when someone asks me what "bike to get",
i suggest a Rans Rocket recumbent (first) then a Cross Check.
A Cross Check is my winter bike.
it is very very versatile, as i'm sure other similar cyclocross bikes are.
Frame size & specs among these bikes (Jamis Nova, Gunnar Crosshairs,
Surly Cross-Check, Jake the Snake, etc) are comparable.
There is something very satisfying about the way a Cross Check
performs that is greater than the sum of it's parts or attributes.