I'll regret feeding this thread. But anzwaz . . .

It's a shame you didn't do any racing this season, because almost surely it would have given you some idea of what kind of bike you'll want. It was surprising (to me) how my first CX race at the end of '06 clarified issues for me. I did four more that season, then built up my current rig this spring. If you have any chance to race this season, do it.