When I got my new ride last April, I looked at fit, components, frame material and price, in that order. I ended up with a '11 Felt Z85 with 105 components, carbon fork & seatpost and it was $1,100 that fits me well. I'm very happy with it and have put just under 4,000 miles on it since I got it.

Some sage advice I was given was to not get "carbon-itis" where you feel you need to have a full carbon frame and don't consider anything else. As I said, I'm very happy with my ride and I'm glad I didn't spend the extra money just to get a full carbon ride.

One last thing to keep in mind - it's really all about the fit and how you feel on the bike; not just the materials.