JoyIsAChoice

Hello Thank you for your time and advice, sorry for the long post! I did some research and summarized below, hopefully this will be useful to others.

I finished my PhD and landed a good job this year. I want to to treat myself to a new bicycle. I used to ride a fair bit 5-10 years ago, but haven't ridden as much lately. I started commuting to work/meetings/gym (10 miles a day average) and biking trails on the weekend, and I love it. I want to ride more (more details below). I am 35 years old, in decent shape, 6'2'' @ 215lbs.

I can spend $1-3k on this bike. Although I can afford $3k without any financial hardship, I am pretty value concious (read cheap). I am finding it challenging to figure out if the more expansive bikes are worth it. I am hoping some of you with more experience than me can chime in - would you regret buying aluminum versus carbon fiber if you could afford CF? What about more generic bikes versus 'trek iso whatever'? Considering I have kept the last two bikes over 10 years, I am hoping to make the best choice possible

I currently own two bicycles that I have had for 10+ years:

* An aluminum gary fischer rig 29er hard tail 1x9 I bought lightly used on ebay for ~1k (still love it - my trail bike).

* A bikes direct aluminum frame with carbon fork I bought 13+ years ago, with 105/FSA/tektro disc brakes, and mavic aksium wheels. This is my commuter bike. It is very uncomfortable on bumps/potholes. It struggles to shift the front 3 gears these days despite attempts to fix, so it is more like a 1x9...

Desired riding:

* I would like to ride this bike on (rough) paved surfaces around town for fitness, 20 + miles at a time.
* I would like to ride on some non-paved surfaces comfortably (like the Katy trail in MO).

* I would like to start trying to ride 40+ miles comfortably (not neccisarily races).

* I would like to commute some on this bike (although for theft reasons I will still keep my old road bike as a commuter depending on where I have to lock it up).

Big general questions:

* Frame material - Aluminum, carbon, steel, or titanium (bikes direct)?

* Hydraulic versus mechanical disc brakes? I think I want hydraulic.

* 105 versus Ultegra? (I want minimum 105 for this much money)

I have read good advice about frame materials/geo stating the individual bike geo/construction is more important than material. I appreciate that, but it is really hard for me to ascertain that riding in parking lots for 3 minutes at a LBS...so I am hoping to get feeback from people who have had these types of bike with many miles of experience (I have only ever had a low end aluminum road bike and my mtb!)

Choice of retailer:

* Trek/specialized LBS

* generally many free tune-ups post purchase
* Bike fitting/local expertise, although this has been of limited value to me so far. My experience has been every LBS employee is convinced the brands they carry is superior to the others, and the bike that fits me best is one of the ones in stock (I am somewhat between sizes at 6'2). They also do not provide much advice on fitting beyond translating the bike chart/my height. Some have been more honest and stated to ride what feels best, but it is hard for me to tell on a short test ride in parking lot.

* I rode some in the parking lots, but its hard for me to tell much based on 5 minute parking lot rides.

* REI purchase

* One free tune-up
* Can try many sizes (and order sizes they don't have in stock to ensure perfect fit without being charged - they will build multiple bikes I order and ship to store, then only charge me for the one that fits best)
* Will let me take a bike for a long ride in local park
* Great 1-year satisfaction guarrantee if anything happens (standard REI return policy)

* Bikesdirect
* Cannot try before you buy, so not sure about bike fit or ride (although riding LBS bike in parking lot also leaves me unsure)
* No returns or satisfaction guarantee - hope it works out!
* Generally better prices for same drivetrain components, but generally bad wheelsets and possibly worse frame (although I am not sure how much worse or if I would notice)

I am leaning towards the Trek Domane sl5 gravel, the REI Co-op ard 1.4, or the bikes direct motoebecane 2018 century pro titanium.

The rei co-op ard 1.4 has the best wheelset and is cheapest (of the carbon fiber bikes). But the carbon frame doesn't have the 'iso-whatever' from trek or future shock from specialized...how much does that really matter? Considering the much better wheelset and cheaper overall price, is the ard 1.4 better for the value consious consumer?

The bikesdirect titanium frame has full ultegra, and I see generally very positive reviews for their titanium bikes (made from ORA manufaturing in Taiwan). Complaints are focused on the wheelset, but I see similar feedback on the specialized or trek biks listed below (sub-par wheelsets compared to the rest of the bike). I have never ridden a titanium frame, but it sounds good based on reviews!

Possible Bikes with specs:

* Trek Domane SL5 gravel Disc ($2,299) current sale
* carbon frame
* Comes with 35cc tubeless tires
* 105 drive train with RS805 hydraulic brake
* wheelset quality?
* no rack mounts

* Trek Domane ALR5 gravel Disc ($1,689) current sale
* aluminum frame with carbon fork
* Comes with 35cc tubeless tires
* 105 drive train with tektro mechanical disc
* wheelset quality?
* no rack mounts

* Trek Checkpoint SL5 ($2,599) current sale
* carbon frame
* Comes with 35cc tires (tubeless?)
* 105 drive train with RS505 hydraulic brakes
* wheelset quality?
* no rack mounts

* Trek Checkpoint ALR5 ($1,799) current sale
* aluminum frame with carbon fork
* Comes with 35cc tubeless tires
* 105 drive train with RS505 hydraulic brake
* wheelset quality?
* has rack mounts

* Specialized Diverge Comp ($3,000)
* carbon frame with future shock
* Comes with 38mm tubeless ready
* 105 drive train with RS505 hydraulic brake
* wheelset quality?
* no rack mounts

* Specialized Diverge Comp E5 ($1,900)
* aluminum frame
* Comes with 30mm tires
* 105 drive train with ektro mechanical disk brakes
* wheelset quality unclear?
* rack mounts?

* Specialized Roubaix Elite ($2,799)
* carbon frame with future shock
* Comes with 28mm tubeless ready
* 105 drive train with RS505 hydraulic brake
* wheelset quality unclear?
* no rack mounts

* REI Co-op ARD 1.4 ($2,299) - 10% off for dividend ($2,079)
* carbon frame
* Comes with 28cc tires (can be setup for tubeless up to 35 MM)
* 105 drive train with Shimano hydraulic brakes
* High quality wheelset (American classic hurricane)
* no rack mounts

* REI Co-op ARD 1.2 ($1,299) - 10% off for dividend ($1,069)
* aluminum frame with carbon forks
* Comes with 28cc tires (can be setup for tubeless up to 35 MM)
* 105 drive train with TRP Mechanical disk brakes
* Standard wheelset
* no rack mounts

* Bikes direct 2018 century pro titanium ($2,399 no tax free shipping)
* titanium frame with carbon forks
* Comes with 28mm tires (can be setup for tubeless up to 40 MM)
* Full ultegra (R8000) drive train with ultegra hydraulic disk brakes
* Questionable quality wheelset
* Plenty of mounts
* I must assemble and tune (or pay LBS $50 to tune/assemble). I have done this before for a bikesdirect bike, not a problem.

WhyFi

At retail, I think that the Domane SL 5 Gravel is one of the best (non-online) values available - it's a nice frame and the RS685/805 hydraulics and 105 derailleurs perform really well. Then again, I'm biased - I bought one about 6 months ago (I was also able to capitalize on a sale price - bonus).

I honestly can't comment much on the wheelset - I left the 35mm tires on the stock wheelset and I've used them in some of the sloppy winter weather that was around at the time of purchase, but most of my miles have been on my 'nice' Reynolds wheelset, with 30mm Schwalbe G-One Speeds, which I find to me more appropriate for the (sometimes choppy) pavement and light gravel that I ride 95% of the time. My impression is that the stock wheels are fine, if heavy. I'm a firm believer in spare wheelsets, though, and I think that, at the very least, I'd pick up something a little lighter for skinnier tires and leave the stock wheelset for days with a lot of planned gravel miles. Fulcrums, Hunts or the like, at the least.

On IsoSpeed, I think that it works fantastically. It is not overt, bouncy suspension and I haven't noticed it impact handing in any negative way, but it does take the edge off of the cracks/potholes that you didn't see in time to avoid and it allows you to pedal through some rough sections of pavement that you might otherwise need to float (suspending your body) over. I also think that it's wonderfully confidence inspiring in terms of road-holding over bumps that might otherwise have your tires momentarily lose contact with the pavement.

General thoughts:

I think that the 505 hydro stuff works really well, too - I have it on a second bike - the levers just look more awkward.

I have no experience with the Specialized FutureShock bikes, but the added complexity and potential maintenance (reports differ) just doesn't appeal to me. Also, I think that the turkey neck seatposts are hideous.

Not a chance in hell that I'd lock up any of these bikes outside at work.

I looked over the ARD 1.4 before purchasing the Domane and it looks like a solid offering.

Another bike that I would strongly consider, 'specially if you're looking for mounting options, is the Jamis Renegade line. The Expert ($2700) is their carbon/105 hydro model. If you have a Jamis retailer nearby, I'd definitely check it out.

Happy hunting!

Kelly.Fisher

One thing to keep in mind, you likely don't want a bike with geometry similar to a cyclocross bike. A lot of the bikes out there, especially those from BikesDirect, are cyclocross frames that have been repurposed as "all road". Cyclocross geometry has a high bottom bracket and steep head tube angles, which makes the bike great for taking tight low speed turns on a cross course, but makes the bike twitchy on anything else.

Don't overlook some of the smaller brands. Trek and Specialized aren't the only choices outside of REI. For example, the Salsa Warbird would be a great all road example. So would the Ibis Hakka MX, which is what I have. I ordered the $3299 Rival 1x hydro version with the 700c Stans Grail wheels, then found a second hand set of 27.5 wheels which I put 2.1 mountain tires on, so now I can go pretty much anywhere on the bike. Suspension? Just lower tire pressure and that won't be an issue. Plus, when I'm spending upwards of $3500 on a bike, I'd like something that isn't a dime a dozen. Trek and Specialized are like Toyota Camry's.. there are 1000 of them in every parking lot.

ksryder

I'd get the carbon checkpoint or the diverge. Probably the diverge just because I know several people who have one and love it.

I bought a mail order bike once. It was adequate, but there are so many compromises with component choices that I ended up replacing nearly every part and in the end spent as much or more than I would've if I would've bought from the LBS. If you don't have the time or energy to mess with replacing parts and doing the wrenching yourself, that's a consideration. I won't do mail order again.

No experience with REI bikes, except people seem to be satisfied with them.

Kelly.Fisher

I almost forgot one incredible option - Lynskey! The GR260 is a fantastic gravel bike, and they're clearing out some of their 105 models for a great price: https://lynskeyperformance.com/gr-26...105-clearance/

Titanium will last you forever, and the parts mix on this bike are reasonable. The wheels probably aren't the best, but it's a great deal on a quality titanium bike.

Absquatulate

Not sure if you'd like steel, but the Honey Allroads is a fantastic bike, and I use it for both off and on-road riding. I splurged on a better wheel set, carbon fork, and SRAM components (it's a lifer bike for me), so I went north of your upper limit, but it can be built for less, with upgrades coming later of course. It's rock solid on nearly anything that isn't gnarly single-track (not quite enough toe clearance, but that's not what you're looking for, it seems.) Road, gravel, hills or flat, this bike really can do it all.

(Congrats on the PhD and the job! I got the bike before the PhD, probably should have done it the other way around... )

motorthings

I am also not a big fan of the diverge "turkey neck"...if you wanted a more future-proof way to soften the front, RedShift makes an excellent suspension stem that uses elastomers, can be tuned to your liking, and fits on any modern road/gravel bike. so, if you wanted to with other than spesh as a mfg, you still have that option for a bit of well-dialed give on the fork.

Lazyass

The Haanjo 7C carbon is $2160 if you get the code and sign up for an account at DB. Ultegra 8000 and hyd discs.

https://www.diamondback.com/haanjo-7c-carbon

shoota 

Man with that budget I would buy a non-bikesdirect bike for around $2000. All day long.