I'll weigh in on the side of my Tri-cross, too. I've got the Expert Double model, and it has met all of my expectations beautifully.

My daily commute is 30 miles round-trip, with about 20 miles on state highways (55 MPH speed limit) and the other 10 within the city limits, with rough pavement, railroad tracks, etc. I needed a bike on which I could easily mount fenders, a rack, lights, etc., but I didn't want to end up with a slow hybrid or mountain bike. It also needed to be heavy enough to handle my 220 (now 200!) pound self. The Tri-cross has completely lived up to my expectations. Even with a full load (10-12 pounds in a single pannier), I can average 16 MPH throughout the week. And that's with my rear end planted on my big old Brooks saddle! I love this bike!

Since I got the bike, I've added fenders (cheap plastic ones I'm hoping will break soon so I can replace them), my Brooks, my 2-sided SPD pedals, a Blackburn rack, a pair of Ortlieb panniers (which are AWESOME - torrential rain doesn't penetrate them), a couple Fenix flashlights for headlights, a couple Superflash tail-lights, and my Garmin 305.

A couple thoughts - I live and work in a fairly rural community. My boss thinks I'm crazy, but he is kind enough to allow me to park my bike IN my office, so I don't have to worry about theft there. When I need to stop at Kroger on the way home, I park the bike inside the doors, next to the shopping carts, and secure it with a small Kryptonite cable lock. The Ortliebs are easy to remove - they go in the cart. I just have to remember to unclip my lights and GPS and put them in the pannier.

I also love the third water-bottle boss on the front of the down-tube. I learned early on that you can't have a third water bottle and fenders at the same time, but it is the perfect place to mount my Topeak Morph pump.

All in all, this bike has performed perfectly for me.