Road Cycling - Cannondale, Lemond or Jamis??? Help!

Alright, ive got a problem here. I want to spend something in the $1,500 dollar range for a bike. Ive been doing distance touring for years but am starting to get very serious about road racing. Ill be competing at the CAT 3-5 level. At my local bike shops i found 3 bikes on clearance that fit me. All bikes are the 2001 model.
1. $1,499 2001 Jamis Comet- 7005 triple butted aluminum frame, Mavic Cosmic Elite Wheels, Full Ultegra Groupo, 3T Forgie stem and bar, thomson seat post, selia italia gel XO gel seat, profile BRC carbon fork, cane creek s2 headset..... 2001 Jamis Comet (http://www.jamisbikes.com/bikes/spec&geo/comet_spec01.html)
2. $1,399 2001 Cannondale R1000 Si Double- CAAD 5 Frame, Campy Proton wheels, Full Ultegra except 105 brakeset, front derailleur, bottom bracket, rear cogs and campy record hiddenset headset, cannondale saddle, seatpost and stem.
2001 Cannondale R1000 SI (http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/01/cusa/model-1RR1ID.html)
3. $1,399 2002 Lemond Buenos Ares- Reynolds 853 Designer Select double butted steel alloy, Icon Carbon Classic fork, Cane Creek c1 headset, groupo- 105 bottom bracket rest is ultegra, Bontrager Select wheelset, 3t the bar and stem
Lemond Buenos Aires (http://www.lemondbikes.com/bikes/bikes_buenos.html)
I really have no idea which one's better, my complaints on each bike are: Cannondale- because the headset is integrated, if the headset cracks then that totals my frame right? whats the deal with the integrated headset?
Jamis-the model is really ugly (beetle green) not that it really matters but you figure for 1500.......
Lemond- Heaviest bike of the three and steel frame for racing??
I really appreciate the help, this is my first semi-higher end bike and i want it to be great! -jack

Which bike fits you best, which one's handling and ride quality do you prefer? At that price range, and with those brands, you probably will not go wrong, although I do share your concerns about the integrated headset, which is something Bianchi used on many of their steel frames in the 1950s and 1960s.

How often do you want to buy a new bike? It's probably a bias on my part, but I think the steel frame will outlast the others.

I decided on the Jamis Comet and i just wanted to write my recomendation. This has been a great bike for the five months i have owned it. Its much quicker and provides more steady cornering than my previous cannondale. I definitely recommend Jamis to anyone considering purchasing a new bike. My only complaint is with the hutchinson carbon comp black tires stock on the bike. I experienced literally 2 dozen flats within the first 3 months of owning the bike. I was eventually forced to replace the new tires with conti grand prix's and i havent had a flat since. The sidewall on the hutchinsons was paper thin and the rest of the tire provides little if any protection against puncture (small rocks were piercing my tube). Four patch kits is enough to convince me to never purchase from hutchinson again. -matt

For a race bike,Cdale,a no brainer if it fits.

congrats on your purchase 5 months ago . Thanks for the update and sorry you had bad luck with the tires! Hopefully its all sorted out and you're back to enjoying the bike!

Cannondale

Consider This....
I just bought a Raleigh R700 for $995 from GVHBikes.com and I couldn't be happier.
I plan on racing Cat 4-5 with it this year.
I had searched high and low for some time trying to decide type of bike to go with.
I went with this bike because it is full Ultegra (except for the bottom bracket I think)
It has Shimano 535 wheels and the rest of the stuff is good quality. ITM Bars and Stem. American Classsic Seatpost and Selle San Marco Concor Light saddle. It came with Pedals as well.
I just put it together last night. I'll ge heading to the bike shop soon to get fitted on it.
I haven't weighed it but it feel really light.
Also, This shouldn't count for much with a racing bike but....
I think it looks fantastic. I personally am going to spend much more time training than racing and I wanted a really nice looking bike.
For $995...you just absolutely can not beat the price. The componants cost more than the whole bike!
Gary at GVHBikes.com is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.
A true pleasure to do business with. We talked measurements extensively to ensure I was getting the right size. The last I had looked, he still has a 53 cm and a 56 cm.
Anyways, I hope this helps.
Bike buying can be super stressful because of the vast array of choices....It can also be alot of fun too!
Good Luck.
Lance

The Raleigh's a nice looking bike, and sounds like a great deal, Congrat's. :beer:

BTW, I rode on Hutchinson's for several years, they were original equipment on my Giant hybrid and had good luck with them. I only started getting flats when they were so worn I could see daylight between the treads. (Yes, I should have replaced them sooner!). Of course there's a big difference between these tires and what you would have on the road bike.

I now have the Conti top 2000's (32mm) and they're great.