Thanks for the information. You gave me more to think about. Your "Get the $50 trainer, a cheap single-speed, " idea might be the best way for me now. I already got a trainer free,so I just need to get a bike to get me started. Do you recommend any cheap single-speed so I can feel a custom to riding a road bike?

My current bike budget is $500(just for the bike), but I am aware of all the extras. I been doing a lot of research online and asking around. There are bikers(riding around) around but not many bike shops close by. Walmart is horrible for asking any bike questions.

I was just going to buy one of the cheap bikes on amazon as a rider and try to upgrade it later but that sounds like a bad idea now.