Hello all, I'm new here but have been cruising these forums for a few weeks. My wife and I are looking at getting road bikes in the near future. I have a mountain bike so this bike will not see anything but dirt/gravel roads and asphalt. I test rode a Cannondale CAADX 105 SE for about 10 miles of dirt and gravel. The bike was comfortable and I could have probably rode that bike the rest of the day I had so much fun. I have a budget of around $1500 and this bike will see mostly road but I want it to be capable off road. I want it to be tubeless ready, have disc brakes, and be comfortable for lots of saddle time. I'd like to use the shop that I looked at on Saturday (Felt, Cdale, and Spec) as they actually allow you to test bikes outside of the parking lot. Other bikes I am looking at are:
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\nTrek Domane 4 Disc: This is the most road of what I'm looking at. I'm not sure that 32mm tires would allow for much off road but I'd be able to keep up on road for sure. The shop that carries this bike is pretty helpful and I could get a discount to stay under budget.
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\nFelt VR40: I think this bike rides the fence on road/gravel.
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\nSpecialized Diverge E5 Elite: I haven't been able to confirm tubeless compatibility on this bike, otherwise it looks like a good choice but the option of up to 42mm tires seems nice.
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\nNorco Search: This bike looks great but the closest dealer isn't exactly close.
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\nThank you in advance for any suggestions.
So I've added another bike to my list and it may have taken the lead. The DB Haanjo Trail. Tubeless Compatible rims and tires, Ultegra, and the price is one of the lowest of the bikes I've looked at with a discount.
Placed my order this morning for the Haanjo Trail. Got a pretty good deal with the corporate discount and another 5% off of that. I'm hoping to ride a 100 mile event next month and feel good about training on the MTB so far. Upon arrival, I will immediately set the bike up tubeless and save the tubes for emergency repairs. I have a 25 mile commute each way along the bikeway in Colorado Springs that I will be using as a training ride a few times per week and a long ride each weekend between now and then. Overall, I'm pretty excited about the bike as it is the nicest stock bike I have ever purchased.
