Road Bike Question please?

I'm trying to look for a road bike and I have no idea where to start. I'm 6 foot, so I'm not entirely sure the size of the frame or anything like that. I know I want a drop handlebar, and many people say that carbon frame is better than aluminum. I'm not looking for anything expensive, possibly 500 and below, and is there any types around that range, (willingly to look on craigslist and such).

Any tips will help either in helping me determine what type I want or help me in finding the right one (parts / style / so forth)

I'm guessing you mean $500. Questions on this website come from every English speaking country in the world. Be specific.

Road bikes start around $650 to $700. Stay away from the cheap crap in discount stores & most of them through Amazon.com. You find out what frame size you need by going to a bike shop. That's why they have salespeople. That's why test riding a bike is free.

For example, you can buy this Diamondback Podium 1 on Amazon for $605. http://www.amazon.com/Diamondback-Podium-Wheels-Silver-Large/dp/B008O0XTUG/ref=sr_1_5?s=cycling&ie=UTF8&qid=1373786218&sr=1-5 But you'll still need to assemble & tune it up yourself. But then, since you assembled it, it has no warranty. That's right. Diamondback will not honor any warranty unless the bike is professionally assembled & tuned up at a Diamondback or Raleigh dealer.

You always want to look for an 8 speed cassette, double wall rims and Shimano STI shifter/brake lever combo or comparable shifters from MicroShift or SRAM. If you can't both shift gears & brake from the same hand position, avoid it.

I don't think you could get a reliable and decent Road Bike with $500.A good Entry-Level Road Bike stars around the $750-800 mark...or even close to a grand.And since you're new,don't every buy from the Internet as you're too inexperienced to know what you're getting yet...sorry to say this.Its best to buy a Road Bike from a Local Bike Shop as its there,you could go through Bike fitting,important when buying a Road Bike,and buy the correct Bike for you.