Looking for an all-arounder for a 3 mile steep (down and up) road commute + weekend warrioring – never ridden longer than 25 miles or gravel on my old steel cruiser bike, but wanting to keep the possibilities open, explore some gravel trails, and maybe even do some bikepacking some day.
I'm a 5'5 woman (USA) and loved the feel of the Kona Rove DL 50" (https://konaworld.com/products/rove-dl), especially the hydraulic brakes, but was hoping to be under $1500 USD since I'm not even sure I'll love gravel/longer cycles/ drop bars. Friends have recommended the Topstone line and I tried the Marin Nicasio (+) and gestault which I liked to varying degrees, though not quite as much as the Rove DL. Tried the Jamis Renegade (https://www.jamisbikes.com/bikes/adventure-gravel/allroad-adventure/steel-renegade/) a while back too and think I liked it. LBS didn't have the base Rove in my size but tried the microshift in a larger size and didn't mind it too much for my purposes. Weight matters slightly less to me as long as i can carry it up a flight of stairs, though I recall the Jamis felt lighter than the rest of the steel bikes.
Wondering where you think the best bang for your buck + future upgradability is, and something that will be reasonably comfortable for street clothes commuting? I'm nervous about aluminum coming from steel
by out_of_right_field