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I love books, bikes, food, films and challenges. Started cycling regularly spring 2015 but totally in love with it now (as my bank statements illustrate...).

Also, I'm vegetarian + gluten-free (i.e always keen for nutrition tips to stay healthy on the bike)

Thank you everyone!
Have looked into discounts (cheers!) - Swift Cycles could be an option if I go for the Cannondale. Otherwise I feel like I've had so much time from the Evans staff that I should give them my custom now!

Thibaud - that's all super useful. I hadn't fully realised that when people had told me 'find what's comfortable' that (in general) each model refers to the frame and then components raise the price up and down. So actually just testing all the frames first and ignoring all the rest is more helpful (although I LOVED the disc brakes that were on both bikes - Synapse and Dolce - that I tried yesterday. They both seemed more comfortable than the Allez, although that was the first road bike I tried so maybe I was just overwhelmed by the difference!

I think I need to try the Emonda and women's Synapse (@Martine I definitely noticed the benefits of the narrower handlebars on the Dolce!) to see if I notice them, but I can now see why comfort is most important and then I'll just buy the best components I can afford once I've chosen the frame.

Thank you so much everyone for helping me build a better picture of what I'm looking for and getting and in need of! :)

Thanks Ollie - that's super helpful!
I'm heading to go test ride the Dolce and Synapse today and have already tested the Specialized Allez (although as it was the first road bike I'd properly tried, anything was better than my hybrid! It sounds from all my online research like fit and comfort triumph everything else but I doubt my own ability to discern what's comfortable when I'm so road-bike-inexperienced..
Glad to hear I should fit in ability wise :) I have strong - but as yet untrained - legs!

Hello everyone, I'm on the cusp of joining ICC as soon as I've picked up my new road bike. I want to be sure that whatever I get is suitable for the rides that the club does (and things like the Chalfont ride in June etc). I was hoping I might get some advice/thoughts from the more experienced bike owners please! I want to use it to commute (over Crouch Hill and Ally Pally/Muswell Hill) but also for much longer cycles. I'm 5"8 with long legs so I'm not sure I 'need' a woman's bike, but this will be the first bike I choose for myself (I do all my cycling on a friend's old Trek hybrid currently, so anything will be an improvement) so really I've no idea what I'm talking about!

The bikes I've been looking at are:
Specialized Dolce Evo 2016
Trek Lexa SL
Cannondale Synapse Tiagra Disc
Specialized Allez
Trek Emonda ALR4 or 5

I believe they're in order of comfy/heavy/slower -> less comfy/light/fast
My budget is roughly around £1000 but I fell in love with the Dolce Evo hence considering that!! I just feel overwhelmed by choice and brakes and gears and what I really need to keep up with a cycle club but stay comfy all day!

If anyone has any wisdom I'd love to hear it... and I hope to meet many of you out soon on some rides :)
Thanks!