This is a tiny bit above your price range. But it’s a great bike with full 105 components.

https://www.specialized.com/...?color=239799-129269

Or look at the Cannondale Caad12 bikes. They are on sale right now at REI.

I had a Cannondale Caad10 for a while and it was a great road bike - i used it mostly for racing but did some long training rides on it too...

$1500 gets you ALOT of used bike. I would expect for you to be able to find:

Full build CAAD10/12, ~$400-500 for the frame set
SRAM Force22 or Shimano Ultegra, ~$400-500 for the full group
Nicer wheels ~300 stans anlpha340, used hed belgium or ardennes (C2 not plus) ~$300
Nicer finishing kit (bar, stem, and seat post), zipp service course level. ~$150

Depends upon specs, but either a recent CAAD or a Specialized Allez

If you're tallish and can handle a low position https://www.performancebike.com/...ad-bike-2017-31-6328
Very hard to go past that on a speed per dollar basis

CAAD and Allez are great frames, but there are a lot of interesting options around if you look a bit deeper.
Like this https://shop.fairdalebikes.com/...odship-electric-blue

For 1500 I got a brand new, close-out Felt AR with 105 from the year before on ebay.

Sometimes some great deals to be had. Some great used bikes in that range, too, especially a year or two old.

the new/used debate is a can of worms in itself, and there's no doubt there's lots of bike to be had for 1500 if you're comfortable with the used route. if you're dead-set on needing ultegra level spec or you're a weight weenie, used may be the route. if not, I think getting one of these great alloy bikes new is the way to go. you can upgrade gradually if you want and with a few key upgrades you won't be giving up more in weight or performance than some 5000+ carbon bikes. and you get the security and perks (warranty, dealer support, etc) that come with a new bike purchase.

caad and allez are great bikes and seems like they've been the two "standards" when it comes to an alloy bike that can rival carbon. trek seems to have come to that party hard now with the emonda ALR. the ALR 5 is 1659 so a hare above the 1500 point but it's got new 105 R7000, and DAYUMM that purple paint job...https://www.trekbikes.com/...64/?colorCode=purple. for another 100, you could get disc brakes too.

I think these emonda ALRs are going to join the allez/caad for years to come when it comes to just overall value and quality alloy frames.

2012 Ridley Noah Pro with Ultegra DI2 , has the usual nicks , scratches and is used. Hawk bottom bracket and Hawk chain wheels. Size small

I love that purple paint job! And the ALR5 at 1660 is a great bike. Unfortunately the extra $100 gets you the ALR4 Disc. Downspecked crank and Tiagra 10 speed. The ALR5 disc is and extra $340.

Cannondale CAAD12 with Shimano 105 for $1575 MSRP - usually it's a bit cheaper in the bike shops.

New or used Felt AR5.

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Grow with data: Dynamic Sports Data | eBay store

Going to be tough to beat something from BikesDirect like.

Omni Strada Pro $1299 - Full Ultegra R8000 11s including Shimano hydraulic brakes.

You can stick skinny tires on this or fatties too. Let me know what you think in regards to price from specs. I did order another bike recently before the tariffs on Sept 24. I wasn't following what was going on (out of touch in HI) so I have no idea if true but they said prices were going up because of the tariffs.

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Following. I’m just starting to look for my first road bike and $1,600 is about my limit. All the suggestions here for a new bike are what I’ve been looking at.

You gotta give us a little more idea how you plan to use it. Couple votes here for the Allez Sprint, and that's a great bike for fast, shortish rides on smooth pavement...assuming you can tolerate the long/low geometry. It's certainly not the bike I'd want to have for a Century ride on course pavement or gravel.

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"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

Probably a used Specialized Tarmac or Roubaix. $1500 can get a lot of used bike around here.

Oh wow. That is a good deal. So how much a difference is there between ultegra and say Shimano 105. I have 105 on a couple of bikes and tiagra on my road bike. tiagra is okay but there is a noticeable difference in shifting between the two which is why I have it on my list to upgrade my road bike from tiagra to 105.

Is the whole Allez line geared towards that style of riding? How would the Felt AR5 or CAAD compare?

I always favor a new bike, and the Allez Sprint as posted above in my mind is a bonafide bargain. The lower end Cannondales are also good, but that Allez is fairly cheap, yet it knocks on the door of the best bike ranks at virtually any price.

Look for a 1k bike (new/used) and put 500 bucks into upgrading wheels (lighter, stronger wheels, nothing crazy, but above baseline you’ll get at either 1k/1500) and saddle to make riding that much nicer.

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________________________________________________________
Taylor Rogers

2024: IM Hamburg

This year I got a 1yo BMC TeamMachine SLR02 with Ui2 for $1700 off eBay. Even had a DA cassette and an enve seatpost with a carbon fizik saddle as upgrades.

You can get a lot in the used market.

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I happily ride 105 but if you ever resell the bike, strip it and part it out, the Ultegra will be likely be a better selling point. 105 is kind of where I draw (105 and above) the line personally.

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Cool. Yeah. I’ve been more than happy with my 105 bikes.