I say get the 1.2 and not the 2.1. You can argue with yourself over this component group and that wheelset and that frame material all day long. But, with your first road bike, the reality is that you don't know what you're looking at or what you're going to grow into.

So buy the low end one that you enjoy riding now. Ride the crap out of it. When you get the money, and the itch, for a serious upgrade go ahead and do it. Your serious upgrade may just be a whole new bike: And you're going to feel a lot less bad about buying a new bike if you have a 1.2 than if you have a 2.1.

If you get crazy about biking you're going to end up with a several thousand dollar bike. But buying that before you're crazy would be ... crazy. Buying something in the middle is just going to end up costing you $500 for a difference in ride that you couldn't appreciate at the time.