Looking to get into road riding. As a kid I started on BMX bikes then went on to mountain bikes which I ride now, usually just around with the kids. A good friend of mine got me interested in road riding for a good workout.

My situation is I'm on a budget, I'd prefer to keep my purchase well under $500. I haven't found much, well anything at all locally on craigslist. However I found a Cannondale CAAB8 frame brand new for $180.

I'm not opposed to building "cheap" now, then upgrading as I go. Is this a good deal and could I keep my total build sub 4-500?

I've also never put a bike together, but am very mechanically inclined and love to build things anyways.

I would love any suggestion!

If you shop carefully, for NOS, or lightly used, you can build a nice bike for a good price. It still may be cheaper to buy a complete bike.
Does the frame come with the fork ?

You can also search Ebay, with ZipCode radius and see if there's anything near you.

It unfortunately does not come with a fork. I am all for purchasing a decent budget road bike as well.

I'm not a personal fan of Cannondales, I find them to be very fast but very rough riding that translates all of the road imperfections to the rider as vibrations. But that's my personal preference, you shouldn't make it yours unless you actually try riding one first. to see how they feel for you personally.

As for whether you could build it for under $500, I'd say yes, but only if you get the wheels and some other major components like the crankset, seat. seatpost, bars and stem used, rather than new. You can probably find a very serviceable wheel set 2nd hand on Craigslist for $60-80, maybe even as low as $50. that will be comparable to a $150-200 new one. If there is a bike Co-op near you, that's also a good source for used components. You probably also need to build it using 9-speed components rather than 10 speed or 11 speed to get under your budget assuming $150-200 for a good frame with fork. But I don't think that's any sacrifice at all.

Some other good framesets to look out for that should cost you well under $200 if you can find them in the right size would be a Klein Quantum (which I prefer to Cannondales) and just about any good condition steel frame with double butted tubing. I recently saw a nice Klein frame with fork and headset in my size in my area that I could have gotten for $100 or less, and I would have bought it had I not just bought a Schwinn Paramount Series 7 frame for $120 a couple of weeks earlier.

I just built my Schwinn Paramount series 7 starting out with a frame/fork/headset that set me back $120, and my total build following the advice I gave above cost me around $450. But I put a tripleized Campy Record crank on it, that probably cost $40-50 or so more than you need to spend for a good used 9-speed double crankset. The main reason I hit that cost point were: A great, complete frameset with fork and headset for a great price, and a good used pair of wheels that I already had lying around, but that I had originally paid about $60 for, and a nice Fizik saddle that I got at a local bike swap faire for $25. You can get adequate used saddles for $10 on ebay, but good ones will generally go for at least $25-$40, often more.

I should add that, in general, you can get a better deal on a complete bike, but if you build it up yourself, you can get exactly what you want - in my case, a great steel frame with a modern 27 speed drivetrain that has both narrow spacing and low hill-climbing gears, courtesy of the front triple.

But it would probably be easier to pay $350-450 and get the best already built up used bike you can, unless you really know what you're looking for component-wise.

Thank you all for all this information so far.

I've been looking for the last few weeks on craigslist for a reasonably priced used bike within two hours from me but to no avail. I do think at this point from all your information and looking at components it might just be easier to buy from BD. I really am mixed as there seems to be a love/hate relationship between everyone on the bike forums regarding their cheap bikes.

Any suggestions on which one I should get? I'm 5'7" and 220. It seems like a 53 would be perfect for me.

Pass on the CAAD8. Great frame, but that's not going to build up within your budget.

Better to buy complete. Check this one as an example, steel with ultegra:
Bianchi Vigorelli 53 cm

Where are you located?

I'm in upstate NY in between Rochester and Syracuse.

A fork will eat into your budget a significant amount, if you can find one. I'm following forks on the bay right now, and they're all running $100+ for a decent 1-1/8" road fork. Then you'll have to get headset, seatpost, bars, pedals and other things that don't come with the group... Even if you get a good deal on each, $10-20, they all add up.

I'd say keep shopping for a complete bike, check eBay and local shops (if they do used) as well. SOMEONE will have a road bike for under $500 SOMEWHERE, even if they have to ship it to you.

Nice Vintage Cannondale Criterium 54cm Road Race Bike Turquoi Blue | eBay

Trek 2120 Carbon Fiber Road Bike Campagnolo Gruppo Great Condition | eBay

Aluminum Specialized Allez Road Bike 58" | eBay

Any sub $4-500 bike from BD you can recommend as the best? As I honestly have no clue whats better component wise.

You do not need to worry too much about components. In the price range you are talking about, in a new bike, you are going to get an aluminum frame with low end components no matter what bike you buy.
That said, that is not a bad thing. The low end components today are better than the high end components of yesteryear, and all function quite nicely. The idea here is to get you out riding on a functional bike...as time goes by and you decide you really do enjoy road bike riding, and you get experience and "feel" then you will want another bike and will be able to appreciate what the higher end components give you. You get the negative opinions on BD and box store bikes on this forum because to begin with you are talking to bike "nuts", folks with a passion for what they do, they would not be happy with the bikes you are talking about for themselves and they just assume you would not be either. Get the bike in your size range that looks good to you, go ride the crap out of it and see where it goes from there.

Where you live has some hills. Plus you are on the clyde-side (as am I). Therefore you probably want to get a triple or compact double for the hills.

I have a BD Windsor Tourist, but it's pretty heavy for a road bike. I use it for touring and riding on crushed limestone trails.

For a rode bike in your price range, I'd consider the Motobecane Mirage SLX in the 52 cm size. It's a triple.

Save Up to 60% Off Road Bikes - Motobecane Mirage SLX Carbon Fork Shimano Road Bikes

If you think that you might be a strong rider or the hills aren't an issue, you could save some money with the Mirage S which is a compact double.
Save Up to 60% Off Carbon Fork Road Bikes - Motobecane Mirage S

Thanks! The Mirage S is the one I have been considering along with the Gravity Avenue A
Save up to 60% off new Road Bikes - Gravity Avenue A | Save up to 60% off new road bikes

and the Windsor Wellington 2.0
Save Up To 60% Road Bikes - Windsor Wellington 2.0 2015

and the mercier Galaxy
Save Up To 60% Off Road Bikes, Roadbikes - Mercier Galaxy SC3 Aluminum Road bikes

I just am not sure between these what would be the "best" value. I believe a compact double I should be ok on, I am a clyde but can pedal up the hills around here on my mountain bike without an issue. I'd also be interested in a CX if I would be able to keep up with my road bike buddies on it.

Often times, quoted prices on Craigslist are much higher than the seller would actually take, or what the fair value should be - Here are some comments about reasonable bikes presently on Syracuse or Rochester CL sites:

This bike on Syracuse CL is probably your size, well equipped, and I'd say fair value at $300-350, despite what's being asked for it - the seller might eventually get realistic about the price they'd take:
motobecane sprint tour

This older somewhat classic Fuji is more appropriately priced - but size-wise it's way too big for you, but if something similar came along in 53-54mm size, it would be good choice:
Fuji s10s Racer with accessory

This Trek is more of an upright hybrid bike, but it might work well for you, and is worth checking out (different geometry, it probably would fit you):
Trek 7.1 Almost brand new

This Trek in Rochester might be just the ticket, but IMHO, it's worth $350-400, not the $500 asking price:
Trek 1.5 WSD 54cm

If I were you, I would definitely check out the Trek 1.5 WSD in Rochester, and the Trek 7.1 more upright hybrid bike in Syracuse.
See either of them fits you comfortably, and if you like one of them, I'd offer up to $300 on the Trek 7.1, or up to $400 on the Trek 1.5 WSD.

Isn't the Trek WSD a womans bike? How does an upright hybrid compare to a road bike? I might be interested in that.

IMHO, The Windsor Wellington and the Mercier Galaxy and the Motobecane Mirage S are all worth considering among the Bikes Direct bikes, within your budget.

In many cases, women's bikes are essentially the same as mens bikes, except for the saddle - and at your slightly Clyde size, a wider saddle might very well be a good thing. OK, the bottle cages are pink - no biggie.

As for the upright hybrids, they are pretty close to drop-bar road bikes in performance, but more comfortable. I rented one in Hawaii (a Specialized Sirrus) and I quite liked it. On the performance continuum between a mountain bike and a drop-bar road bike, they are maybe 75-80% of the way toward a drop bar road bike.

But after I saw the BikesDirect new bikes you are looking at, I think that one of the 3 I listed in my prior post would be your best bet. I might lean toward the Motobecane Mirage S, in the 52 cm size for you.

The trek is a women's frame. So if you have longer legs but a shorter torso it might work.

I'm trying to see if the Sprint Tour on CL will come down in price to what you have said it's worth. If not I will just pick up on from BD as I want to be riding by next weekend.

What are the major/minor differences in the BD ones listed? Any one in particular better than the other?

Im not sure how vintage you are wanting to go, but if you exercise a bit a patience, and depending on your local Craigslist Market, you can build something decent.

I am into this bike for around $325 after about 8 months of scavanging.

You should point out to the seller that you can get the similar Motobecane Mirage S for $400 with a warranty on BikesDirect. That's the one I'd lean toward. I prefer the CF fork, and the gearing configuration on that one to the other two.

And I did this one for under $450 with about 6 weeks of careful search for used componentry, but you and I know quite a bit more about components and older frames than the OP does. Plus, the upstate NY Craigslist market has nothing near the choices available as mine in Northern San Diego does.

This is true, but we are both here to help the OP if he needs it

Heck I got a 10sp RD he can have, think I have some bars/stem too

I'd be willing to offer $450 for the local Motobecane (in your shoes). 6600 Ultegra is nice stuff.

Maybe I am missing something the Sprint, is a typical blend of BD parts but the shifters, deraileurs, crank, brakes, cassette and chain are Ultegra and the frame has carbon stays. The Mirage is a blended tourney groupset. I have no idea what the Sprint originally sold (to determine value) for but I would not consider them comparable bikes.

IMHO, that's high for a used Bikes'Direct bike, even with a nice component group, when you consider that it probably sold for the same $650 they are trying to get for it brand new. I could see $400, but not more.