Looking for a colorful bike. Analysis paralysis & the old XPLR vs Eagle question.

So I'm in total analysis paralysis in the decision-making process for a new bike. I have been looking into getting a nice Carbon gravel bike in the in the sub-5k range for over a year now and for this spring it needs to happen.

I am an extremely visual person, how the bike looks is a BIG factor to me. Many people don't care or want something that looks fast and "stealthy". I hover am looking for something colorful. I just can't bring myself to spend that kind of money on something with dark and/or dull colors that i visually hate. I want an intentional, bold color-schemes with bright colors and/or pastel hues: pink, purple, baby blue etc.

I really like the clean look, performance and precision of SRAM's wireless 1-by drivetrains. I test-rode them against Campi Ekar (didn't like the weird thumb lever and the finnicky adjustment) and Shimano Di2 (don't like the multi-button brake levers, the fact they are not truly wireless and that you need to bring the bike to a wall-plug to charge) So SRAM 1-by is almost non-negotiable.

I live in Switzerland (many mountains) and want to have the option of e.g. bikepacking across the Alps towards Italy. I will ride about equally often on asphalt and light/medium gravel. I'm not interested in technical trails. I won't enter races and I'm not after being super fast, but after having fun and options.

Main contenders are currently:

• The Canyon Grail CF SLX 8 AXS. I love the look and color of the bike, the super nice ZIPP wheels, the geometry and all the custom-fitted accessories & bags Canyon is offering for it. Test-rode it and loved it. As a german brand Canyon has solid shipping & customer service in Switzerland. However it has a XPLR drivetrain and from all I've read it is impossible to get Canyon to customize bikes. If I could order that same bike with Eagle Transmission I'd buy it in a hearbeat. It apparently is transmission-ready, so I could swap out the cassette, chain and derailleur to get the 10-52 GX Eagle, but from what I understand that's another 500 bucks in parts, plus labour.

• The fully customizeable (also color-wise) Pastel WHTIF 2.0 with a Eagle GX Transmission, Phase carbon wheels and carbon handlebar. I have been looking at this one for a while and even went to Salzburg to test-ride it. Its nice and rides well, however it is a no-name open-mould frame so quality is kind of unclear. The company that sells it is in Austria and consists of just two people who built & paint bikes as a hobby, thus anything warranty-related could become complicated.

• I absolutely love the colors of the Cannondale Topstone Carbon 2 Lefty in this or this version as well as the Topstone Carbon Apex 1. But all of them menchanical groupsets (and suspension forkst/dropper posts).

• The BMC URS TWO is made by a Swiss company so customer service and service would be great for me. It has the old UDH X1 Eagle. However I really don't love BMC's aesthetics: The angles in the geometry and the weird tapering of the top-tube towards the cockpit just somehow give me the ick. The design just seems kinda rought and undecided to me. Also while it is brigth and colorful, I find the colors a bit simplistic and reminiscent of color-schemes in millenial years. Also alloy handlebars and only Apex components, not carbon & Force or Rival like others at that price point.

• Test-road the Stevens Camino AXS recently. Basically the same specs as the Grail (also XPLR), minus the customs acessories. Color-wise it's not amazing, but OK. I don't see any benefits over the Grail however. Can't order it online, but there are plenty of dealers around where I live.

• I also looked at & test-rode the CUBE NUROAD C:62 that has nice specs for the price, with Eagle XX Transmission. The dark-red color is boring to me however. It can only be ordered through very few retailers in Switzerland and the same goes for all things warranty. The next retailer that has it is about 40mins away by car and since I don't have a car thats a bit annoying.

• The Ribble Gravel SL – Pro. Cool geometry, cool color, but again with XPLR. Also haven't found a distributor in Switzerland where I could test-ride. The company is in the UK and really caters to the island. They do ship to Europe, but it seems complicated and expensive (custom taxes). Makes me question if that is a good idea, also in terms of warranty.

So here come the Questions:

• Am I right to assume that for my use-case Eagle with a 10-52 casette is the right thing? XPLR just seems very limiting in Range.

• Generally I find SRAM's naming massively confusing: AXS, Eagle, XPLR, Force, RED, APEX, Rival, GX, XX, X0, and all the different combinations of these. Not to mention all the different casettes and cogs. I'm not even sure if XPLR vs. Eagle is the main differentiation I should be looking at, or if some of these other lables are just as important?

• Some people seem to love the new Transmission system, others hate it. Personally I like the cleaner look of the Transmission mounting. Also it seems this is just going to be the future, no matter what people think – so I would prefer buying into a future-proof tech instead of a sunset technology. Is there any objective reason I should still look into UDH mounted derailleurs?

• Out of the above mentioned Bikes, what would be your pick in my situation and why?

• I also thought about buying a bike just along specs/price (Like e.g. the above CUBE) and then having it custom painted. It sure is possible but it seems a lot of work to take the whole bike apart / put it back together. Also it obviously adds weight and I'm unsure how complicated / expensive it it to get a frame spray painted. Has anyone here attempted something like this?

• Does anyone here knows of other sub-5k bikes with happy colors, full cabon equipment, Eagle Transmission and availability / service in Switzerland? I'm very open to suggestions!

Thank you all in advance for your Input!