thanks chigrl. i had thought about that, but since i'm planning on getting the bike in fall or winter, i figured i would be able to defray those costs over a couple of months. pretty much what i'm looking at now are bikes from trek, lemond, cannondale, giant, specialized, and felt (can i get any wider of a selection?) with either tiagra or 105 components. it'll all come down to the test rides. i'm going to stay away from stuff that's too fancy, like aero spokes and such. just a solid enthusiast bike that'll be great to ride on and won't be too hard to maintain.

any decent steel bikes for around $1000? just so i can get a feel for what those are like?