I'm in exactly the same position as you- high school, work in a bike shop, two completely different bikes, etc. A couple things- have you ridden road for a while, meaning you have things like pedals, shoes, clothes, etc., or are you new? Do you race, or just ride for fun? I ended up getting the CF one with full ultegra for whatever it's worth, but I was already on a team and have been racing for a while.