river226

Hi. Sorry to bother everyone with a noob sort of question, but I am looking to make a smart choice for when I switch from a car commute, to a bike/train commute in a few weeks.

I have done this before with a cheap mongoose bike I bought from wal-mart but have found the bike wanting, and would like to get some better hardware for this. I plan to bike year round (which means through snow/slush in winter, rain rest of the year) and I don't want to spend a whole lot on the upgrade (800+). A friend pointed me towards cycle-cross bike's so I could in theory do some off trailing if needed, and definitely handle the snow without a real issue. But a good one looks to be more then I would like to spend, and the more I think about it I am not sure if that level of off-roading is needed for the occasional bad snow day in Chicago. After doing some research I came across the Priority classic 2.0 as a good priced bike, and with winter tires (a little extra cost) it should be comfy in the snow. My commute is about 2.7 miles each way according to google.

I am curious what peoples experience is here. Is the priority bike a good pick for year round biking, or would I really be better off spending a little extra and getting a cycle-cross or some other bike?

Thanks!