I am a student living in the city and am planning on moving about 2 miles off campus next fall. I will be doing 2 miles to and from classes everyday and about a mile ride to and from work on the weekends. I have heard great things about the cyclocross bikes, but wasn't sure they would be able to take the beating of jumping on and off curbs or going over the occasional pothole. I currently have a Trek 4300 (intro mtb), but I suspect the long distances everyday call for a more suitable bike. Is a cyclocross bike right for me, or should I stick with a mtb? Will there be a significant change in prices/availability between now and August (impossible to predict the future, but just an estimate).

Bikes I have been considering: c-dale cyclocross, trek xo1, jake the snake, felt, c-dale bad boy.

Thanks
Brett

2 miles is not a long distance, it is a short 10min hop. The type of bike will make a negligible difference to your journey time.
Your Trek 4300 is quite suitable for this kind of riding, esp if you fit slick tyres. You may also want luggage rack, fenders and lights.
If you are strong and do a lot of road riding, you may find that the MTB is a little under-geared but solve that problem when you come to it.

I am a student living in the city and am planning on moving about 2 miles off campus next fall. I will be doing 2 miles to and from classes everyday and about a mile ride to and from work on the weekends. I have heard great things about the cyclocross bikes, but wasn't sure they would be able to take the beating of jumping on and off curbs or going over the occasional pothole. I currently have a Trek 4300 (intro mtb), but I suspect the long distances everyday call for a more suitable bike. Is a cyclocross bike right for me, or should I stick with a mtb? Will there be a significant change in prices/availability between now and August (impossible to predict the future, but just an estimate).

Bikes I have been considering: c-dale cyclocross, trek xo1, jake the snake, felt, c-dale bad boy.

Thanks
Brett
Will you be riding this bike for recreational/fitness rides beyond the school and weekend work commute? If not then I suggest you get a used beater bike or your current mtb so that you don't need to worry about keeping in locked up well when in classes or such. What is wroing with ridining the Trek 4mi a day?
On the other hand if this is a reason for an excuse to buy an nice new bike...

Al

2 miles is not a long distance, it is a short 10min hop. The type of bike will make a negligible difference to your journey time.
Your Trek 4300 is quite suitable for this kind of riding, esp if you fit slick tyres. You may also want luggage rack, fenders and lights.
If you are strong and do a lot of road riding, you may find that the MTB is a little under-geared but solve that problem when you come to it.

Ditto.

I have a 4300 (actually two of them) that i ride over 20 miles every day. I have ridden them over 8000 miles in the last 16 months. Your commute is SHORT and the 4300 is more than capable. Put some slicks on it if you really want to sail.