How about another incomplete reply to your question?

I ride a cyclocross bike as my main commuter now, a Specialized TriCross Comp. It's aluminum with carbon stays and fork. My other commuter is a hybrid style, not a touring bike, so I can't speak to the comparison. The cross bike is much faster than the hybrid, that's for sure. In my opinion, cross bikes are where it's at for commuting.

When I was shopping for my new bike, I looked at the Felt and I thought it looked really good. LBS said they hadn't sold many yet so couldn't tell me much long term about it. Of course lots of folks like the Surly.

My 2c

NoSho