Ok figured out the shifters. The guy at the shop showed me how that bike worked but my husband's is different and he isn't here to show me.
From my test ride at the store, I did learn that my old bike is too small and my helmet much too large. They tried me out on two different size bikes with the smaller first. After a few laps around the parking lot on the smaller bike, he waved me in, put pedals on the larger one and sent me back out. I didn't notice much of a difference, but he said I looked much more natural on the bigger one. Then again, I've been riding a bike that was too small for years so what do I know?
I will have to look into a longer test ride before making a final decision. And I should ride one closer to my budget before committing to going over. The gift card is for $750. I have money or aside for a bike so I can go over budget for the right bike. I want to get a bike that will suit my needs. I currently ride about 25-35 miles each time I go out. I would like to be able to do a metric century and join some charity rides . This will be my first ever brand new bike. I want to choose wisely so I get something that I will be happy with for years to come but not far more bike than I will ever need. (He put me on a $2700 carbon bike first knowing perfectly well I had a $750 gift card.)