out of the way i am looking for a moderately priced road bike(something deffinitely under $1000) i'm going to start riding quite a bit mostly for college but also just to ride. I would really like something that i can get for about 400$ ebay dollars. i was looking at a 2004 motobecane super mirage that seemed nice and was about the right size and price. i'm 6'3" so i need a rather large bike although i'm really not quite sure on the size. i was unable to find any good reviews on bikes but i really like a few of the Bianchis i've looked at.

any information would be greatly appreciated

thanks

~nihthelm

I would recommend looking at the Trek 1000. It is a very reliable bike. They can be purchased on Ebay for $350 - $500.00. There is usually of good selection of them, because they are a great starter bike, and lots of people own them.

the downside to getting an ebay bike is that you really have to know what size bike you require before you buy. there's no one to fit you, you're on your own. if this were your second bike, ebay would be fine (i'm all for used stuff!). but since you have no idea what size bike you need, i very reluctantly suggest you go to a good bike shop. find out what size you need, then keep shopping until you find something you can afford. i found a Specialized Allez, last season's model, for $499. and the fit seems pretty good for me. but i wouldn't have known where to start if i hadn't had the shop fit me to the bike. there are websites that will calculate your required bike size by your measurements, but again i wouldn't have felt too comfortable doing that for my first road bike.

yes, getting the proper size is deffinitely a concern. how much do sizes vary through different models of bikes? could i be fit to a certain bike in a shop and then use those measurements to ebay a bike? i have limited funds and don't really have the money to buy a bike in the shop.

also, does anyone have any recomendations for a good first bike. i have not had much luck finding reviews online. i will look into the trek 1000 but other than that it is rather overwhelming...

thanks for the replies.

Have you thought about buying a used bike that is a few years old? I looked around for a few weeks a couple of months ago and stumbled across a '99 Specialized Allez Sport, that was used only for a few months and came Ultegra equipped. I paid the guy $325 :) and I'm very happy. Also think about buying a new '02 or older model that might have been sitting at an LBS. That should drop the price tag more. Also be sure to test ride some bikes so you know what fits you the best. Cause you will have to know if you are to make an EBay purchase.