SN, I'm still not convinced that I am a road bike guy. It's just that I love bikes and like you said, I'm kinda wanting to do another build. Not sure I would want a Fatbike either so I'm keeping my options open.
I rode four road bikes yesterday at a new local bike shop, a Giant Defy Advanced 1, Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1, Giant Fastroad Comax 2, and a Cannondale Badboy. Here is what I thought of each road bike:
1) Giant Defy Advanced 1 - Nice bike, decent price, mech disc brakes were a bit weak, shifted okay, rode just okay. ($2,300)
2) Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 - Very nice bike, shifted nice, hydro disc brakes worked well, rode very nice. ($3,300)
3) Giant Fastroad Comax 2 - Nice bike, very good price, hydro disc brakes pretty good, comfortable flat bar, familiar shifting, good ride. ($1,350)
4) Cannondale Badboy - Interesting bike, a bit heavy, kinda like a basic mountain bike with road wheels and 75mm travel on the front fork, road wheels, disc brakes, reasonable price. ($1,750)
One thing that was common among all the bikes was they seem to all feel a bit on the small side. Partly because road bikes have a smaller wheelbase, skinny tires, lighter weight, and the two Defy road bikes having the drop bars also made them feel awkward. Again, I'm not really a road bike guy but am wondering if I would enjoy an occasional road ride.
So far nothing has really got my attention, the store did not have a Giant Fastroad Comax 1 available to ride but it might come in in a few weeks. Overall I'm glad I got to ride a few road bikes, now I know that I'm only luke warm on getting a disc road bike. Since I'm in no hurry, I can wait until SRAM releases all of their road bike 1x11 options in July.