In reply to gammarus:
Where in Cumbria are you? It's a pretty big county! If you are in the Kendal area then Brucie's Bikes (at the entrance to the Abbot Hall car park) does, or used to, custom build bikes.
I'd go for anything with a relaxed frame and a decent rake on the front fork. Everything gets compartmentalised these days so what once might have been a "race" bike with extra rake on the forks is now called a "sportive" or "audax" bike. There's a bit of overlap though.
You don't say what type of riding you'd be doing - long day tours or something more akin to training? Your weight would make a difference as well - going for something with 20 spoke wheels might not be a good idea if you are 100Kg!
In a way buying a bike is a bit like buying (very expensive) rock shoes - they all do the job and until you've tried a pair on and done some routes then you can't figure out if it's the one for you. Unless you are lucky you need a bit of trial and error. Too much error though and you'll be put off biking for good!
ALC