Looking for advice on an entry-level road bike

So I live in a beautiful city with an extensive cycling culture and I would like to hop back on a bike. However, all I currently possess is a generic mountain bike, which is not very comfortable for riding around town. As such, I’m looking for an entry-level road bike that will not require that I invest $1,000-2,000 to get into the sport. Here are some things I have already researched:

I have gone to a couple local bike shops to be sized and try a couple models out for a spin, but their entry level price range is more like $700 and mine is closer to $400. I know the dangers associated with buying online but I have not had luck with the used market and I have to keep to my budget.

I have read many reviews on the bikes I am considering, but I don’t know enough about the components to truly compare them and decide which is the best for the money.

Please don’t contribute only “well you have a low price point so anything you get in that range is likely to be crap”, “if I were you I’d just invest the extra $500-700 and get bike X”, that is simply not an option. I know there are many hobbies where you get what you pay for, I am aware of the downfalls associated with a low entry price point. I’m just looking for help.

That being said, the bikes I am currently eyeing are as follows:
Windsor Wellington 2.0 from Bikes Direct
Motobecane Mirage Sport from Bikes Direct
DawesLight 1000 from Bikes Direct
Tommaso Tiempo

The Tommaso is my current favorite, based on user reviews and general satisfaction with the company. They have an extensive warranty which is attractive. Bikes Direct as a company has some sketchy feedback from a lot of customers, and considering I am buying sight-unseen I’m leery of a company who doesn’t have a good track record with support. But if there is one bike on that list which is a great value based on the accessories, I might risk it.

So, help a sister out, cycling dopers!

I’ve heard good things about Bikes Direct on the forums I read.

Go with the Tomasso, because it has a steel frame. Way more comfortable ride. Otherwise, the bikes are almost identical parts wise.

They are all about the same. The main thing at your level is to get good fit. This is what will most significantly affect your experience. You touch the bike at three points: handlebars, pedals and saddle. The shape and texture of these points matters, as does their relative location in space.

As to the former, there isn’t that much you can do about shape and texture of pedals and grips (some, but not much) but getting a saddle that fits your rear end makes a real difference. You may be lucky but you may well need to change it.

As to the latter, getting the right positioning can often be achieved just using the existing adjustability in the parts the bike comes with, but it is not at all unlikely you will have to change the stem, for example.

What this comes down to is you may well need to change minor components to get fit. Unless you are handy and know what you are doing and have a good source of changeover parts, you need to have a relationship with a bike shop. Find a shop who will fit you to the bike and buy the most basic bike in their shop. Surely there is a bricks and mortar bike shop somewhere near you that starts in your range?

This is misinformation. Steel frames are trendy (this week) with the retro crowd who like to kid themselves steel is better. Meanwhile, the real world has moved on. For a more objective and rational view, I quote Sheldon Brown:

If you want more there are links off from that page. Bottom line is that the assumption that steel will be more comfortable is probably not right, and the assumption that it will be “way more comfortable” is almost certainly wrong.

Yes there are very nice steel frames out there. But at this pricepoint most frames are aluminium, and you will get a basically decent and distinctly lighter aluminium frame with ease. You are far less likely to get a steel frame that is better in any appreciable way. Comfort is mostly a matter of fit, components and geometry, not frame material. Steel is always heavier, all else being equal, and at this pricepoint I very much doubt that a bike is going to be offered with a steel frame so finely built, and with such light components, that it will not be heavier than its aluminium counterpart. Weight isn’t everything, I know, but it is tangible and worth having less of, all else being equal.