Ali, MDS - what do you think of gravel bikes generally?
There's a Ridley that got good reviews on velonews listed < $1600
http://velonews.competitor.com/bike-review/2016/05/ridley-x-trail-alloy_408313?resultspage=1&type%5B0%5D=gravel&price_range%5B0%5D=all&gender%5B0%5D=all&brand%5B0%5D=all&product_search
I don't need to get rid of Mr. Fuji (2014 Absolute 1.7), but the hand-numbing when I go > 30 miles is a bit of a drag. Also thinking that I may want to move Mr. Fuji to New Hampshire and get something different for locals.
FWIW, I try to do 35 - 55 miles a day on my off days on Mr. Fuji, and at least 3 days a week of 14 miles or so in segments on the CaBi Bixis. target is maybe doing the W&OD back and forth this fall. I have friends who have made noises about longer trips, like the ride between Pittsburgh and Washington, and another one who is trying to convince me to do a multiday ride in Israel this fall or next.
If your hands are going numb you have a fit issue and probably need a fitting and some adjustments to the bike (i.e. shorter or longer stem, different bar, raise of lower saddle...etc.). Ridley bikes are ok but that kind of bike is really overkill for your purposes and is the worst of all worlds (aluminum, half road half cross geometry, only mounts are for two water bottles) but it does have a decent groupset, still I wouldn't recommend it. If you're looking for a bike to do longer rides on without breaking the bank and want to buy new I'd go with any of these:
Salsa Fargo (
http://salsacycles.com/bikes/fargo) - great touring bike, relaxed geometry, three different versions with the SRAM X9 (mid-line) a steal at $2,300.
Salsa Marrakesh (
http://salsacycles.com/bikes/marrakesh) - You can run it with a flat or drop bar, tons of mounts for gear, and a deal on a steel disc bike.
All-City Spacehorse (
http://allcitycycles.com/bikes/space_horse) - Non-disc steel touring bike, the green is really nice, and come with a decent Shimano groupset.
All-City Macho Man Disc (
http://allcitycycles.com/bikes/macho_man_disc) - Cross bike geometry, Shimano 105 groupset, and a solid value. Not good for touring though (few mounts).
Trek 520 (
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/road-bikes/adventure-touring-bikes/520/520/p/1432000-2016) - Similar to the Spacehorse but a bit more relaxed.
Surly Disc Trucker (
http://surlybikes.com/bikes/disc_trucker) - Steel frame, relaxed geometry, budget priced groupset, tons of mounts for touring.
Surly Ogre (
http://surlybikes.com/bikes/ogre) - Steel, MTB geometry (more upright), disc or Canti brake compatible, tons of mounts for touring, complete build is ok..
I actually have the Ogre as my main bike now (upgrade group set and wheelset) and really love it, though it is a little slow and heavy. If you're looking to ride longer distances and have to carry gear with you (clothes, food, camping gear) it's an easy bike to love since the geometry is very relaxed and the bike handles heavy loads really well. Again, it's pretty heavy once you load it down (all bikes will be) but it's a very smooth and forgiving frame that absorbs a ton of shocks from uneven roads, gravel, and dirt. You can run a ton of different tire sizes on it as well with fenders (soemthing few frames can do) so if you want to do gravel, single track, snow, or sand you can.
