Thanks for the replies. I actually meant to post that I was looking to buy a road bike OR cyclocross bike later. I posted this on my phone and it didn't let me edit. Yeah, one of the few shops I'm aware of around here carry mostly Trek bikes, so when I tried out a road, mountain, and hybrid (didn't try the CX because it was expensive and I didn't want to wreck something I couldn't pay for), they were all Trek brand. I found another shop around me that carries Specialized, so I might go check that out, and look for the Crossroads IF when I go. Also, I had no idea I could buy spacers to raise the bar. I might look into that too.

At one point, I was considering:

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/..._adventure.htm
or
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/..._cross_cx2.htm

but I'm not sure, since I can't test ride them and my knowledge of components is enough to tell me the derailleurs are better... and that's about it. I think I'll hold the 7.2 as a fall back and test my options. When I do decide and make the purchase, I will post pictures of it.