Another vote for a SS/Cross bike. I switched over to a SS/Cross from a geared Cross bike 4 years ago and wouldn't go back. My commute is not terribly long at 20 miles round trip, but it does have a couple of good climbs on it. In Feb/Early March when my condition is not so great it is a bit of work to do the climbs, but by now (mid March) I'm good to go through the end of the year.