General Cycling Discussion - Need info on what "type" i need to research on

not here to ask which bike/brand is better. more like what kind of bike. i have a single speed SE draft light right now, that i travel with, its ok, but there's some hills i ride on that kill me with the single speed and if the wind is blowing against me on the hill, it just brings me to almost walking speeds.

i use my bike, to ride from my suburb to the downtown/campus part of my city i live in, which is about 8 to 12 miles one way. i honestly really don't mind my bike i've got for when i've reached the downtownish area. yet, i want more speed for the long boring haul to get there.

what type should i look at, i'm really wanting speed. i'll never race this, and most like won't ever do charity or multi day runs, and what not.

the more and more i've been researching, i keep seeing so many different brands/models/series.

and there's sooooooo many different bikes and models, all very similar in the price range i'm looking to spend ($500-1300). its seems the more and more i look, i want to spend more and more money on a bike. but why, can anyone point me in the right direction. i've tried 3 geared bikes. and have done non stop research on this matter. i've looked at mostly the cannondales (caad8 caad9 synopse 5), konas, bianchis, after researching, heard about giant, specialized. so after looking at all of those, my brain is fried. and it almost makes me not want to even get a geared bike, since there's so many options. i wish i could almost build my own, but i don't know how much that'd be. i don't want a flashy bike, i don't want stickers. i want a flat black/flat silver, speedy,decently comfy ride.

what should i look for, and what lines should i try? i don't know what to think/or look at at this point. the three bikes i test road (which they let me ride them where ever i wanted, so i tried some hills out with with the windy weather, so i got a decent feel for it).

i just want more average cruising speed.

thanks

Too much thinking, I think... For everyday riding, there's not as much difference among different types of bikes as we like to pretend. For instance, I have $3000 Atlantis and a 15-year-old steel Trek I bought used for $175, and it pains me to admit there's not THAT much difference between them, nor between either one of them and my Rambouillet (got a great deal on it used--I can't justify two bikes that expensive). Changing tires among the three bikes makes more difference than getting off one of them and getting on another.
Why not go to a good, well-stocked bike shop and explain your dilemma? Ride three or four or six bikes, talk to the people and let them help you decide. that's why they're there.

well, it kind of sucks, there's a lot of bike shops around here, and they all seem to have different brands, and they don't carry all the models that i've researched, and i don't want to order a bike i don't try out first.

Just pick a shop where you like the people, or is handy to your location, and pick a bike from them.

There's too much info out there. Nothing really sucks in your price range.

after all the consideration, and research, i've decided on just getting a nice single speed bike. i really enjoy the single speed i've got right now, its just really heavy, and is more of just a starter single speed. i want to be able to get more speed and comfort out of the single, plus i also think i'm going to price out just custom building my own bike. i want a non flashy bike, but with good quality parts all around, and not one or two good parts on the bike, and then the rest are subpar parts to bring the price down. i think i'm looking to get the bianchi super pista frameset and building it up. any thoughts?

thanks
bobby

haha, scratch that, i actually ended up buying a cannondale synapse. damn decisions in life.... though i still have my old single speed i can mess with if i get bored.