I looked at it a year or two ago. I bought a Redline Conquest 24 used for just a bit less, but I looked at REI's too because it actually had 26" wheels. The big drawback to the REI bike is that it was surprisingly *very* heavy. For actual cyclocross racing it seemed like it would have been a bit much for run ups and places where you need to carry the bike. If they've lightened it up a bit it might be a great entry level bike for us shorties.