Originally Posted by
Bob Ross
Beat me to it!
I have one of Carl's steel frames, and I wouldn't hesitate to ride the crap out of one of his carbon frames.
edit: Ah, I see the OP wants to spend ~$2k on his first road bike. Might not be ready for a Strong
...yet.
I've been eyeing Strong and Hampsten (and Strong builds some of their frames) for the next build. They're more reasonably priced than I thought they'd be.