Cyclocross - what bike to get...details. help please.

ok. i want a bike that i can do it all on. preferably road-esque position. ss or a triple front single rear (bar end). drop bars. mtb-able if i feel like (doubtful, but the option is nice) rather not have a suspension fork. 700c/29'er wheels. cross able for sure. (all this talk makes me want to do it super bad). i dunno. just do everything well. the only thing i'd race on it would be cross. otherwise just year round riding and commuting in mpls. but i need it fairly soon and don't want to spend over $750 (wholesale prices.) rather not build anything. discouraged after my last build last disaster. really like canti brakes, but i don't really care that much. just something fast in town and fast off road as well. any suggestions? looking at the san jose and building a crosscheck or 1x1. maybe a modified kaitai, but i think i got talked out of that.

rob roy would build up under 750 retail. why single in the back and triple up front? the more conventional option would be single up front and cassette in the back, but rob roy's really better for ss.

as far as versatility, seems like the crosscheck's got it all, no?

bigger jump in gears. two useable on the road and two usable off the road rather than 3-6 or 9 closely spaced gears.

Are you going to have derailleurs, or manually adjust when you want to change gears? I would think that combo with derailleurs would be a bad idea. Why not just use a cassette with bigger gaps in the gearing?

This thing is probably a disaster, but it has potential-

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=87&subcategory=1109&brand=&sku=18989&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Freewheels

bigger jump in gears. two useable on the road and two usable off the road rather than 3-6 or 9 closely spaced gears.

If some answers show up in this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=288832), you might have a much better option.

Alternatively if you only want three gears you could just use a conventional cassette with most of it replaced by spacers, three cogs providing the range you want, and the derailleur adjusted to suit.

just use a conventional cassette with most of it replaced by spacers, three cogs providing the range you want, and the derailleur adjusted to suit.
Would that make chain dropping more likely?

Shouldn't, if the derailleur limit screws are set properly.

you could set up a ss 'cross bike or 29"er with a schlumpf mountain drive, for some sweet two speed action with no cables or derailleurs.

Woah, that thing is amazing. I've never seen that before. Spendy though.