answer are , yes ill be buying used (pawn shop around here are used bike shop literally)

and well even if id want a new one i would get a hybrid and make the conversion, a good hybrid is 500$ conversion is around 100$ online and getting some odds and ends at the coop. New cross bikes starts at 1200$ + (yeah market price sucks over here, the cheapest cross i found was 900$ for a 2007 norco ccx2 new never sold bike)

so yeah conversion indeed, ill try the bikes, i tought a couple meausrement would also help but it seems not as you say!