I'm nearing the point of wanting it more than waiting on a better deal used but would like opinions on which of these are the better value for me. I will just be riding recreational, at this point I've only ridden alone and am likely to primarily ride alone as I like riding alone and don't know anyone who rides. I currently ride between 90-120 miles a week at 20-35 miles per ride averaging 12-14mph on my old 3x8 Fuji Nevada but feel I'd ride more if I had a better suited bike for road riding Using MapMyRide my rides normally have 600-1200' of elevation gain. I live in the mountains of north east Tennessee where there is little flat land riding. I have never ridden road bikes, possible never ridden a drop bar road bike period, so I'm not sure the aggressive stance of a full on race bike is for me. From what I understand the Sportif is somewhere in between a rec drop bar bike and a race bike geometry wise, which in my mind will work best for me. Even the higher priced of the 2 is still on the lower end and should I want something more aggressive later I should be able to get out of one of these with minimal $$$ loss. The main thing I'm seeing is the 105 vs Sora components and the more name branded items on the higher priced bike. Are the 105 level components worth the extra $240, is there more differences than I'm seeing, will someone who is as inexperienced as me notice, be held back or benefit from the higher level components? The no named Shimano shifter/brake levers and mix of Alivio currently suit me fine but I do appreciate precise mechanical mechanisms. I'm posting links for each of the bikes and a link to a side by side comparison.
Fuji Sportif 1.5 C Road Bike - 2014
Fuji Sportif 1.1D Road Bike - 2015
Performance Bike - Product Comparison