>>968135If you can wait until Septemberish, the 2017 models will be released and 2016 will start being marked down. Things that are 1200 will drop between 800 and 900 iirc (and I might not). From there you have a few questions to answer, questions we would be asking anyway.
>what is the purpose of your bike?If you are only going to take it out on the weekend and just o decent roads, a pure road bike with 23-28mm tires is a good option. In your price range you get access to aluminum (light but slightly rougher ride) or steel (eats road vibrations but is much heavier). You will not have fender or rack mounts, but there are rackless bags or racks that attach without mounts.
If your looking at off-roading on gravel roads or fireroad as well as asphalt, check out touring or cyclocross frames. These will generally have greater tire clearance and have tires that use less pressure. Running tires at lower pressure absorbs more road noise but decreases energy transfer from you to the ground. It'll be adequate on the road and excel the rougher it gets. Again, you'll probably get alu with a carbon fork or steel.
If you are primarily commuting and you won't be climbing major hills you could swing a single speed or a 1x(9, 10, 11)speed. because you are not paying for a front derailleur (or possibly a back derailleur), you could get a higher quality frame at the same price.
Don't get a fixed gear.
As far as new brands, you can't really go wrong with the big brands (Trek, Giant, Specialized, Fuji). If you want something more niche with an A E S T H E T I C, Salsa, Surly, All-City, Kona, and I'm sure others would offer things in your price range that wouldn't do you wrong. That said, try before you buy. Get a sense of your possible hand positions and how your legs feel, how it turns and how it feels on different road conditions. Look at both alu and any non-hi-ten steel. If you live in a second or third story walk up, include lifting it in your judgement.
