I currently ride a 2013 Cannondale Quick 4 that I bought about a year ago. It's a great bike and I love it, but I was thinking I might move up to something a little better. My biking is mostly on roads, with eight miles of daily commute plus 15-20 miles of just fun riding every 2-3 days in decent weather. I'm wanting to keep under about $1400 plus whatever I can sell my current bike for. I like to ride fast and smooth, but I don't need a racing bike or full carbon fiber body or whatnot.

The main contender I'm looking at right now is a Cannondale Bad Boy 1. It looks like a great commuter, a bit high on the MSRP but I think it fits nicely with what I want, and has a great look to it.

I'm not terribly familiar with bikes though, and so Cannondale and Specialized are about the only makers I know anything about beyond their names so those two are definitely preferred (Cannondale above Specialized though).

I wondered if anyone had any suggestions for a good bike that would fit my needs. Is the Bad Boy 1 worth getting at the higher price point? Is there something else that's as good that I should consider instead?