Been a while since I've bought a bike, I ride a GT tempest (getting a bit long in the tooth these days).
If your looking at buying a bike I would recommend going into your local bike shops, trying a few on for size and preference, get advice from the sales assistant and then go online. Try companies like
wiggle and
evens cycles.
In the effort of supporting your local merchant, take these online prices back in store and see if they can't match the price.