I have a high end road bike.. Trek Emonda SLR.
I purchased a DS for casual riding and some offroad. It was just too heavy and sluggish. I wanted a bike less expensive than the Emonda and more "rugged". I decided to get a Cyclocross bike and looked at the Cross Rip, but it wasn't what I wanted. I tried a Cannondale SuperX and had what I wanted: Sram groupset, hydro disc and wider tires. It came stock with 35mm knobby tires and was pretty good on the road and handled the offroad single track, gravel and fire roads. When i sold the DS I purchased a second set of wheels and put on 32mm tubeless all weather tires.
The bike is awesome, it handles the rough roads like a Cadillac and rolls over the ruts, potholes and debris. I've taken it on a number of 40 miles rides and it's just great.
It's my "winter" and "foul weather" bike but I also use it for night riding since it handle the obstacles I miss better than the Emonda.
Each bike is different and better at somethings than the other. They're a tool.. like having 2 hammers in your tool box.
If you liked riding the DS offroad, then a CX bike might be fore you.
