I have a dilemia. Nashbar has a really good deal on a Mongoose Cyclecross Here is the link: I think they are also offering a coupon for 20% off. So, I may be able to get it for around $400.

http://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/st...olt@parker.com

The main reason I would like this is I can put full fenders and a hard mounted rack. On my current bike , Giant OCR Aluminum. It has the bladed front forks. So I could put the full fenders on the front, with some zip ties and the reach arounds at the top, but on the back, there is barely clearance for the tires to fit. I could only put fenders on it up to where the back brake is. I would still get the water ad debris that would fly to the drivetrain. Also, during the winter, there comes a point that the shifters stop working because of the cold.

Also, the Giant has the Ultegra / 105 mix. Mostly Ultegra, except for brakes / shifters. So, I was thinking that the cyclecross bike could be a good winter bike, but how reliable in general would the component group be related to Ultegra grade that I have. Will I be doing more maintenance / repairs because the bike is an overall cheaper bike?


Or, would it be better to just rig the Giant with the full fenders as best I can and just deal with the debris?

Any suggesions would be appreciated.