Help purchasing first bike.

[Gavel]

Howdy, im looking at buying my first road bike to commute to work (~10km each way) as a start with the long term goal to ride around for fun/fitness.

Im looking at 3 different bikes currently, The Giant Contend 1, The Polygon Strattos S5 and The Vantage Endurance 2.0 Disc.

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/contend-1
https://www.bicyclesonline.com.au/polyg ... -road-bike
https://www.reidcycles.com.au/vantage-e ... -disc.html

My questions are:
1. I don't understand how the Polygon and Reid come with 105 gearsets compared to the Giants Sora, are they falling short somewhere else i cant see or is it brand name markup?
2. The Giant is LBS, the other 2 are online, now obviously i would need a proper fit done, and im assuming a LBS will do one if i didnt buy the bike from them? Im also pretty mechanically intelligent, while i dont know how it works yet, i should be able to figure it out with (somewhat) ease. So maintenance/repair work shouldnt be too much of an issue. Should this impact my decision?
3. TRP Spyre Mechanical Disc Brakes on the Reid vs the 105 Shimano on the Polygon. Thoughts?
4. What would you pick and why?

Thanks for the help in advance, happy riding!

[Thoglette]

Short answer: none of the above.
Firstly, none of them can fit reasonably wide tyres; nor mudguards nor racks. Commuting gets pretty boring pretty quickly on normal roads/paths without at least two of these*
Secondly, they're race bikes (see point 1) with two having short wheel bases and stupidly low bars (with Reid being the almost-exception). While I love my "race" bike it's no fun to commute on (except the smooth bits on dry sunny days).

Which brings me to the other important element: what does your commute look like? Is it shiny new bike path from beginning to end? Or a combination of busy local streets; crowded footpaths and kerb-hopping? I'd pick a different bike for each.

There's been half a dozen similar threads recently and worth going through.
Commuter specific
Commuter bike suggestions
Help me choose a commuter bike for $250-350
Looking for a commuter upgrade for the missus - advice
Closely related : the all-rounder/light-tourer hunt
Recommend an all rounder
General mid-distance bike
Help for Inexpensive Light Touring Bike Option.
Thoughts on modern mass produced 650B randonneurs

Regarding discs the only relevant question you need to consider is: how often do you ride in the rain or through deep mud?

*like which end of the egg to open, opinions differ as two which two. Me, I'm all three. 32mm at least.

[MattyK]

I won't disagree with Thog, however if your plan is to just be a fair-weather commuter then a road/race bike (and a backpack) is fine. None of those bikes is overly aggressive (ie low/long) for fit. If you're riding every day then I will +1 his comments.

Yes you're paying brand-name tax for the Giant. You're also (hopefully) paying some extra for a reliable/comfortable/good performance (ie thoroughly engineered and tested) frame, as well as shopfront support and a good/easy warranty. Polygon counterpunch with a decent return policy.

I'd choose either the Poly or Reid. Brake choice is a rub if you ride in the dry, both will be good; take the discs if you'll ride in the wet. I don't think a bike shop fit is necessary. You can do a perfectly good job of it reading guides online and just feeling it out/adjusting it yourself. Bike tinkering isn't rocket surgery.

[Gavel]

My commute is long and flat. I have 2 round-abouts and a set of traffic lights until i get onto an 80km/hr highway with 2 sets of lights i go straight through until i take the exit and i'm there. So 3 sets of lights and 2 round-abouts in ~10km.

The road is in reasonable condition, no holes that ive seen from the motorbike with typical rubble/debris on the edges. But its the highway, plenty of cars but no foot traffic and no curb hopping.

As for conditions, i wont be riding in the rain. Sunny days only.

Thats why im leaning more towards a race/endurance bike instead of a 'commuter' bike. Also, wind, its long and flat with plenty of wind so i figured being bent over would lessen that a bit.

[Thoglette]

Cool. Glad you know what you want and why. Wind (ok, head wind, not any other sort) means drops.

[Gavel]

Cool. Glad you know what you want and why. Wind (ok, head wind, not any other sort) means drops.

Perhaps, but youve made me question my thoughts (which is awesome) regarding tire width especially, would a cyclocross style type bike be better.... hmm requires more thought.

Thanks for making me question my decisions