zen_

Think I'm going to punch out on an older Madone that is still a great bike, but I barely ride it because the fit and handling is a bit too aggressive, and I'll never get used to it given the amount I ride it.

This is sorta what I have penciled out to replace it for commuting on sub-par roads / MUPs, and some limestone trails in good condition, and weekend road riding when I don't want to do gravel:

Kinesis RTD - 5 year old design now, but it still seems like a pretty good option that will be durable and reasonably light with the geometry I want.
Shimano R7120 (12 speed 105 mechanical) - These are being dumped on the gray market really cheap. I have always liked Shimano mechanical, 50/34 + 11-34 with the 1 tooth jumps on the small cogs should be perfect.
Elitewheels SLR gravel wheels - 45mm deep, 24mm ID, 31mm ID, ratchet style hub. Seem like a nice budget wheel, the idea here is to run a 30mm road tire that is "aero" and hopefully not die with a blowoff.
Schwalbe Pro One Adddix 700x30 tubeless - Seems like a nice riding, easy to setup, fast rolling option that can be had for $45 / tire

With misc finishing kit I can build that up for around $2.2K USD.

Other bikes I have been looking at / considering:

Canyon Endurace CF7 - $2-2.K, 11 speed 105. Just heard a lot of mixed things about Canyon build quality.
Cervelo Caledonia - $2.4k, 11 speed 105. Seems like a nice bike, limited sizing though.
Giant Defy (previous generation) - Some floating around for around $2.4k.
Trek Domane SLR gen 3 - Framesets can be had for $1.3K, but I don't like the cable routing.
Specialized Roubaix SL4 rim - Strip down my Madone and rebuild on this, would actually be the cheapest option, and there are still new frames floating around in my size.

Open to any thoughts or suggestion on bikes around $2-2.5K, but learning heavily towards the Kinesis RTD scandium option.

genejockey 

I love my Canyon Endurace CF SL7 Disc (long name!), which I got in 2020. It's at the more aggressive end of the geometry spectrum, in terms of reach and stack. It just works. Easily my fastest bike on any route I can ride.

Maelochs

I hear the Defy is pretty aggressive for an "endurance"-style frame also ... I looked into them before getting my Fuji. Either should be much more stable than the Madone ... I don't know the Kinesis ... I want a Caledonia (but not enough to buy one .... ) I think you sort of want people to tell you to get the Kinesis, and to me it does sound good.

t2p

‘sub-par roads / MUPs, and some limestone trails in good condition, and weekend road riding when I don't want to do gravel’

what percent road / sub-par road ?

if not relatively high - consider bike / frame that allows the option to go to a 32 mm tire (or larger ?) …. might be warranted considering planned use

zen_

Left to my own choice I will usually end up with a metal frame for better or worse, but I want to consider all options for sure on this one. What Fuji do you have? The Grand Fondo 1.3 was also on my list if there's any deals on it. The 52 size basically checks every box for me.

PeteHski

I have both a Giant Defy (2019) and a Canyon Endurace (2022). Fit is almost identical in my size (L for both) and they ride much the same too. Build quality is also the same ie very good. My Defy did arrive with a crooked seat post (D-shaped, so you can’t adjust the seat alignment), but the shop replaced it without any fuss. My Endurace was faultless out of the box.

I would recommend either of these bikes without reservation. They are both great value, especially the Canyon.

Maelochs

I needed an metal bike for rain, hard loads, full racks, commuting/ utility .... I looked at the Gran Fondo and Loved it but I saw a last-year's-model Sportif for many hundreds off, with a unique build, on the Performance Bikes website (before they morphed into not so great a place to shop.)

The Gran Fondo is probably a better bike in every way, particularly now that mine is seven years old, just before the redesigned seat stays and all that ..... I would probably like that bike as much as or more than my Sportif .... but I already have two CF bikes, a race-geometry (Cervelo R clone) and endurance (Defy clone) and I wanted a rain/light-touring bike I wouldn't need to worry about ever (not that I worry about the others any more .... a few crashes a few drops, no damage .... CF is really a great frame material despite what some folks say. But I needed a bike with rack mounts.)

For me the Fuji is the "comfort cruiser" which is partly due to set-up, a little higher stem, and partly placebo, I am sure, but is just a wonderful bike. And i don't work for Fuji or anything .... back in the day, though, Fuji was offering bikes that were as good as the big names for 85 percent of the money ..... which also attracted me. I don't like paying extra for the down-tube decal.

Of course, every bike and every body is different. If you get a chance to sit on one, take it. I bought mine online but I have all these charts and sketches so i figured out in advance exactly where to put the saddle and how many spacers and all that .... I unboxed the bike, swapped the saddle and pedals, set up the bars and rode away, and I haven't messed with ti since. The only issue is that after seven years of not enough maintenance (it is my go-to rain/ hard-hauling bike) I have worn out the big chain ring (I am on my second cassette, but that is in keeping with how many miles I get from a cassette.) Some people say FSA is not so good, but I never had a problem with front shifting .... I think I ran it with dirty, stretched chains too often and just wore down the teeth. But ... that is why I have a rain bike. I just got new rings for about $40 and will be replacing them soon.

Oh ... also .... the bike came with big, treaded tires, which looked like gravel tires ... I swapped them out for much better road tires immediately for a huge improvement. Check that out so you will be ready ....

Sierra_rider

I'm an owner of several carbon Canyons, all have been faultless in regards to build quality. My only knock against them is the integrated bar/stem, but that's not applicable to the CF version of the Endurace.

Sy Reene

A bit more $ but clearance complete Ti bike: https://lynskeyperformance.com/road-...dr-r7020-2x11/

mstateglfr 

I hear endurance bikes aren't real. You should look elsewhere for a bike.