Went to test ride a few bikes (and shops ) this morning. Mostly alum, all with carbon forks and ALL of them, despite high pressure, narrow tires, soak up the bumps a lot more than my hybrid. Maybe it's the carbon fork, maybe it was the magical effect of riding a new bike, but these bikes were smooth, like butter. Mine, on Bolliger at 30mph makes my forearms go numb.

Anyhow... On with the show. With my price point around $1500 I went to play.

Dublin cyclery is a couple of miles from my house. There I tried a giant defy 2 (from last year, no disks, Tiagra), which as a 56 was unfortunately a little large. $1150 or so. Also tried the new Defy 1 Disk at 54 which retails for $1500. Robert was very patient, and helpful. Definitely a knowledgeable guy. I thanked him a lot. Possibly too much
The Defy was ok, but it did feel a lot like my hybrid in terms of posture. Rides very smoothly. No complaints on the feel at all, but at $1500 (+tax +accessories) it might be at the top of what I'm willing to spend and I keep going hot and cold about the sparkly-sky-blue color.

Then I went to Freemont at Centripedal bikes to try a Felt. There I tried a Felt F75 54. Very different geometry, but I really liked both the look of the bike and the overall feel. Very agile/responsive and I didn't find the more aggressive stance uncomfortable at all. It actually kind of stretched my back out nicely. When you are 45 and sit all day at work, biking for four hours in a stretched position = free thai massage (almost). The F75 is also ~1450 + tax + stuff.

But... For sportier geometries in alum at ~1450 including tax and shipping I could order a Bulls Harrier, which has very similar specs, but I like more in terms of look and detailing. [fiy: Bulls lets you do a 'parking lot' ride after you receive the bike to confirm you like it. You can send it back for a full refund if you don't.]

Final stop, Performance in Dublin, also very close to my house. There I tried something different yet again. For around the same price they had a Fuji Gran Fondo 2.5C 53 that fit me well. This one would be ~1480 + tax minus 10% points for accessories, for a carbon frame. The bike felt very light and very different from the other bikes. So light that it would take some getting used to the ethereal feel. To me, it felt like it didn't die to sprint (like the f75), but it wanted me to get into a steady cadence and stay there. Not sure how else to explain it, but at cruising speed, it pedaled itself. Given how and where I ride, this seemed a very good fit. It was very comfortable, but still felt very light, sporty and quick. Lower than the defy. In the drops it did not seem as if my vital systems would begin to gradually shut down. On the way out I told Rafael (also very helpful) that he had already sold me the bike, and that now we had to sell it to my wife. He suggested picking a window of opportunity carefully

Really nice customer service experience at all 3 places, but the price point, location and the bike gave Performance the edge this time.
Unless I hear negative feedback from you guys on my current decision, I think I'll sell my body to my wife (God help me...) and spring for the Fuji Gran Fondo 2.5c... or Gran Fondo 3.0 (need to do a careful comparison).

p.s. I don't want to start a war, but I skipped Cannondale, Trek and Specialized on purpose. I looked at a lot of bikes/specs, read articles, etc.. over the past few weeks. I think these three brands indisputably shine and stand out in 2500+ market. Unless you buy used, which my level of experience is a very risky endeavor.