Now just find the LBS.

There are differences in the way some bikes feel and if you look at the "Popular Starter" bikes for new road riders they are all the same except colour and name. Test ride is the only way to ensure fit-feel and suitability of a bike for you. The LBS is going to be stressed as your main pointer in getting a bike that fits these criteria but it is the test ride that will find the right bike. Don't know your price point but can tell you right now to set that point----Then add a few hundred $'s to it. It's your last point of getting a bike you really want that makes me say this. Within a particular model there will be a few different grades of that bike and by going up one grade you will get a few better items such as wheels- groupset set and components that will make you wish you had got a better model a few months down the line.