Next week I will finally be able to purchase my first road bike. My previous bike was a Fuji (can't remember the model) flat bar bike, that I had purchased a few years ago for about $600. It was a little on the heavy side, but I was happy until it got stolen two years ago. Needless to say, I was crushed when this happened, and have not had the opportunity to get a replacement until finally now in the upcoming week.
From a bonus coming from work, I am currently looking at a Salsa Vaya 3.
http://http://salsacycles.com/bikes/vaya_3
It will be from a LBS up the street, that I've had previous good experiences with. Another big plus is that it includes a complete fitting for the bike. It seems to be what I am looking for- primarily a road bike, but also something I can ride on towpath trails with gravel, and something to eventually reach my goal of attempting a century ride at some point.
I've been reading good reviews online about this particular bike, and I'm just wondering what the opinions from here on it would be. Needless to say, next week can't come soon enough.