The best bike for... everything?

[Swan]

I hear you all on the fitting. I've been calling around to (not so local...) bike shops this morning to ask about fittings, and I'm glad I called because the two closest to me don't offer them! Yikes! I'll hold off on the fitting until I decide which bike to bring home, though

Just to get an idea, what is your budget for this bike?

I'd like to put the cap on the bike itself at around $1,500 to allow wriggle room for added costs (like the fitting, a saddle, gear, and apparel) in an overall $3,000 budget. It might be a stingy sum in the cyclist world, but it suits me all right.