Well, I do both, and here's my take. My cross bike, even with small knobbies, makes my hardtail 65mm travel suspension bike feel like a freeride rig in comparison. Slow, squishy and heavy-but relatively unstoppable in the dirt. On the pavement my cross positively rips, and it is fun offroad too-but requires more finesse. I guess it is like a rally car compared to a 4wd monster truck. There is some overlap between the two vehicles, but they are still totally distinct. My garage would not be complete without one of each.