Haha okay! Here’s what I sent last night:
So a bit about me - I’m 31 and in Chicago. I’ve done a few races, but for the most part I just want to do fast group rides & stay competitive in big races/ rides. Not a lot of hills here in Chicago though!
I have a Madone for the fast road rides & my Moots for gravel. The Moots is obviously not aero, but the Madone is one of the most aero road bikes out there & I can honestly say I never have felt that the Moots held me back and it doesn’t feel much slower than the Madone on tarmac. I have the older version of the Routt RSL (2021?). I bought it last summer. That bike was much more of a road/ gravel bike hybrid (Ultegra instead of the gravel groupsets/ 40m tire clearance instead of 45), but I think it’s relatively the same feel.
I have a buddy that’s from Vermont but now lives/ works in New York. He rides the Specialized Diverge as his gravel & road bike & says great things.
At the end of the day, if speed is number one, I’d go with a carbon gravel race bike like the Diverge or Trek Checkpoint. But if you’re Ti curious/ want a beautiful bike that attracts attention/ want that “forever” bike/ etc, I’ve never regretted buying the Moots. I’d go with the upgraded carbon wheels instead of the Astrals. I didn’t upgrade & I don’t regret it, but I don’t climb big hills…you definitely should go carbon wheels.
One more thing - Moots has a demo fleet at various dealers. You can always try to find one close to you & test it out.
Let me know if you need anything else!