MongooseMan

Hi folks, long time lurker, first time poster... Context: Looking for a decent "one bike" to ride around Pinelands/the promenade/greenbelts/jeeps/maybe some gravel, on a limited, but not "makro" budget. I'll largely be riding with my kids, maybe a few rides out with friends, but this isn't anything serious (if it gets serious, I'll buy something else down the line). No downhill single-tracks or races. I'm aware I could probably get a good second hand bike for that price, but given my limited bike knowledge, I'm leaning towards getting something new, from a legit local bike shop, so I can go back to them if there are any issues. These seem pretty legit: https://rookcycles.com/collections/rook-scout/products/rook-scout-groad-black-11-speed I've done a fair amount of reading and searching on here, and haven't seen anything hugely negative (maybe some folks consider them a bit heavy, but that's about it). I also haven't seen much in the last 6 months (I know Pure Savage has one, but I think it's a v1, and he got it last year, and there isn't much other first-person feedback apart from that). From what I can see, it's got most of the right stuff (disk brakes, internal cable routing, etc). And from what I've read elsewhere, the v2 model (just released) has better components than the v1. So, essentially, for R13.5k, can I do better, without going second hand?