Cyclocross can be a great alternative, depending on how you build it up. Durable wheels & speed/quicknesss sort of work against each other. You need to draw a line where you want to make that compromise. I ride 32mm tires on my cyclocross. I wouldn't go bigger than this for the city. You could even drop to a smaller size, depending on what conditions you are facing. I love my cross bike but, heavy wheel/tire combos will never spin up like a lightweight road wheel/tire combo. You can be quick on it. But don't expect any "bike" to propel you like a racer. That takes work