Originally Posted by cyccommute
"Options for what?" would be my question. The Cross Check complete doesn't have 3 water bottle cages. It doesn't have midfork rack mount (granted that's more a touring thing but I do use my front rack for commuting.) It has a double instead of a triple. Try climbing to 12500 on Trail Ridge Road some time or the west side of Vail Pass or west side of Loveland Pass (We are in Colorado after all
). An 36/25 low gear could mean you get to walk parts of those passes rather then ride them.
Options for running tires from 25 to 45 -- how many on that list can do that? The OP is talking about the bike as being used
primarily for commuting, not touring. Why in the world would you need three water bottles and a midfork rack mount when commuting? Is the OP really going to be making those kinds of climbs on his commute? If not, a double would suffice fine. To me, it doesn't make sense to give up the extra zip and tire size options of a Cross Check for a more sluggish ride as a full-out touring bike would be as a commuter. Of course, best advice would be to ride each and find out firsthand.