I posted this on the road bike forum but I guess it kinda fits in more here what with my price range and all.

I'm sure you get this kind of thing a lot but I felt like you all were the best people to ask. I've been riding road bikes recreationally for over a year, but I've pretty much been stuck with bikes my parents stopped using 20 years ago or bikes they found at yard sales. I had an old schwinn and an old peugeot, both were a bit too small, but they kept me entertained. Now I'm trying to get more into biking and I've been looking around craig's list for awhile but haven't had a lot of success, maybe because i'm often afraid of getting ripped off. Basically what I want to know is, what kind of bikes are worth in the $125-$250 range and how do most people feel about brands like schwinn, raleigh, ross, nishiki, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated!