I haven't bought it yet, but the wife was not averse to the idea of me buying a new, modern bicycle. I used to post here often, not so much lately. I'm 61 now.

My road bike is a 1984 Raleigh Super Course. I didn't buy it new; got it through a pawn shop... kind of. (Actually bought a different bike at a pawn shop, but it was too small and I traded it to someone else on Bike Forums for the Super Course which fit me better). My newest bike is a 2009 Schwinn Cutter fixed gear. I also have a 1994 Nishiki Sport XRS hybrid that I did a drop bar conversion on. That's my most modern geared bike. And a coupla other bikes for boppin' around.

I used to ride a lot more. Lately I've been doing a club breakfast ride on Saturday mornings and little more. (I co-lead those rides with nkfrench and sometimes Yo Spiff joins us.)

So I mentioned to my wife I want a new bike. As in, new, not previously owned, and she didn't shoot it down right away. My birthday is in October, so it may wait until then.

Most of my riding is in city/suburbs and on paved and crushed stone trails. I don't think I want an all-out road bike. I was thinking about a gravel bike. I'm basically a C&V guy, so I don't necessarily want the latest tech in every respect, but if there's value there I'll consider it.

Characteristics:

• Drop bars, but not aggressive geometry. I'm too old for that *****.
• Frame: Not carbon fiber. I'm a steel-is-real guy. I'd prefer steel or possibly aluminum.
• Brakes: I guess everyone does disc brakes these days, I'll probably go with that.
• Gearing: lol, who knows? I don't think I want electric shifting. Not sure what level of gearset I want. I want reliable & durable, don't need a gazillion gears. Something where I don't have to put a new chain on with every season change.
• Brooks saddle. That's a given. I won't worry about that with initial purchase though; that can come later.
• For this bike I don't plan to put on a rack or fenders right now, but it would probably be a good idea if I could. I have 5 bikes now but I can see the possibility of (eek!) culling the herd in the future.
• Integrated brifters. That's a given these days I suppose but I've never owned a bike with brifters.
• For now I'm thinking no electric assist. I wouldn't mind looking at pros and cons though.
• FYI, I ride with half toe clips, no straps, and don't plan on getting clipless pedals. But you never know.
• I don't plan to go tubeless, but if you want to make a case for it, let's talk.

The bike shop closest to my house is a Trek shop. Based on that I'd probably prefer a Trek. But I may consider other brands if they are a better value. My wife didn't shoot down the idea of buying a new bike, but I don't want to spend thousands and thousands of dollars.

You need to start somewhere, so let's start with a modestly priced Trek Domane AL 2 Gen 4. It comes with 32 mm tires, comparable to the 1-1/4' tires I'm running on my Super Course. Shimano 105 (do I need more?) Aluminum frame with carbon fork. Would this bike be good, or are there features that I'll regret in 6 months? Bear in mind I've never had a bike with brifters and my current ride is 40 years old and probably well over 30 pounds as currently equipped. If there's something that's not going to be good enough, explain it to me like I just fell off the turnip truck.