Originally Posted by
cma379
I was looking at the $2,800 Aspero
Oh- well those are completely different bikes then.
One is sram and the other is shimano. One is 1x and the other is 2x. You also lose the wider range gearing I mentioned on aspero since it's the 1x model.
Pretty simple choice to me- do you want 1x or 2x drivetrain for paved roads and climbing?
If you have no opinion on that, I would say that perhaps this is more bike than you need right now. By all means spend the money, but usually people have a preference for their drivetrain on paved roads.
Also- ride both. Whichever fits best is really the best one to buy(I assume you already know that both fit you well).