twowheel

I’m hoping you guys can help me out with a few opinions. I’m looking for a bike to be my commuter, early spring/foul weather training bike and trying some cross races in the fall bike. I’m commuting to work on a great bike – it’s a custom steel Serotta. My ride is about 12 miles each way – half smooth country roads, half urban pothole stuff. I want to get a commuter rig (steel, to absorb the bumps) so I can ride in and not worry about my nice bike. Something I can put a rack on and not have to worry about. My original thought was a CrossCheck, and I love the ride of it – very smooth. But, it’s also heavy. I’m afraid the lack of “zip” will make me miss the road bike. So, I’m trying to figure out what would be the next step up – something steel, a little lighter, with a little more snap for the occasional race to beat a yellow light. So far, I’ve looked at the Soma DoubleCross, which seems great. Anything else out there I should look at? Thanks!