I have never ridden a cyclocross bike before.Currently I have 2 high end road bikes but would like to get something with wider tires to ride on the Katy trail by my house in St Louis.I am also interested in a single speed would a single speed cyclocross bike be a nice bike to have?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

I'm in the middle of converting a road frame to a SS/fixed CX bike. Based mainly on the couple of hundred miles I now have on my first geared CX bike.

Fun - you bet.

But it's an interesting challenge because not all road frames can take wider tires.

There are though lots of options for inexpensive SS frames - Surly, Soma, etc. Makes for a nice diversion, ask questions here if you decide to go forward.

I'm not familiar with the Katy trail or riding in the St Louis area but I ride a SS cross bike almost exclusively.

I commute 3 days a week, about 15 miles each way on a rural Maine combination of poor pavement and dirt roads plus one pleasure ride per week for 25 miles or so, year round. The SS has been great.

There are many reasons I enjoy SS including but not limited to: Simplicity, Less weight, Bad weather riding not messing up derailleurs, Learning to spin, Learning to climb more agressively, ...

But my #1 realization after riding SS is:
It's amazing how much time was spent thinking about "am I in the right gear... should I shift... should I be spinning more... should I drop a gear and hammer???" on my geared bike. On a SS, I have none of that thought process and I can focus on... ENJOYING THE RIDE. My mind freed from shifting allows me to better encounter my bicycle and the environment through which I ride. They become directly related... climbs become a time for concentration and effort, flats become steady smooth motion, downhill becomes a chance to coast and drift. With constant gearing (i.e. only 1 gear) I can better process the terrain I ride over and enjoy the scenery I ride through. This is also made easier by NOT PUTTING A COMPUTER on my SS bike. I don't care how far, how fast... I just ride for the enjoyment of riding.

If none of the above makes any sense to you, or you like to crunch training numbers during and after each ride, or you want to go fastest and most efficient, you may want to stay with a geared bike. I definately go faster on a geared bike over varied terrain mainly due to the fact that I often spin out on the long flats and descents. I think I climb much faster on my SS but have no computer on the bike to know for certain. I do know for certain that I enjoy riding the SS more and my geared bike collects dust since I got the SS.

As for Cyclocross bikes... They are very versatile. Road wheels/ flip my stem down and ready to go on the road. Cross wheels/ flip my stem up and ready to go across the fields and through the woods. Add fenders and ready for rain, slush, snow. Add rack/panniers and ready for a light weekend camping tour... on dirt roads...in the rain. Great do-it-all machines, especially if you have ever been on your road bike and wondered "where does that dirt road go??...

Anyway, hope this helps somewhat.

singlecross

Single speed makes more sense for cyclocross than you might guess. Chances are you'll be off the bike and running/walking on most steep sections, and braking to keep control on most downhills. All this eliminates the need for anything but middle range gearing.

I agree that a cyclocross bike is probably the most versatile of all designs. It can go on-road, off-road, commute, and I've even used mine for loaded touring (don't try that single speed). However, one thing that I've learned is that even with slack angles and big fat tires, an aluminum framed cyclocross bike is nowhere nearly as comfortable on pavement as a good road-specific design.

Do it! If you're not gonna race, get the Surly Cross Check (cool, cheap, but kind of heavy). If you don't like SS, you can easily make the Cross Check geared again. Otherwise, Bianchi make a great, cheap complete SS cross bike for around $500.

Do it! If you're not gonna race, get the Surly Cross Check (cool, cheap, but kind of heavy). If you don't like SS, you can easily make the Cross Check geared again. Otherwise, Bianchi make a great, cheap complete SS cross bike for around $500.
I have a ss cross check, bean green been ridding and racing since 2001, works great, fairly light even with the heavey frame and fork. MY friend just got the bianchi san jose great bike for about $550. The new one even comes with a FF hub so you can run fixed if you just buy a cog and lock ring, the color is a dk green with colored panels, not quite as nice of a color as last years light blue with white panels. The san jose is by far the best deal out there, much cheaper then building up a cross check, but the tt is a little short for me I would need the 58cm model my friend has to get the right 57cm tt, but wouldn't have as much stand over as my 56cm cross check with a 57cm TT. I could ride the san jose in the 58cm size but I prefer more stand over for racing and more techicial trail ridding, but it would be fine If I just rode it on roads.