It's tough to find a good road bike this year (again due to supply issues), but I lucked out completely with the Aethos Comp!! I spent six months test riding bikes, looking to move to disc from my caliper road bikes. I was about to give up, every time I found one I liked that was < 5k, it was unavailable again. I was about to give up, then the Aehos Comp arrived. They have better availability than most (nice job with your supply chain Specialized), and I thought maybe I'd be compromising by getting one. Wrong there. The frame is stiff when/where it needs to be, and compliant enough for longer rides. Not quite ""endurance"" geometry, but certainly you won't have your teeth falling out going over some rough stuff. The fact that the cockpit is non-proprietary is a huge plus, makes it much more straight forward to size right. What about the Rival AXS? I wasn't considering an electric drivetrain at first, but this one convinced me. Sure, it's a bit heavier than the other Sram models, and not as sexy as the Shimano Di2. But it's a worker, pure and simple. Precise shifts, straight forward customizing. I have over 1k miles on it, no mis-shifts and still working like day 1. The Aethos models do use a custom thru axle that is minimalistic. You need to be careful when threading it. After replacing the tires, I had it a little off and two rides later I was going crazy trying to figure out a creaking that I was sure was the BB. Actually tore apart the BB/crank/seat/seatpost/pedals and was about to give up, Re-threaded the axle, creaking gone. Also, I run tubeless all the time, the rims on the Comp are tubeless compatible, but it comes with tubes and turbo tires. One unfortunate event with a large rock snake bit both tires (group ride, no warning given, hit it full on). I immediately went tubeless to avoid this. Best thing I learned from this? The DT Swiss rims on the Comp are bomb-proof, wheels had no damage and stayed true.