Originally Posted by
Wanderer
You are right, and a carbon fork is a major improvement. Have you considered Sirrus? Some of the Sirrus have carbon forks, with discs.
Specialized Bicycle Components
Personally I wouldn't spend 1000$ on a flat-bar road bike just to use it for sidewalk commuting. I agree with Little Darwin, there's no reason to spend that much if that's the type of riding you'll be doing.
Any bike from a name brand manufacturer like Specialized, Trek, or Giant is going to be a good bike. Their
lowest-end bike is still going to be far and above a department store bike. The only reason to spend more is if you're really going to put the bike through its paces and use it as it was designed. In my opinion.