Raleigh sport or lemond etape triple?

Ive been an avid cyclist for years, but have never had the money or the inclination to drop hundreds of dollars on a bike. however, Ive finally gotten fed up with riding heavy steel frames from the 70's and 80's (I ride a schwinn world currently) and want to make the leap into something a little more high performance. After a little research, both online and visiting my local bike shops (I live in northside Chicago) I have come up with two bikes in my price range ($400-800) that I feel would meet my needs: the raleigh sport, which seems a pretty basic intro roadbike (I dont really like that term since I have been riding for years but we'll put that aside) which is going for just over $500 and the Lemond etape triple, which seems a little nicer, has a design more aligned with my aesthic tastes, but is a little pricier at $700. heres the question: will I be cursing myself for going with the thriftier option? or will the raleigh hold up well against the Lemond.

thanks, I probably should have mentioned I have been looking at bikes direct, they do seem to have great deals but Im afraid since theres no way I can test ride any of these bikes. Still, Im thinking that spending a little more there, rather than going to my local bike shop and paying full retail will get me alot more bang for my buck, Its good to get a rec though, Ive been really wondering about those motobecanes.

The lighter a bike is the more enjoyable it will be to ride. Period. You'll never regret spending more money. Just to make your decision a little more challenging:
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/moto...
bikesdirect.com has some excellent bikes.