OK kids. The verdict is in....

I'm the proud owner of a frigg'n traffic cone orange Kona Jake The Snake.

As anybody who's cared to follow this thread knows, I agonized over this decision. All said and done, after about a month of shopping, I tried out a Redline Conquest Disk-R, a Bianchi Axis, and a JTS. After riding the Axis I went back and took a spin on the Kona again. The Axis had left a good taste in my mouth, but I wanted to refresh my feelings about the Kona since it had been about a week since I'd ridden it. I have to say, for those that suggest you really get out and test the bikes you're interested in, and not just go by stats, there really is something to that. You might think that obvious, but with CX bikes being somewhat rare out here in the LA area, it's easier said than done. I was really lucky to find these bikes, let alone in my size! When I got back on the Kona and just felt the ride, I forgot all about the color. It just was so obvious to me that this was the right fit. The whole bike just had a better feel to me.

Picking a bike can certainly be a very subjective process. Thanks jpearl for reinforcing the need to search the bikes out and test them. islenska, thanks for inspiring me to really feel them out. Everybody, thanks all for the feedback, and the little bits of humor so I didn't take myself too seriously. Screw ya'll if you think I'm being sappy, but I do appreciate having had other riders insight with this purchase. The whole thing was pretty intimidating. I've NEVER bought my own bike, and certainly not in this class/price range. It was a big purchase for me and I feel that I made a well thought out decision.

All in all I got a great deal from H&S Cycles in Burbank. My two salesman were Izzy and Mike. Izzy was totally patient with me during the process, held the bike for me for like a week and in the end gave me a nice discount. Mike sorted me out with all the accessories (20% off) and couldn't have been more helpful. At no point in the process did I feel I was being sold on anything I didn't need.

I. Martin Imports in LA where I tested the Axis treated me real well too. And Bike Attack in Santa Monica, where I tried out the Redline, were cool too. The guys at Bicycle John's who got me on the Volpe track are pretty darn knowledgable as well. Still curious what that steel frame would have felt like...