Cyclocross - MEC a level entry cross bike?

I have a MTB now but I would love to go faaaaster! In three months I am planning to buy a road bike OR a cross bike. I love variety of road, gravel roads but I also consider to join a womens racing club. I saw this MEC cross bike for $ 990 CAD. Would that be a good choice?
http://http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442630195&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302886469&bmUID=1258560832515 (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442630195&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302886469&bmUID=1258560832515)

That's a good looking bike. Being a Canadian I'm a huge MEC fan and was excited to see they were doing bikes. It does seem very similiar to the Kona Jake which I think is about the same price. The Kona is a well known brand so you can find reviews and the resale value would be higher. Of course it really depends on which bike fits you best. This MEC bike seems like good value for the money.

I ride a road bike and a cross bike. I always prefer my road bike it's just smoother and faster but depending on how much 'off-road' riding you want to do a cross bike is still quite efficient on the road and obviously much better for rougher surfaces. Also the knobs on a cross bike aren't going to be very durable if you ride them lots on the road.

Just a few thoughts, good luck with your search. Join a club for sure it's great fun.

MEC is like the Walmart of outdoor gear. Their bikes look awful in person. I'm not sure how they think they are going to be able compete with the big brand names with their current line up of bikes. The Rocky Mountain Solo CX, Kona Jake or Specialized Tricross are much better choices.

MEC is like the Walmart of outdoor gear. Their bikes look awful in person. I'm not sure how they think they are going to be able compete with the big brand names with their current line up of bikes. The Rocky Mountain Solo CX, Kona Jake or Specialized Tricross are much better choices.

Dude, you really need to take a closer look at the MEC bikes. They have good parts for the price. Also their frames are sourced from Giant which is the largest bike frame maker in the world. They also supply to such bike companies as you listed above including Trek and Cannondale. ;)

I'd go with the cross bike... great choice! You'll have a bomb-proof commuter/recreational bike, cyclo-cross is fun, and with smooth tires it will be perfectly decent for road biking while you get a feel for what you want in a bike (I spent my first road biking season on a hybrid bike)... once you decide to commit to the road racing, you'll almost certainly want to upgrade any road bike you might buy right now.

Dude, you really need to take a closer look at the MEC bikes. They have good parts for the price. Also their frames are sourced from Giant which is the largest bike frame maker in the world. They also supply to such bike companies as you listed above including Trek and Cannondale. ;)

Dude I have!, my livelyhood depends on knowing what the competition has. Every bike shop in Canada sighed a big sigh of relief when we were able to see MEC bikes in the flesh. They are ugly. I stand by my original comment. Giant makes junk as well as high end stuff, so what?. Being the biggest car manufacturer in the world didn't help GM much.

As comparison this Cannondale is one I like too: http://westwoodcycle.ca/product/09-cannondale-capo-50056-1.htm
Same question, but the other way, is it also possible to change the tires for using it as cross bike or once you decide to go for roadbike you stick with that?? Btw, this one is a bit cheaper than the $ 990 cross bike, the Cannondale Capo is $ 799

Tire clearance will be an issue with a road bike. Cross bikes are designed to handle larger tires. My road bike barely fits 28mm tires which would not be so good for off road. Cross bike on the other hand can sometimes up to 42mm tires.

I went into a MEC when I was in Canada last. It reminded me or our REI's here in the US. Cool stores.

REI at least had enough sense to brand their bikes Novara.

I was at MEC this week end and the welding on their frames looked good quality. The bike you linked has Sora shifters, which work well but not if you want to do a lot of shifting from the drops. If you want to shift from the drops you should be able to find a bike at that price with Tiagra shifters.

Dude I have!, my livelyhood depends on knowing what the competition has. Every bike shop in Canada sighed a big sigh of relief when we were able to see MEC bikes in the flesh. They are ugly. I stand by my original comment. Giant makes junk as well as high end stuff, so what?. Being the biggest car manufacturer in the world didn't help GM much.

Let me reiterate, Giant still supply frames to the typical LBS overpriced bikes. It's just rebadged to Cannondale, Treks etc... Your point? Bring on the competition. If MEC bikes offer the same quality for a better price, good for the consumers.
Having said that, right now there are lots of discounts on 2009 bicycles at LBS. So you may get a Kona Jake or whatever with deep discounts since the 2010s are here.

In Victoria, Bc - where things are not cheap - you can get a kona Jake -with full Tiagra for 50 bucks less than the MEC crossbike. Kona Jake is a way better bike. I had hoped MEC would come with a great line up of bikes. They are not there yet.

I like MEC stuff in general (I used to live in Canada for 5 years) and this bike seems pretty decent, but I'd also warn against getting a bike with Sora shifters. I'd recommend looking out for something with Tiagra or above.

By posting the thread in the cyclocross forum, you're obviously going to get a lot of people who think that the cyclocross bike is the best option, but don't take this to mean that this is what everyone will say. Even so, if you want a versatile bike then something like this is ideal.

In Victoria, Bc - where things are not cheap - you can get a kona Jake -with full Tiagra for 50 bucks less than the MEC crossbike. Kona Jake is a way better bike. I had hoped MEC would come with a great line up of bikes. They are not there yet.

When I look up information about the Kona Jake The Snake, this bike also has Shimano 105 shifters, just as the MEC bike. BTW what would you pay for these bikes in Victoria, I think prices are the same here in vancouver, isn't it?

When I look up information about the Kona Jake The Snake, this bike also has Shimano 105 shifters, just as the MEC bike. BTW what would you pay for these bikes in Victoria, I think prices are the same here in vancouver, isn't it?

I think redvespablur was referring to the base model Jake not JTS. The Jake has Tiagra components. I also agree that for similar price to the MEC 1971, I'd get the Jake. Too bad it comes with canti brakes. They just don't give me enough confidence braking.
Point is, those MEC bikes are nothing like them wally-world bikes as some posters are trying to make it out to be. They are actually quite decent. The only thing missing is the marque brand name like Trek, Specialized, Kona etc... To me a bicycle is bike frame with a bunch of Shimano components that are based on various levels of quality. Most bikes these days are built in Taiwan by Giant anyway. Cannondale just announced that ALL of their bikes will be built there now. It's Penn facility will be converted to testing purposes. So there you go.

I agree with Wunderkind. I Bike is often just a collection of parts - and should be priced as such. I thought the MEC would be better value than they seem to be - as they get more volume I suppose they will get more competitive. As of now with the Cross bike anyway there are better component bundles available.