Originally Posted by
danmyersmn
FYSA I had an AWOL and it is a beef of a bike. It is great for full load touring and it handles it with ease. light touring or bagless and it is a slug. I replaced mine with an All City Space Horse and I prefer it over the AWOL. The AWOL is a great bike but it sounds like it is not as precise an arrow as what you are looking for. The AWOL should be compared against something like the Surly Disk Trucker and I don't see that on your list.
I'm intrigued by your story, danmyersmn. Obviously, you discovered first hand that bike handling (not to be a slug!) emerged as a game-changing priority for you. To go to the extent you have in abandoning your first choice, I assume, at some personal financial cost, is a persuasive testimony.
If handling was an AWOL deal-breaker for you (or a source of buyer's remorse!), were there any lesser factors that also came into play in your decision to go for the All City Space Horse? I'll look up this bike myself and add it to my list.