picked up a new office i have to cover. good news is that it's only a 5 minute drive, bad news is that the route is not all that bike friendly:

-county route with no shoulder in spots.
-surface , after taking a look is: pavement, cracked pavement, gravel, grass, and dirt(or mud)/gravel mix.
-rolling hills with a long climb at the end.

my current commuting is all city pavement on a fixed gear.

considering a CX bike (used or new) with a single front ring, or an older used roadie i can squeeze some wider/aggressive tires into.

thoughts?

It depends on how cross the CX bike really is. I just finished the build on my first cross bike this weekend, and after just three rides (not commutes), I can say that I wouldn't want to commute on my cross bike. The geometry is a little too aggressive to be a good commuter. If you go the cross route, I suggest you look for one with a relaxed geometry....something more along the lines of a touring frame.

If you can stand a 2 hour trip, you could give Catskill Cycles a call. They carry the Salsa Vaya, which is a blend of CX and touring. A great commuter bike for rough roads, as it was designed for lost distance running on carriage trails. It comes stock with nice fat 40mm tires. The Vaya2 even comes with a compact double, which might be right up your alley.

The Surley CrossCheck may be a good choice. It has horizontal dropouts, which makes it easy to convert to a fixed/SS, and it has a bomb proof steel frame. The Bianchi San Jose is also a good CX style frame if you want to build your ride out on your own.

How big of tires can you get on the FG? With the right gearing and bigger tires, the offroad stuff won't be so bad.

thanks guys.

Surly and Salsa both came up in my searches.

i could probably squeeze 28's in my Leader 725.

my biggest concern is that the entire trip "to" is basically on an incline with my building being on top of a hill, with probably around a 20% grade. i'm going to make a trial run on my fixed (running 44/18) bike just to see, but i'm not convinced i can make the climb, hence shopping for something with gears.

much to consider, but hey, bike shopping!

All this. Also, the Bianchi Volpe is another good option for a comfy ride. Relatively relaxed geometry but plenty quick for hills.

20 % isn't that steep. It's enough of a struggle that you'll probably want to get out of the saddle to climb, but it isn't enough that you should have to doubt your ability to do it. But, yeah, gears will help a lot. I take 20 % grades in 39x25, but I wouldn't want to be stuck in that gear... On the other hand, I try to take it easy on the way in to work because I don't want to show up sweaty.

I liked Vittoria Rando Cross tires a lot. They worked well for me on the road, but also in gravel and dirt.

Consider: https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...2_10000_202339

Its a Hot market segment now, so Lots of Brands have a Dual sport offering..

700c-35ish tires , though not exactly made for Cyclocross Racing.

hard to shoulder the sloping top tube rigs, and run up those steep muddy hills..

Wow. I'm not really a Nashbar fan, but it's hard to find a 105-built bike for $750.

the Nashbar is looking pretty good, both the steel and the CX1. even though I've been offered a free Bianchi cross frame I just can't justify the cost of a full build on a bike that will be almost exclusively for a 9mi one way commute, the rest of my time being spent on the fixed.

of course I do have some slight fear of "gear addiction".

Tempted here, too. Don't think mama is ready yet, just paid $250 to get my old mountain bike rehabilitated for an upcoming race...

after much shopping around and realistic use analysis, the winner was the Nashbar Steel Cyclocross.

Quite a few years ago I commuted in utica during college, had a 1x5 Schwinn, got around quite well. Often visit family in the area - suggest you consider a cyclocross frame with 1x9 set up, last summer a 12-36 cassette and 39t chainring was pretty effective - 32 mm touring tires are a good choice . Not sure where your 20% grade is, if so, that is steep.

i have considered a 1x9. once i familiarize with derailleurs again, i can start making changes if i feel the need.

i'm riding from Whitesboro to Marcy. the prison my new office is in is set up on a hill at the edge of the valley.

I have a CX bike, and I like it a lot, but I'd consider it more of a rugged street bike than something I'd be willing to ride offload for long.

I live in an outlying suburb, and lots of our roads are like you describe. You'll have to decide whether you want to risk hugging the edge of the road for the speed bonus, or ride on the terrible shoulder at much lower speed and err on the side of safety.

For this kind of riding, a hybrid is really king, or a MTB, and have no fear of any shoulder. Breathegood's comments are on the money. CX bikes are basically road race bikes that can take a little more abuse; not a good sub for a proper MTB. Or a "racy hybrid."

Edit : I'd think I'd go MTB, and know that you'll always have a low enough gear to not have to sweat too much. Also, you'd have killer brakes for the downhill leg of the commute.

If you plan to ride mtb style, jumping curbs, etc., then a 29'er might be the trick. But the CX bike makes a very, very robust commuter. With the flexibility of tire size afforded, you have a real utility bike. Road, offroad, commute, it can do all quite well. Just not designed for jumping and real technical mtb type stuff.