Thanks Sawtooth. I'm agreeing with Barretscv. CX is really good for conditions that would be too harsh on a road bike, but you don't really need an MTB, and with CX you can go faster than on an MTB.
Stock brakes on the Crux Expert, not that good. My wife noticed this on hers too. I'll work on this. The frame is good.
I actually crashed mine, not the bike's fault, I hand tightened my pedals, sans wrench, and had pedal breakaway. Oops, had to get a new handlebar, the front wheel slipped out of its holding nubs, the front brake pads went whacko. I had to fix things, It worked out fine. I really want to take classes at United Bicycle Institute in Ashland Oregon. Can anybody comment on this school?