Newbie looking for advice - It's Done - Photo Added

Oh, and following on from my comments about my minor (but costly) crash, one other thing I'm thinking (for me personally); you may have seen some content on this site about disc brakes and how they are starting to trickle into the road bike market. Now despite a lot of people taking a love/hate stance on the matter, I don't have a particular leaning towards either conventional caliper rim brakes or discs. However, I am drawn to the fact that with discs, the wheel rim is no longer the braking surface. This raises the possibility of wheels lasting much longer due to less wear and tear, providing they don't implode in a pothole somewhere. Add to that the fact that wheels probably make the biggest difference to performance, and it becomes clear why spending money in this area may reap rewards.

Hence, my thinking for my next bike is:
Nice frame, properly fitted to me and my lack of flexibility - this may end up being a custom size, so perhaps Ti or steel as carbon gets £££££ for custom. Fair amount spent here.
Nice wheels with disc brakes - something like Dura-Ace C24s, expensive but hopefully last some time.
Replaceable (i.e. not too expensive) groupset - Shimano 105 or equivalent.

Regarding the domane, they do look to be very good bikes, but that's become a hotly-contested part of the bike market these days. Check out the Specialised Roubaix as an example or indeed the 'sportive offering' of most of the other manufacturers.

Good luck!

Oh, and think about consumables. I'd love an ultegra-spec bike, but a slow, minor crash has required a new rear mech, mech hanger, chain rings and cassette. Add the annual new bottom bracket and I might plump for 105-level-spec next time and focus the funds on bits that will hopefully last a bit longer like frame and wheels.

Welcome to the forum, tippers_kiwi. There are indeed some wise words here. I'd not cycled for years but decided to get back into it, and spent the budget on the bike. Then came helmet, shoes, pedals, base layers, shorts, tights, rain jacket, summer gloves, winter gloves, overshoes... then I joined a club, they have their own kit; jerseys, shorts, tights, gilet!

Now I'm longing for nicer bike. I should've avoided entry-level carbon last time round and gone with alu, that would have been a better long-term bet to accompany some higher-end carbon, but back then I didn't think I was going to get into it this much.

As mentioned by Bryin, the Domane is quite a different bike, the geometry is slightly more relaxed (still sporty and fast though) and intended for sportive use and long rides. The others seem to be race geometry.

So, question for you - how flexible are you? If you can comfortably touch your toes with your legs straight, then race geometry may be ok. As a rugby player, you've probably got decent neck muscles, but you'll need some flexibility there as well, as your body will be tipped forward but your head back to see the road. Personally, I just couldn't deal with it, so more relaxed geometry makes me "real-world" faster, because I'm more comfortable and can use the drops. Don't under-estimate the value of being fitted to the bike properly, don't settle for someone just adjusting the saddle height.

Interesting article by Ian Cleverly of Rouleur about choosing frame materials.

http://rouleurmagazine.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/a-four-grand-day-out/

You are looking at 3 bikes that are very similar and one that is different. The Trek has a longer head tube and a bit more relaxed geometry. It also has suspension within the frame. You have decided how much you want to spend so don't get hung up on components... ultegra vs. force means nothing at the end of the day. What will really matter is how comfortable you are on the bike. If I had to guess I would say the Trek's geometry is a better fit. Do not base your decision on a quick test ride becasue what fits for a 10 minute ride around the shop may not work on a 2 hour ride. Fit is everything when it comes to bike purchases. I would rather ride a lesser bike that fit than a pro level bike that did not. By the way, a bike does not fit right unless you can use the drops and don't have more than 2cm of spacers under the stem. When you see someone on a blinged out carbon wonder bike and they have 3cm of spacers under the stem and never use their drops you gotta wonder why they choose that bike other than they thought it was cool.. becasue it does not fit. Check out Specialized's Roubaix and Bianchi's Infinito... I rode an Infinito for a year and loved it. The only reason I got off it was for a custom Moots.

A different take on the 'problem' - looking back over my (brief) road affair I would caution against expecting to own just one bike. If expenses have to be passed by an 'executive committee' I would lay expectations out now as 'a bike to train on (lose a bit of weight, get fitter etc.), and for bad weather, and then when I know a bit more about it maybe something nice for sportives etc.'
Otherwise in 6 months time you will have spent your goodwill/cash on one bike and then revert to subfertuge (like the rest of us) in getting another bike in the garage!
How about spending 1k now (great bikes out there for that money) and then 1k+ for your 'special bike'?
Another tip - lose the rugby muscles; great on the beach but crap at getting you up hills! Best of luck!

SRAM, I prefer shifting with just one lever, and it's lighter. http://www.totalcycling.com/component-weights.html oh and it looks better in my opinion.

Canyon Ultimate Al 9.0 Di2 was our bike of the year last year and that's about 2 grand. just to muddy the waters

Give them a test ride and pick your favourite, you won't go wrong with any of those bikes.

No advice, just a bump, cause the boards are so busy with winter/armstrong/newkit/fantasy threads. Hope someone else can suggest.