$1k is an excellent budget
For that price, you should probably aim for a hardtail (no rear suspension) bike with at least all or some of the following:
- Decent RockShox fork
- Avid mechanical disc brakes or maybe Shimano Deore hydraulic disc brakes
- Some Shimano LX parts (derailleurs/shifters/crankset)
- 27 speed drivetrain
- Decent tyres by brands like Maxxis/Hutchinson/IRC or similiar types
- Quality aluminum/chromoly steel frame
- Some branded parts (as opposed to own brand) like the handlebar/stem/seatpost
Road bike? Am not familiar with roadies yet..
But when buying a bike, bring someone experienced to go with you so that you won't kena smoked by the bike shop. Also try out a few bikes, ride them to see how they feel, how fast they react to direction changes, how "eager" the bikes seem to move when you step on the pedals and also the stopping power of the brakes.
Note: Bikes on the shop floor probably won't have their tyres properly inflated since air escapes from them over time, so have them pumped up before testing or before/after you've brought it back home.
For <$1k, you can look at MTB bike brands like Jamis, Giant, Haro etc, these generally give pretty good value for money and have good frames that will encourage parts upgrades.
Hope this helps!