Alphonsus

So I currently have a Diamondback Overdrive 29ner 2018($500) I think, past couple years I've been only using this bike to travel about 3 miles max on a trip. However, past 2 months, I've been riding more. I went from about 10 miles trip to 45 mile trips. I can say that doing 40 miles on the roads going up long stretches of hills and stuff was really tiring, although what motivated me would be tryna "chase" a road biker and try to maintain their speed as long as possible. My next trip I do wanna hit about 60 miles, which won't be nearly impossible just extremely tiring. I am a college student, and this past couple months been exciting as my parents now allow me to venture on these long bike riding trips. This has led me to want to purchase a new bike, I do know road bikes are the go too, but I've been looking at cyclocross and gravel bikes just because they allow me to go on dirted and gravel paths while still for the most part handle the roads pretty well. My budget is about $1000 or less and this bike will last me probably for 10-15 years. Do people have any recommendations?

Also is disc brakes worth it over mechanical for a road bike? Cause from what I've seen disc brake models are about $200 more than a mechanical brake one.

Also is the claris a good groupset? I know its the entry model, but I just find it interesting how a $1000 mtb gets you some of the top groupset. Is the claris the same quality level as say the Deore?

I do know I am restricted too what's available. A lot of the bike manufacturers seem to have a lot of their bikes listed as None in Stock, so I will probably visit different stores around my state

y2zipper

You kind of have to zone in more on a riding style. A
​​​​​​bike that can handle gravel won't handle the road as well speed-wise and a road bike won't handle gravel without compromise.

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Toespeas

what kind of terrain do you want to cover, if your doing gravel you will be able to run tires that can cover pavement and non pavement , if you go road bike only some might let you run up to 32 mm but if its a traditional performance road bike it might barely fit 25mm so technically you will restricted to mostly pavement and light grass .

what ever you want to do you need to think a head , cyclocross bikes are usually meant for racing , gravel bikes are usually made to travel .
a modern dedicated cyclocross bike might not have mounts for racks or fenders or packs , some road bikes are the same way .
for a 1000 there are so many options you could choose from its impossible to suggest one , do you want to build a bike , do you want just buy a bike shop bike and have a warranty , the choice will be based on what you need to bike the to do and what you want to be on .
i personally would just build a bike from frame you will have more options and be able to make a bike do exactly what you want , you can also save tons of cash taking a older quality frame and building it with take off parts or decent used parts , come in way under budget and get a high quality machine !!!
for parts i usually go sram force or rival shimano i would go no less than 105 , claris is cool but shimano trickles down their tech so 105 now is like dura ace of 10 years ago , or something like that , what ever you do dont fall for the 1x scam , stick with 2x9 - 11 speed drive trains ( it will also easier and cheaper to get parts for your drive train and group )

when it comes to disc brakes they have a higher rate of user error , but allow you to run larger tires without expanding the fork , so it gives you better aerodynamics , it also allows you to never wear your rim out , but really its just an option , rim brakes will always be technically cheaper and easier to use and fix on the road if there is problem .

Bill in VA

All of the responses so far have merit. I especially like Toespeas advice on the 2x9-11 drivetrain.

Since you want to do road riding and also a gravel, dirt or unimproved roads I would look at bikes that can do both. For that look for rack mounts, dual water bottle cage mounts, and eyelets on the dropouts. Also, be realistic about which you will do the least. You will be able to use a gravel bike with decent light road tires, easier than a road bike that may not fit larger gravel tires.

However, one of the most important things to look for to do both reasonably well is to find a bike that has clearances for the widest tire you may be using. That is determined by 2 factors, the width between the fork blades at the crown and the width at the rear triangle, AND the amount of room you have above the tire it comes with and the fork crown and the seat stay bridge. (many people look at the width and then find the height is the limiter) and/or that the brake calipers cannot open enough to fit the wide tires through how once they are inflated. Additionally, how much room it there between the largest tire and the seat tube. Remember, you can always fit a narrow tire on a bike with larger tires, but many times not the reverse. So flexibility. On my previous road bike I could go up to 32mm tires but ran 25mm tires. I used that bike for gravel roads and canal towpaths as well as road and eventually used 28mm tires all the time.

My new bike came with 28s but the frame can fit can fit up to 38mm. However, the rims were optimal up to from 25mm-35mm. I use 32s, and know I will not go lower than 28s.

Another consideration for dual use it the wheels. Stay with 28-32 hole rims and 36 will be even stronger, but have a slight weight penalty (small). This is important for gravel and unimproved roads, and or if you are heavier or will be carrying a load. I also avoid any radial spoke patterns on the front wheel - too harsh.

On the brakes, you will find more bikes with discs now, even at the lower end. I did not go with discs because I wanted to stay with what I was used to. I use cantilever brakes, so if the tire and wheel fit the frame, the brakes will open far enough to get the tire between the shoes.

You probably would most likely not be able to build up a new frame with a decent group for $1K, but you could with a used frame, or even a used bike (keeping in mind the personalizations you want). I would recommend for parts availability to stick with a threadless steerer and a 31.8mm bar clamp and a cassette, vs. the old school freewheel. There are lots of parts and upgrade options with those.

I did not mention frame material, but the more exotic the frame, at a given price point the components may be lower.