I think I'd only run cyclocross knobbies if I was going to be riding in the dirt or grass a lot. Skinny knobbies on pavement are really unpredictable in the corners. I love my cyclocross bike. I ride it on mountain bike trails with 38mm knobbies and do centuries on the same bike with 28mm road tires but knobbies on pavement are sketchy especially if it's wet (I'm in FL, there's a good chance it's wet). For pavement, a good quality compound road tires almost always has better traction than any knobby. I ride my SS/Fixed road bike across the grass on campus all the time with no problem and I have 23mm road tires on that bike (I try not to do it if it's wet though cause it leaves ruts if it's muddy and tends to slide if it's just damp).