Cyclo Cross (again)

Afternoon all,
I am looking to get a cyclo cross bike for my 13 mile commute and want to do it through the Ride2 Work scheme.
I've been looking for ages, but decided i really need to do something about it and take the plunge and buy it. i've been looking at the Focus Cross Expert:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... ert%202007 (i'm only 5'5" so think the size would be fine for me)
and the Focus Mares: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... oss%202008
evans also have a few:
http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70373 , http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=60796 and http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70740
and Planet X: http://www.planet-x-bikes.com/road/inde ... AGE_id=225
i dont really know much about bikes at all such as the differences between gears and groupsets, so any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks
I am looking to get a cyclo cross bike for my 13 mile commute and want to do it through the Ride2 Work scheme.
I've been looking for ages, but decided i really need to do something about it and take the plunge and buy it. i've been looking at the Focus Cross Expert:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... ert%202007 (i'm only 5'5" so think the size would be fine for me)
and the Focus Mares: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... oss%202008
evans also have a few:
http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70373 , http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=60796 and http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70740
and Planet X: http://www.planet-x-bikes.com/road/inde ... AGE_id=225
i dont really know much about bikes at all such as the differences between gears and groupsets, so any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks

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I'm sorry if I'm sounding grumpy but I just think you should get a road bike.
I don't carry a bottle to work, mudguards aren't that necessary - I've gone most of the winter without them and if I couldn't fit them it wouldn't bother me, and a triple is only needed if your going to be doing a lot of climbing - for a commute it's not necessary.
Cyclocross bikes IMO are suitable for commuting. Perhaps the OP has the same opinions as me.
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I used to use a 'cross bike as a winter trainer, until the interest in 'cross took over and it wound up purely as a racing machine. Guards are a doddle to fit with a bit of help from P-clips and possibly helped by the odd zip tie, whilst I also had bottle mounts on it. No experience with racks, though. Quite a few 'cross bikes these days have bottle mounts provided - my current one is a Fort Foco, an all-out competition frame not designed for use as a road machine, but it still has provision to fit 2 bottles. Quite handy, as I use the bosses to carry one bottle and a mini-pump when training off-road, though all that comes off when in 'race mode'.
David
Having said that, when I came to road test one (in fact one of the Felt's suggested above) it did feel like too much of a compromise and I ended up going for a full blooded roadie which is awesome. But them again all of my commute is on the road. I think if I had any rough stuff to negotiate I'd still consider one over a roadie/hybrid/MTB etc..
its very unlikely that i would start racing with it, but you never know i might catch the bug!
I can see the point of getting proper road bike for the commute, but then when i go on holidays i would rather use my own bike that hire one, and i dont really have the room or budget for two separate bikes to be honest.
Get a Cyclo-X bike, they are a better compromise between road bikes and MTBs, Hybrids are awful.
Next commuting bike I get will be a cyclo-cross bike. The manufacturers have cottoned onto the fact that people want their bikes to do more than one job. Cyclocross is very niche, so the manufacturers often make their CX bikes with the braze ons for mudguards and bottles so that the bikes can be used for stuff other than CX.
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-tough, well built
-relaxed geometry compared to many "race" bikes
-flexible-mudguard eyes/clearance, choice of skinny/knobbly tyres
-can go offroad reasonably easily
-look good
Best of all, get a disc braked crosser like the Focus/Trek
I see the Uncle John has disc tabs