New Gravel/Cross Budget Bike - Advice

I got a Janis Renegade Expert earlier in the year and love it though it's a little out of your price range and carbon.  If you're near an Evans cycles it would be worth checking them out as they do the no obligation test ride thing.  Have you looked at Jamis,  Norco, Pinacle and Fuji from there - all cover most price points.  I was also dead happy with a Norco cx bike until some toe rag nicked it that was alloy but a super comfy ride.  Tyre size helps there. 

Disc brakes are a god send as they work well in any conditions.

I tried alloy, carbon and steel when I got mine as they were all around the same price at the time and it was the hydro discs that clinched it at the time as I couldn't decide so applied some logic but that was my decision.  There were little differences in ride quality but not,  to my contact points at least,  a huge difference.  

I'm using mine all year round and last week did  a 50 mile on it -  The only thing I had changed was put some cheap road tyres on it..

Try as many as you can first. 

For me, if you are thinking for the long term and the future then it's the frame as an investment,  components wear out and then you can upgrade.  Can't tell you much about the bikes you are thinking about, but have you thought about 2nd hand.  Little more pot luck, and you have to have a little more knowledge (or just get lucky).  Admittedly it will not be as shiny and you won't get the grace period of everything being perfect for a while, but you could get the steel frame that you might fall in love with and last you many years.

I must also say that I like my square taper BB, have also used octalink and hollowtech (MTB), the hollowtech seems to creak more (XTR as well), but I've never had a complaint of my UN72s,  picked up my last one NOS on ebay.  Middleburn RS7 (we shall really miss you) and when the BB dies I am going the whole hog and opting for Phil Wood.

... i would prb also stay away from claris and sora. The difference is massive compared to 105 and you make thousands of gearchanges a year so its a very important contact point.

.... And.... Whilst i think about it find out if any of them have a threaded bottom bracket. Thats really important. Threaded is good. Square taper or pressfit is not so good if you plan all year round use.

Anything with side pull brakes i.e the btwin 540 etc might not really fall into the category of adventure/gravel etc. In fact it definitely wont be able to be called a cx bike. So its a case of deciding on that bit maybe first.

I own a GT Grade 105, its brilliant! Rrp is £1k, so end of season could be less, or there are the Tiagra and Sora versions which are equally good.