Cyclocross bike advice for commuting please

Pilotman
Pilotman Posts: 9
edited March 2014 in Commuting chat
Hey guys

My first post here so please be kind. I have recently commuted to work twice last week. It is a 40km journey round trip. I used my wife's hybrid and it was fine although a little slow at times. It is about 70% road and 30% gravel/ tow path/ canal riding. Generally flat except for 2 steep hills and 1 medium hill.

I can get on the bike to work scheme as of next week so wanted a new bike for myself. I have tried out a few cross bikes and really enjoyed the durability of them. My budget is about £800 and the two that i have narrowed it down to are;

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec053062
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/can ... e-ec053954

I am quite confused which one i should go for from these two. I generally dont like fettling with bikes so I want something which is as low maintenance as possible. Anyone with experiences of both bikes on here? So far, i am only a fair weather rider but as time goes on, i may start riding in slightly wet weather too. I wont have panniers either - just a small backpack will do as i dont need to carry much stuff with me. I will need mudguards.

I do want a drop bar bike though. Should i also be looking at pure road bikes too and then possibly changing the tyres to cross-type tyres? Or should I stick to cross bikes?

In the mornings, i face no traffic so it is a fast ride in. In the evenings, it is slightly slower and i have to be a lot more careful as there are more cars.

Thanks a lot in advance.

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