There are a lot of definitions of what a road bike is, so I won't venture in defining any. The road bike as used in this guide is a bike that enables cyclists to cover great distances faster than other types of bikes. Faster simply because this kind of bike is designed for that purpose. The photograph below depicts the kind of road bike that I am going to talk about. So, no cyclocross, hybrid, time-trial, single-speed ... This guide is not aimed at high-end bikes either since they would already have all the possible features one could think of. Rather, this guide is aimed at entry-level and serious-amateur level of bikes, with limited budget. So for cyclists who plan to ride long distances, I will point out the features that I think are worth paying more for at the time of purchasing the bike.
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You can always upgrade your components later on but, their are a few drawbacks with upgrading. First you need to pay for new components. Second, unless you can do the job yourself, you'd have to pay someone to do the work for you. Third, you'll need to go through the hassle with reselling your old equipments. With the above three points, there is a very good chance that you end up paying more for the same bike. From that point of view, it's better to pay a little more at the first purchase.
