Originally Posted by alphasigmookie

I currently own a Giant MTB for occasional weekend fun and a 20+ year old Columbia 10speed road bike that I used for commuting ~2 miles round trip in AZ the past 3 years, but I recently moved to the DC area and my commute is just under 10 miles one way. I've been riding metro but want to get back into biking to work. Last Friday was DC bike to work day so I decided to make the trek in on my Columbia. It made it fine for one day, but it is woefully inadequate for an every day commuter without sinking some serious cash into a rebuild.

After lurking around the site quite a bit, I think what I want is probably a CX style bike. I like the idea of something that's built for rougher terrain since there are some cobblestone streets, and rough roads along my path. Also if I'm going to sink some money into a new bike I might as well get something that has multiple uses and after reading a bit about it, it sounds like cycle-cross could be a blast! The problem is I don't know the first thing about what the options are. Most of the local independent shops all stock only one or two brands of bikes and they'll all tell you the brand they carry is the best.

I'm looking for suggestions on specific bikes or brands that might meet the needs of a ~20 mile round trip commute and potential beginner recreational cx racer. My budget ideally will be in the $600 range, but I may be willing to increase it a bit if necessary.