I've been wanting to get a single speed bike for years, but living in the mountains of Western PA going single gear wasn't an option.

A job transfer just took me down to Williamsburg, VA and wanted to start commuting to work. I have a place to keep the bike indoors, a shower and a locker room. I even have access to a washer and dryer at my office for those rainy mornings.

I was stuck between getting a San Jose or a Single Cross.

I chose the Single Cross for the following reasons:

• I needed a bike with larger tires. I commute on the colonial parkway which is pebbled concrete and skinny cyclocross tires just won't cut it. I tried my standard road bike on there and my brains got shook like a martini.
• More flexible if I wanted to ditch the messenger bag at somepoint and add a rack/panniers. (Specilaized even makes custom racks just for thier cross bikes.
• Service. There is a Bianchi dealer in town, but I liked the service at the Specialized place a little better.
• The breaks were more condusive to commuting in the rain/sleet vs. the roadie style breaks.

While I really wanted a steel bike, the reasons listed above pushed me towards the Specialized Single Cross.

I've had it for about a month now and have commuted every day with it. I have about a 25 mile round trip ride on the Colonial Parkway. In the mornings it's pretty quite and I only have 2-3 cars pass me, but in the afternoon it can get busy with tourists so I'll have 50 or 60 cars pass me.

I'm still getting used to the single speed and quite frequently I'll search for the shifters when climbing an overpass or descending down a grade, but I really enjoy the simplicity of the bike. It's quite, simple and the lack of gears allows me to enjoy the ride instead of searching for the right gear. I've also stopped blaming my bike when I'm having a hard time and started blaming my fitness level.

In the past month I've seen deer, osprey, turles, rabits, ducks, geese and snakes on my ride. I've said good morning to other cyclists, kyakers, hikers and dog walkers. All of which I would have missed if I were still commuting.

My complaints right now are my hands are still going numb around mile 7, but that could be my position on the bike or the road conditions. I also wish the bike had disc brakes, there have been a few times I've gotten caught in a thunderstorm and could have used something more reliable than the mtn style brakes.

In the fall I hope to race in the Iron Cross race, but am a bit intimidated using a single speed ride. It may take me a long time to finish that race, but I'm bound to do it.

I think this bike is amazing for anyone wanting to navagate the potholes, ride the concrete and utilize the dirt paths to get to work.

If anyone offer opinions on the specialized rack or style of panniers to get, I'm all ears. I'd like to try to switch out the messenger bag from time to time and carry more items to work.

Got more questions about the bike, chime in and I'll see if I can answer them.