Cyclocross - yet another painful which frame thread...

I'm considering a Ridley Crossbow for a CX bike. I am not going to race and really just want something to play on in bad weather and on trails. I really don't enjoy my mountain bike so I'm thinking a CX may fit my eye a lot more. I talked with my LBS and of course they pointed to a new Litespeed CX frame for $2800. Looks cool and all that but I can't even begin to justify that much frame for my intended use.

Back to the point. Is the Crossbow a decent ride? I have an Ultegra SL group just waiting for a frame and all I really need are tires, stem and brakes to complete any frame I decide I "need". Are there any other framesets in the $600 or less price range that I should be looking at?

Thanks for listening.

:beer:

Quite a few frames. Soma Double Cross, Surly Crosscheck come to mind. The Gunnar Crosshair is just a little more. I've seen some Guerciottis go for around that too. But you don't actually need a cross bike for what you have in mind. It sounds like a road bike with adequate clearances or a touring bike would suit you. Have you considered a Rivendell Bleriot?

I just looked at the Bleriot and it just don't fit my eye at all. I'm not a fenders kind of guy. I've riden 2000 miles on my road bike since mid June and I want something that is still "sporty" like my road bike, but I don't want to spend $3K on it like I did my roadie. The geometry on the Ridley looks a little closer to my needs and it's about 3 pounds lighter than the Surly. I'm going to try to find a Soma dealer and check out the Double Cross in person.

Thanks, and I welcome any other ideas.

:beer:

im still a fan of the brodie romulus/romax/ronin frames for that price range

The Hole Shot. I love that frame

Wot, no fenders?
//walks off in disgust//
:)

If I was going to spend $600 on a cross frame it would be this one.

http://www.rideblue.com/cx65.php