I have the 2015, aluminum framed version and I love it. I came from a mountain bike background and this was my first road-geometry bike. This new model has lots of nice upgrades over mine. QR vs 12mm thru; a much more forgiving wide range etc.
The D-post works very well but it does lock you into this proprietary shape. You will love the Ramblers. My bike would easily swallow 45mm tires. I like the way they widened the bars and shortened the cockpit. After two years of riding and keeping a wish list for improvements I -
Switched over to MTB ratio gearing, 11-40 in the rear with a long cage RD and Road Link
Got rid of the stock CX tires and moved to Clements MSO and then Ramblers
Got rid of the heavy (but bullet-proof) stock rims and went tubeless with HED Belgium+ rims and 350 hubs (a huge weight savings) running 35 front / 40 rear
Shorter stem
This last one is all personal choice. I was getting so beat up running rigid that I upgraded to a Lauf Grit. By far, the best single thing I changed.
I test rode one in Seattle and climbed the steepest hill around. 40mm Tires gave it a comfy ride. Handlebar width wider and shorter reach made this bike dialed in for me. I'm 67 and don't need to go fast downhill just uphill. I might even put a 38t chainring on instead of the 40t it has now. SRAM Apex worked just fine. It's nice to have tubeless ready rims that you can convert to. Best price I've seen is $2,000. But if you go to BC Canada with the favorable exchange rate we have and they have no taxes on bikes, you can reduce the cost by almost another $300.
