@froze. Sorry I forgot to include size. I am 5' 10" tall (177.5 cm) im not sure what size of bike that would be. And price range is pretty low, preferably not more than $300.. And ok I will look at bikes direct, thanks.
@billiejohnson. Ok I agree with most ppl on here, LBS are the best way to go. The BMX shop I used to frequent was awesome, the owner really knew his stuff and wouldn't pressure you. There is a rlly good (supposedly) road bike shop near me too so I'll give that a try. Thank you also
It's going to be tough to find a bike at an LBS for $300 range. Maybe you can find a model from last year their trying to clear off the floor and get a $500 bike for $300, but that's a pretty big cut on a $500 bike because the profit margins aren't the same as on a $1500 bike for example. But do go to an lbs to see if you can find anything. I know where I live all the LBS's in town do not carry any adult bikes for less then $450, they figure Walmart will take the ones that want a less expensive bike then that figure.
You could get a decent used bike for that money, but again you better know your bikes are you get ripped off bad. Perhaps a LBS in town may have a selection of used bikes you could look at. The good thing about looking for used bike on Craigslist (CL) is that for $300 range those bikes tend not to sell as fast as the $100 ones, so if you see one on CL, call them and get any particulars like the bike size, component package, then post here as quickly as you can with as much details as you can and see if someone can tell you what they think.
Bikes Direct, if you gone over there and looked, has about 10 bike offerings in your price range of $300. This one:
Save up to 60% off new Road Bikes - Gravity Avenue B | Save up to 60% off new road bikes is a decent new school type of bike for the money, it is a all aluminum frame which I don't particularly care about aluminum, or carbon fiber for that matter frames, but that's just a personal opinion not shared by thousands!
There is also this bike at the same place, more of a traditional old school approach with a steel frame which would hold up longer, see:
Road Bikes - Motobecane Mirage
If you go to the sizing page listed on Bikes Direct they will guide you as to how to find the right size bike for you.
Personally I like the last bike I showed you, it looks like a classic bike, it is a steel frame, it will hold up to years of use without fatigue. The components are just ok, but your only going to use the bike for a short time then store it, but the Microshift components aren't bad either. You can always upgrade as needed later when parts fail.
I do agree with your budget for a bike because this is your first road bike, you don't want to spend a $1,000 for a first bike (even if you had the money) because about 90% of first time buyers use the bike about 3 months then it becomes garage art for the next 30 years or so...which is great for me when I stumble across one that fits, I have a couple of bikes that had less then 250 miles on the bikes that were purchased 25 years ago with great intentions to ride, and I got them cheap.
Anyways, you have some options now, so go forth and conquer a bike!