Cyclocross - Another new to CX - choosing a CDN bike

I've been reading the threads but I see more on US companies than CDN, not unexpected.
I'm in BC, Canada, and surrounded by CDN bike companies.
I'm a girl and not too rough on my bikes, but I want a bike that will last but also that I can load up and still move well.
First I looked at touring bikes, but I want something more versatile I think, and there's a part of me that thinks if I get a CX bike, I might look into racing too..
I like the Kona Jake, Devinci Tosca, Rocky Solo CX, maybe the Brodie Romulus or Ronin and the Norco CCX (possibly the Kwest). Budget of up to $1500CDN

I know fit is #1, but anyone have suggestions on which not to buy or which to look into more (or others I might look at)?

I'd personally wait a bit till I'd gather another 300$ and get the Brodie Romax.

FWIW, here's what I had to say about the 2006 Tosca over on Road Bike Review:

Hiya,

I own a 2006 Devinci Tosca and use it for everything from commuting, road training, touring, cross country riding on some local singletrack trails and of course cyclocross racing. Speaking as an owner (and a dealer of Devinci bikes) here's what I think of the 2006 Tosca:

The frame itself is really nice. The tubesets for the Devinci bikes are made in Canada and Devinci handles the welding, painting and assembly at their factory in Chicoutimi, Quebec. Like all of their bikes, that Tosca will have a lifetime warranty on the frame. The Tosca's a well-designed frame ... it has a guesset at the head/downtube weld and runs the front derailleur cable down the downtube. The rear spacing is 130mm so road wheels will fit fine. I personally like that Devinci goes with tall headtubes on their cyclocross bikes - I think the large has a 170mm or so which is great. The bottom bracket height is of the "euro" style (ie. effing high) so you won't have to worry about clipping a pedal in corners or on off camber situations. The stock fork is admittedly beefy, but hey, it's held up well so there's that at least.

As for the component spec, Devinci opted for a 9sp setup so people can pull all sorts of craziness w/ the cassette. I ended up chainging mine to a 9sp Ultegra 12-28 which has worked out really well. My only problem with the bike is the Truvativ cranks that were spec'd on it. Those things had serious durability issues and are commonly replaced under warranty. Keep an eye on your driveside crank arm. If you ever feel/hear play, check that it's not coming unbonded from the hollow axle spindle.

Other than that ... I really like the bike. If I was in the position to buy it again I would probably do so (though I might set mine up w/ SRAM). Hope that info helps.

Edit: Current Toscas use updated Truvativ cranks.

Save a little and get this. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=405473 90% of all frames on all the bikes you listed are made in China (not a bad thing). If a frame is painted, or finished in the USA, or Canada... they can claim American/Canadian made. That doesn't make it so. Unless your frame is custom/handmade, it's most likely made overseas.

First of all, none of the bikes you've listed are made in Canada. Kona isn't a Canadian company, Rockies is now owned by Procycles, they have gone downhill. I would avoid Brodie like a plague.

Devinci Tosca and Norco CCX are decent, though I wouldn't buy them. Norco is based in Coquitlam, so any problem they should be able to fix it up. Kona Jake the Snake is the most versatile of the bunch you've listed. Beware of $1500 just for the ticket price, you'll jump so far past that once you add tax, pedals, shoes, helmets, tools, etc.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=405473
A good choice if you know how to fit a bike because the quality of parts you get with titanium frame for that price is phenomenal.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fantom_cross_pro.htm
I don't like to shill BD, but this is also a really good choice because the components you find on this bike is comparable to those over $2000 in Canadian LBS. Have it shipped using a shipping service such as http://www.tsbshipping.com/ so you can pick it at Point Roberts instead of paying UPS's extra (that's considering if you live close enough).

Thanks for the help. I was a bit misinformed on the CDN manufacture thing (and duh about Kona, I thought later that I had made a mistake there- they're just so popular here!)
Anyway, narrowing it down: Devinci Tosca (I like the feel and colors!) or Kona Jake (feels good, don't like the look really). Components comparison illuminated this difference: Jake has Tiagra shifters (Tosca: Sora) hmm
anyway, I enjoy reading everyone's knowledgable thoughts!

Ideally, I would add the Fantom Cross Pro to list. You wanted to tour, cyclocross, and race, perhaps even road race. It cost less than the Tosca and Jake and it has better components and wheels.

i love my brodie Romax. Pics in the sig.

Aren't Marinoni frames still made in Canada? At least the metal ones.

Aren't Marinoni frames still made in Canada? At least the metal ones.

Jaa, Quebec. Here's their cross offering.

http://www.marinoni.qc.ca/Html/Fango.html

I bought the Jake the Snake and have had it on trails, gravel and pavement and it is really nice! The compact double crankset is new to me but it'll work out just fine I think :)

Kona may be defined as a Canadian company depending on how you look it. Kona's owner is a Canadian; however, his company is based in Ferndale, WA. The research and development is done both in Ferndale and in Vancouver.

The Rocky CX had it's tube set welded in Taiwan. When it arrived in Cananda raw it was painted by a Canadian. The parts were then put onto the bike by a Canadian. The wheels were handbuilt by a Canadian and you will see his initials on the wheels. When the bike is fully assembled another Canadian boxed it ready to ship. Guess what. The truck driver that delivered it to your LBS was most likely a Canadian. Rocky has been owned by Procycle for I believe 15 years. The owner of Procycle is a Canadian from Montreal. Is that enough Canadian content?

I'm a girl and not too rough on my bikes, but I want
a bike that will last but also that I can load up and still move well.
Off topic from your question, but just a bit of interesting trivia. I read a report
about a lot of women that were trained to operate heavy equipment and generally
they were preferred by the employers over the men. They got the same amount
of work done but without handling the machinery like a cowboy at a rodeo, and
with the cost of a large Michigan front end loader (or something like that) it is
really easy to imagine the equipment owner appreciating that attitude.

I have this but with carbon fork, SKS mudguards, and FSA crank with 46/36/22

http://velomane.com/velos-cross/escapade.html?Itemid=32