I ride in all condition. My Trek 520 with canti's and Koolstop brake pads works just fine. Of course, I don't ride >12mph when conditions aren't ideal.

Redline Metro would be a good choice too.

That Redline looks like a good choice and a nice bike. 10 speed too - more easily upgraded than a 9 speed - if that matters. But better components to start with in any case.

Congrats on stepping up to LBS offerings, but do note that anything new in your price range will essentially have been made in China or some other Asian nation. The frames pretty much come from the same handful of factories and those factories will put whatever paint/decals the initial buyer (brand) wants.

Trek tends to be a bit pricier than others for what you get, at least where I live.

I think the CrossRip fits a nice niche. There's lots of cyclocross-ish steel bikes with room for tires wider than 32mm + fenders but not many aluminum bikes. This is not meant to start an aluminum vs steel debate, just sayin that it's nice to have a choice.

But, but, steel is real and alluminum don't rust....

Lol yes I did not mean to start a brand war (already fought) or a materials war. Just was unsure about components and how much a novice would notice. Im now looking into the Kona Jake and Trek 1.5 now that I learned of the brake interrupter levers! This site is *amazing* with the knowledge and willingness to help out people new to the game. Many thanks everyone for their opinons and suggestions.

we clearly have a vastly different definition of "works fine". i also loathe rim brakes because they structurally weaken the single most critical component on a bike. many cyclists have been injured because their rim explodes and yet you hear far more about the dire risk of spontaneous carpet fiber* delamination than wheel rim failure.

*ILTB: slang for carbon fiber

the 'cyclocross' section is mostly using the bikes for other purposes , like Commuting, as it is..

no prob. depending on the shop, they should be able to modify or build it up to your individual needs (interrupter levers).

I have a Spesh Singlecross for a commuter now, and I have cantis/Kool-Stop salmon pads on there. It works plenty fine to stop me even in the rain at the bottom of a 40mph screamer descent.
Where I would consider a non-disc system to be inferiour is in a PNW winter with all the grit on the wet roads; I tear through brake pads, and a pair of rims only lasts me about 7000 - 8000 miles before I wear out the brake track... but I stick with it just because I already have the equipment and don't want to spend the money on a disc brake generator hub and a new rear hub.

Lots of good possibilities mentioned here. Might also check out REI if there is one in your area. Some good bikes, good warranty, currently 20% off for members (would be worth joining for the discount), and free shipping if it is ordered online. I think REI might have some bikes that might interest you. If you select show all bikes, you can then specify things like disc brakes, frame material, etc. on the left of the page to get an idea of what is available that may interest you.

Hey Nomad, where in Ohio are you? If anywhere in the Northeast check out Eddy's Bike shop's web page. First, the bikes they carry (both Trek and Specialized) are 10% off MSRP all the time. Second, their Stow location has a few of last years Specialized Tricross left for discounted prices. Spin in Lakewood is good for Kona and can get discounts off of last years models from the dealer if they are available (they've been an honest dealer that passes on the discount from my experience, unlike some others).

Nomad, another thing to think about. You said rail trails on the weekends. If there is a gravel or crushed limestone surface I'd steer clear of a standard road bike that has narrow tires and cannot take a larger tire than a 25mm.

No more 10spd commuters for me. My 8spd bikes got about a year and a half out of a chain,replacements were $18. My 9spd Safari gets about a year,maybe 13 months,replacements cost $25. My 10spd cross bike(gone now,stolen) got 8 maybe 9 months out of a chain,and replacements were $40.

For bikes,the 20% coupon is only good on house brand Novara,and free shipping only to an REI store location. They have the Zealo,which is a drop bar disc bike. I had its predecessor,the Road Buzz;returned it because it rode so badly,even with wider tires. Looked over the Zealo at the store,has the same style fork as the RB,but much less tire clearance. Wouldn't buy one unless I had a steel or CF fork sitting in the corner to transplant on.

That's definitely something to consider. I'm really liking the 8-speed drive train on my LHT. Of course, you can get 10-speed chains cheaper if you shop around online. Cassettes are cheaper too now that Tiagra is 10-speed.

Thanks for the suggestion, thats actually where im planning on going! I live closer to Youngstown but my local dosent have a huge selection and dont tout themselves as certified fitters, which eddys has a large selection and does. I think i'll also be stoping in the Kona shop out that way also, hopefully next weekend.

Just want to hit a couple points. Low end components have been disparaged a bit in this thread. Just for a counter point, I have a Sora front and rear derailleur on my bike and they have nearly 7000 miles on them with no issue. Some of the low-end Shimano stuff either road or mountain is quite durable in the long run. It's just that it's not the lightest stuff, but then if you're riding a bike with racks, fenders, and panniers, why are you gram counting? The other point I wanted to make was that interrupter levers can indeed be added to any bike that doesn't already come with them. However, you have to realize that there is currently only one brand of levers that will work with V-brakes and mechanical pull disc brakes, and those are the Paul cross levers. Regular cross levers only pull enough cable to work with caliper or cantilever brakes. Be sure which levers you buy if you go this route. Be warned also that the Paul levers cost $100, whereas you can pick up Tektro cross levers for calipers and cantis for as little as $15.

I'm not disparaging lower level components - I ride a base Sirrus which has Altus and Tourney, and I find it perfectly manageable. But - I paid $450 for the bike. The Crossrip is priced too high, for what it gives - at least, on paper. If the ride works really well for OP, maybe its worth the cost - but I would definitely suggest testing the other bikes suggested.

I bought BikesDirect and I definitely love mine. The OPs budget is high enough that he can get a decent Motobecane frame with a solid component set way better than any LBS offering: https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...ane/outlaw.htm

At the $1k price point BikesDirect bikes really start to make sense.

I agree that for a commuter disc brakes are awesome. You will probably want to get some touring tires unless your commute is mostly gravel so add an extra $100 to the budget for a pair of tires as the CX tires will probably not be the best for asphalt commute.

As for not being able to tell the difference, I beg to disagree. The difference between Sora and 105 is substantial. Anything higher than 105 feels about the same. Once you go 105 or above it's hard to go with anything less for sure. at least this is my experience...

i'll do it for you. after 10-20k the failure rate on lower level components becomes unacceptably high. imo, longevity starts at the deore/sora level and slowly peaks at 105/xt (except for ceramic bearings and pulleys).

This point isn't entirely relevant since the OP is looking at bikes with STI levers. The cheap run of the mill interrupters will pull roughly the same amount of cable as the STI. Also note that they work fine with mechanical disc brakes intended for road use.

I used to love my interrupters, but I eventually stopped using them and now have a couple of pairs sitting unused on my shelf. One downside is that if they aren't installed just right they can add friction to your system and reduce braking power. This effect is minimal if they are installed correctly, so it's more of a convenience issue than one of functionality, but it was enough for me to stop using them once I was on the fence.

My bike came with them and I removed them because I just couldn't get them to pull nicely without grinding feeling. Plus the distance between the levers and the Parabox was kind of a limiting factor. Depending on commuting situation the top bar levers can be great or they can be a don't care.