Avanto or Giant????

bonfordi

OK guys and Gals,

This may be a no brainer for probably most of you, but I'm looking at buying my first real roadbike. Initially I was looking at the Orbea enol or aspin, but I wanted to check out the Giants (OCR! or OCR2) because a friend of mine has an OCR0. Then after chatting to another dealer I was introduced to the carbon composite frames (apparently these give a softer ride for the rougher roads, which is what is pretty common in these parts)of the Giant OCT Alliance sport then the Avanti Giro. Unfortunately they did not have a alliance big enough for me to have a ride on so I took the Giro for a spin. Well what a slick ride. Of course the Giro is $300 more than the alliance but runs the Shimano 105 compared to Tiagra on the alliance.
Now comes the big question am I really better of spending the extra cabbage on the Giro, getting the better groupset (and are Avanti's any better or just as good as Giants?)? Or should I just stick with the full alluminium frame of the Orbeas??
At this point I have to confess that I only originally was going to fork out $1000 originally, now I won't be far off $2000 once I get all the other trimmings.

All advice and Critisism is welcomed.